Expected time to complete Foundation series

I just realized how long it would actually take to complete all four Foundation programs from start to finish.  There seems to be an average of 6 exercises for each move

6 exercises x 4 series = 24

24 x 12 week cycles = 288 weeks

288 weeks / 52 weeks = 5.5 years

Obviously, that would be shorter for some of you, but the only thing I achieved mastery for on my first go was pushups for 5x15 so I'm pretty much starting from the complete beginning

Is anyone actually planning on doing this for 5.5 years?  It just seems like such a long time, after doing bodybuilding splits / powerlifting routines for no more than a few months at a time. 

At least from my experience with my routine from Builiding the Gymnastics body it does not seem like it would take nearly that long to develop some of these positions.  The one that seemed liked it would come the easiest to me was the front lever.  For example, after only a couple weeks I was doing 6 sets of 10 seconds of the front lever tuck (the one with my back straight) and was close to doing a straddle lever.  Maybe I'm ridiculously ignorant but I'm guessing I would be able to achieve a front lever in under a year or two, not 5 and a half.  

Maybe I was progressing too fast, but even if I slowed down, I still feel that I would be able to achieve some of the foundation moves in a year or two.  Does anyone have any input?  

BTW, I am 19 so obviously have high test and fast recovery, and I also eat very well (only meat, eggs, veggies, fruit, and some grains like brown rice, etc )

Can we _please_ think about a sticky Foundation FAQ?

This has been chewed over plenty of times. Answer 1 is it takes as long as it takes; if your mobility is literally 0 and your strength is kittenish and extremely, improbably, even unbelievably slow developing it may take the full term.

Answer 2 is that you move faster through exercises you are good at. Test each time you begin a new exercise to see if you can complete it to scratch. If you're reasonably close run a 4-week or 8-week cycle.

I'm low-level and and have completed almost all of F2 and H1 since it came out, with a year of Building the Gymnastic Body before that. Daniel Burnham is on F4 material after 1-2 years of serious training. Dillon went from 0 to a whole lot of advanced ring strength in 4 years.

You take all the time you need on your weak points, and you don't get to rest on your strong points. So you *always* keep progressing, whether a little faster or slower. Even during the slow times, literally constant progress adds up surprisingly fast.

That help?

The purpose of Foundation is not to achieve the final positions. If you just want to hold a front lever for 2 seconds, you could develop that in less time that it takes you to complete Foundation. The purpose of Foundation is to develop the strength, mobility, and skills required for more advanced GST work: i.e, to lay a good foundation  

Will it take you 5.5 years? Unlikely. If you're already reasonably strong and mobile and have good recovery, you'll find yourself working your way through must faster than that. 

I achieved a full lever and a 10 second advanced tuck planche after about a year of training statics for 60 secs/day. What I realize now that I've been doing Foundation for just over 6 months though, is that I was merely learning party tricks and gaining some very specific strength. 

Foundation allows you to systematically identify scary gaps in your strength, muscular endurance, and mobility, and then makes you work on those for as long as it takes to rectify the issues. If it takes a long time, it's because there were major problems that really needed taking care of. The goal is to be strong and mobile in every plane of movement, and injury free for the long haul. This kind of work seems more suited to those taking a long-term view - you're basically overhauling your entire body. 

Although you may not be able to get to the flashy moves as early as you'd like, there are definitely benefits to this kind of work in that you'll be better prepared for any physical activity you attempt in the future. It certainly takes a lot to get me sore now. 

Even if it takes you the full 5.5 years, so what?  You were planning on being 5.5 years older anyway right?

I'm sick of all these 90 day programs.  It's like, you reach day 91, then what?

I'm glad foundation is going to take me years, because it means by the time I've finished it Coach will probably have released an advanced program.

 The fact it takes so long just means that there is a LOT of good quality, well thought out material.  Enjoy it while it lasts.

Bipocni said:

Even if it takes you the full 5.5 years, so what? You were planning on being 5.5 years older anyway right?

I'm sick of all these 90 day programs. It's like, you reach day 91, then what?

I'm glad foundation is going to take me years, because it means by the time I've finished it Coach will probably have released an advanced program.

The fact it takes so long just means that there is a LOT of good quality, well thought out material. Enjoy it while it lasts.

Well said.

It does seem like a long time, until you ask yourself what the alternative is. If you were going to focus on powerlifting or bodybuilding you'd still be doing many of the same exercises 5.5 years later. You might change your schedules and set/rep schemes, but if you want to powerlift you start with squats and five years later you'll still be squatting. You'll squat more weight but it's still a squat. Like Bipocni asked, what comes after your short-term training routine? Do you say job well done and stop training altogether? Or you focus on something else and come back to it in a year after you've lost most of your progress?

One of the things I enjoy about Foundation is that you work through such a variety of movements. Each time I reach mastery I've got a fresh new exercise to master. Sometimes the changes are slight, but it's enough to keep me interested while keeping me focused.