Random small F1 questions

I just got myself a Foundation 1 and it's looking promising and I'm starting my routine on monday. I did dive into the interface but some questions arose that I couldn't figure out myself and need help to understand:

1. What does it mean to microcycle (+1/2/3 weeks)?

2. How much rest do I take between each Set (during which the iM is to be performed)?

3. Do I need Mastery templates for anything? All of the exercises seem to have a definition of "Mastery" to start with so I don't need to manually check the template right?

4. The PEs seem to go up to PE6 on each movement except SLS which goes to PE4 and then an "SE1".

- From beginning to end, mastering a PE1 - PE6 would take 18 months. If SLS only goes up to PE4, what do I train SLS with the remaining PE5-6 (6 months) that the SLS doesn't have?

5. It appears to me that the ultimate goals (full straddle planche, perfect side lever etc.) are not included in this 18 month F1 programming.

- Are these introduced in F2?

- Does this mean it is unrealistic to achieve, say, a Straddle Planche with less than 1½ years of work? Or is this just an absolute "bulletproofing" of my body towards advanced movement? Or should I skip PEs if I can master them early on?

Thanks guys.

On the phone, so i'll have to be a bit shorter.

1 microcycle is week 1-4, 5-8 and 9-12. So the three weeks + deload.

2. No rest. The iM is the rest. Yup it's brutal.

3. The template is to know how to build up to mastery sets

4. SE is specific exercise, you can be on SE on SLS while PE on something else. The PE s don't have to match up.

5. There are 4 foundation courses. The 4th will have the ultimate version of the exercise .

If you can demonstrate mastery for a PE/SE and it's iM earlier then move on. Some will be quick some might take longer.

1. A microcycle is a cycle of 4 weeks. There are 3 microcycles in each 12 week cycle, you can choose to enter the cycle at any microcycle you see fit depending on how far you are from mastery. 

2. Don't rest between sets. If you need to rest, you haven't achieved mastery and should keep working week after week until you can perform the exercises with little to no rest in between (other than performing the iM). 

3. The mastery template is there to give you a suggested progression schedule (3 microcycles = 1 cycle of 12 weeks). Most of us follow the templates, but then sometimes tweak them for exercises that seem harder to progress in.

4. Some exercises have more PEs than others. SLS has the fewest, which means you start getting into SEs sooner. Once you've mastered PE4, move onto SE1. Once you've mastered SE1, it's time to get F2. 

5. It is about "bulletproofing" and getting there injury-free with perfect form. Recommendations have been made to skip PEs if you can show mastery of both the PE and associated iM. Otherwise, you're supposed to stick with that level until you can master both. Mastery is fairly strict in terms of form and range of motion so when in doubt, ask around. As an example, many of us have been working on push-ups and ABHs for 6 months, not because we can't get the numbers, but because we can't get them with perfect form and ROM - it makes a huge difference.  

SecondWind said:

5. It appears to me that the ultimate goals (full straddle planche, perfect side lever etc.) are not included in this 18 month F1 programming.

- Are these introduced in F2?

- Does this mean it is unrealistic to achieve, say, a Straddle Planche with less than 1½ years of work? Or is this just an absolute "bulletproofing" of my body towards advanced movement? Or should I skip PEs if I can master them early on?

- These exercises will be introduced in F3 or F4, with the exception of SLS which is the culmination of F2 (F3 and F4 will have more advanced leg exercises)

- For a complete beginner (e.g. having to start at PE1), yes, it is unrealistic to achieve an sPL in 18 months. However, there is no need to spend time doing PE's that are too easy for you: if you can demonstrate master of a PE and it's associated iM, that means you should move on to the next PE.

- Also note that the goal of Foundation isn't merely to achieve the final movements, but to master them so your body will be prepared for more training more advanced movements. This means, for example, that at the end of F4 you should have no trouble doing 5 sets of 10s front lever holds.

-MR said:

1. A microcycle is a cycle of 4 weeks. There are 3 microcycles in each 12 week cycle, you can choose to enter the cycle at any microcycle you see fit depending on how far you are from mastery. 

 

2. Don't rest between sets. If you need to rest, you haven't achieved mastery and should keep working week after week until you can perform the exercises with little to no rest in between (other than performing the iM). 

 

3. The mastery template is there to give you a suggested progression schedule (3 microcycles = 1 cycle of 12 weeks). Most of us follow the templates, but then sometimes tweak them for exercises that seem harder to progress in.

 

4. Some exercises have more PEs than others. SLS has the fewest, which means you start getting into SEs sooner. Once you've mastered PE4, move onto SE1. Once you've mastered SE1, it's time to get F2. 

 

5. It is about "bulletproofing" and getting there injury-free with perfect form. Recommendations have been made to skip PEs if you can show mastery of both the PE and associated iM. Otherwise, you're supposed to stick with that level until you can master both. Mastery is fairly strict in terms of form and range of motion so when in doubt, ask around. As an example, many of us have been working on push-ups and ABHs for 6 months, not because we can't get the numbers, but because we can't get them with perfect form and ROM - it makes a huge difference.  

1. When I plan a workout there is a tab saying Microcycle fine tuning, what should I use that for? Why would I add extra weeks to my cycle?

2. Ah thanks I thought I'll be doing 3-5 min rests so luckily someone cleared that up... I read up a post my Coach Sommer about it, what do we use 3-5 min rests for then?

3. Yeah I got the hang of the templates now but my workout planner already gives me exact sets and reps/holds for every single day, so basicly I don't need to check back to the templates at all?

4. Thanks!

In terms of the Microcycle fine tuning, I've never used the scheduler, so I don't know anything about it.

You'll want to add extra weeks to your cycle if you find the progressions to be too rapid for a specific PE that's difficult for you - for me, this has been necessary for HBP PE2 and ABH PE1 which I've been working on for just over 6 months now. Progress is there, but it's slow. In terms of options for tweaking your cycles, wait until you hit a roadblock and ask around to see what others have done for that specific exercise.

M

SecondWind said:

1. When I plan a workout there is a tab saying Microcycle fine tuning, what should I use that for? Why would I add extra weeks to my cycle?

2. Ah thanks I thought I'll be doing 3-5 min rests so luckily someone cleared that up... I read up a post my Coach Sommer about it, what do we use 3-5 min rests for then?

Use the fine tuner if you miss the rep requirements for the week, or just miss a week in general.

The 3-5 minutes rest is just general advice for strength training.

I prefer to manually check and change my sets and reps rather than use the scheduler. That's just me.

Charm said:

I prefer to manually check and change my sets and reps rather than use the scheduler. That's just me.

And me

Same here, I have a textbook with me with all my sets/reps for each exercise with me and it works out fine.