Is Foundation One worth buying if you don't have everything?

I'm interested in Foundation One but I don't really have access to all the recommended equipment, especially during the upcoming winter months. I don't have the "bench you can lay on with feet hanging down at 90 degrees", or rings, stall bars. I don't even have a place for handstand pushups, my wife put a stop to that after seeing the scuff marks on the living room wall. 

What do I have is a living room floor, some free weights, and a wobbly pullup bar. Hanging upside down on that pullup bar is a little scary though, I'm worried that it will tip.

With that being said, would Foundation One be worth the investment for me?

What would truly interest me is a program that follows similar programming but really does require minimal equipment. I really like the gymnastic bodies style programming but have always struggled with a lack of necessary equipment.

I've seen the "be creative" arguments but I'm not a bachelor and I'm not able to just start bringing stuff into the house or go mounting things on the walls and ceilings.

Thanks.

I've been doing foundation regularly since February and all I use is a removable pullup bar (the sketchy kind) and a set of rings. I've looped the rings around the bar and then put the bar up and down twice a week when I need it.

For the bench, I just use a coffee table. If your table is made of glass or is not that sturdy, you can get by with laying over a chair with a pillow on it. Depending on your fitness level, this may be all you need for the first year or more (you can see the levels I'm at in my signature).

In terms of scuff marks with handstand push-ups, just wear clean socks when you do them, though you won't be doing any for quite a while if you follow the foundation program.

I haven't figured out exactly what I'm going to do when I need more equipment, but it'll probably be a really long time before I need it. If I ever do get to the point that I need it, I'll be so excited to have gotten that far that I'll probably just do what needs to get done.

If this is still not for you, you can look into convict conditioning. I have no experience with it but I've read that it's all body-weight and follows slow progressions to allow your joints to adapt. I really would recommend trying F1 out though, your lack of equipment doesn't seem like a viable excuse given my experience. All you need is to get some rings or use some kind of substitute like two lengths of ropes attached to some form of handles or donut-shaped implements. You won't be swinging off them any time soon so sketchy is fine.

M

The only gymnastic equipment I have is the Xtreme rings. I have been doing F1 and H1 for 9 months now and I haven't had any issues so far, besides inconvenience. To answer your question, yes Foundation one is worth every cent but don't take my word for it try it out yourself. There is a 30 day money back guaranteed policy.    

The Hansenator said:

I don't even have a place for handstand pushups, my wife put a stop to that after seeing the scuff marks on the living room wall. 

Could you do it with bare feet, or just socks?

Or against a door.

My recommendation would be to try to find a good playground nearby. A good playground will have almost everything you need, except perhaps rings and a soft mat. 

A lot of the F1 exercises can be done without much equipment, but you will have to find some creative solutions at points. By this I don't mean making any permanent changes to you home, but things like hanging two towels from a pullup-bar to simulate rings for doing rows. 

Thanks for the replies.

On the wall handstand issue; It's not really a matter of bare feet or socks, the paint just gets worn off by feet rubbing against it. There is a doorway I can use to hold a handstand but, since the door itself is recessed, HS pushups become awkward. I thought of substituting overhead presses using dumbbells or kettlebells to get my vertical press in if it came to that.

I've explored the playground idea a bit but it's getting kind of late in the year for that. During warmer weather, there's usually kids on the equipment so I don't get to use it very consistently.

For the bench, how tall does it need to be? Anything I have is below crotch level and my legs won't hang lower than about 45 degrees.

I'm familiar with Convict Conditioning and I do like the exercises but I'm not really impressed with the programming. I wonder how well it would work to practice the FSPs as a warm up before a Convict Conditioning workout? And maybe tweak the programming a little?

Just to change the subject a little: I hear about how effective the GB program is and I wonder how much of that is due to the specific choice of exercises and how much is due to the programming and the concepts involved? Assuming gymnastics isn't your primary goal of course?

The Hansenator said:

Just to change the subject a little: I hear about how effective the GB program is and I wonder how much of that is due to the specific choice of exercises and how much is due to the programming and the concepts involved? Assuming gymnastics isn't your primary goal of course?

It's both.  The fantastic thing about Foundation is that you're building strength far above your current working level.  While the specific exercises are excellent, it's the way they all interact with eachother that really makes the program golden.  Well worth getting even if you don't have the equipment.  At the beginning, that's only stopping you from doing 1/7th of the program anyway.

-MR said:

If this is still not for you, you can look into convict conditioning. I have no experience with it

lol chill Bipocni xD

I've entered a verbal agreement with my parents about my training gear, I'm sure you can come to such an agreement with your girlfriend/fiance/wife about designating an area that will not increase her anxiety levels(my mother is similar, so i didnt just drill the ceiling to hang my rings, we had a conversation about it, we agreed on an area and my exercise equipment is either in that area or stashed in my room.

to replace the pommel, as long as you can lay prone on an object and that object is higher than what you thighs are and your knees don't touch the ground, you're good.

as for stall bars, thats for the HLL portion of F1 and you'll need to cover some ground before you get there. so there's no rush.

I use a $6 Ikea stepping stool for prone pommel work. I put a pillow on the surface and then lay a gym towel on top. Just high enough for my knees to suspend off the floor (I'm 6ft tall.) Works really well!

Get started, the rest will fall into place.

Bipocni said:

I was wondering who would bite first...  An unexpected but excellent display of douchebaggery Bipocni

-MR said:

I was wondering who would bite first...  An unexpected but excellent display of douchebaggery Bipocni

Uh... Glad you approve?