Programming

I was curious. Do we have to follow the days set up exactly? I'm currently running the 4 day a week training, and looking to add some extra work in. So, I was thinking of adding in a Wed/Sat session and splitting my days up with push, pull, legs, and core.

Mon/thurs: sPl, HBP, other pressing and appropriate im

Tues/Fri: FL, RC, other pulling and appropriate im

Wed/Sat: SL, MN, SLS, other leg work and appropriate im.

But first, how come you want to add in other pressing/pulling/lower body?

Loosing focus again already?  

If you have extra energy, spend it on mastering the Foundation and Handstand series sooner rather than later.

I can not stress enough that all else becomes possible only once Foundation and Handstand are established.  The more time and energy you spend on things other than Foundation and Handstand, the slower and less productive your GST journey is going to be.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

Coach Sommer said:

Loosing focus again already?  

 

If you have extra energy, spend it on mastering the Foundation and Handstand series sooner rather than later.

 

I can not stress enough that all else becomes possible only once Foundation and Handstand are established.  The more time and energy you spend on things other than Foundation and Handstand, the slower and less productive your GST journey is going to be.

 

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

First off, thank you so much Coach for your reply.

Second, I'm not loosing focus again, but just like you said, I have plenty of energy to spare. I've been put through high volumes of training, 3-4 exercises, 4-8 sets, and 3-20 reps, the last few years do to football, mandatory PT, and fat loss journey.

So would you recommend extra seton two coach, or just bump up intensity? I know on a few movements, namely the planch leans and pseudo planch push ups and I'm going to have to do another cycle through where I'm at, but others I'm stuck on because of mobility exercises.

I hope this also answered your question, Hmms.

but others I'm stuck on because of mobility exercises.

Spent your time and energy on mobility then.

What if you try to really push yourself rather tan do the minisycles? So this way you can push your energy to the main thing. In your situation I think its ok.

For example you have whatever 5x15 mastery. You know where you are now. Example 4x12r

Do 5x10 in next workout and 5x11 in next.... Untill you master it. If its the IM you lack Then do more of the same. Just be aware of not to overtrain.

And maby do 6 day weeks?

If the 4 day a week is leaving you with energy others tank why not bump up to the h1 f1(7) integrated 3 day?

PrimalMove said:

I've been put through high volumes of training, 3-4 exercises, 4-8 sets, and 3-20 reps, the last few years do to football, mandatory PT, and fat I know on a few movements, namely the planch leans and pseudo planch push ups and I'm going to have to do another cycle through where I'm at, but others I'm stuck on because of mobility exercises.

I hope this also answered your question, Hmms.

This is a bad idea. Here's why: let's say for example you're adding benching to your pushing days and pull-ups to your pulling days. You're going to end up getting tighter and have more internally rotated shoulders. If you're on say RC/PE2 , you can't just say, "I'll do more of the iM's to stretch Lats" because 1. even if you do a hundred sets of Lats stretch, the body needs time to adjust. 2. A pull-up is more neuromusically complex than RC/PE2, A RC/PE2 iM is designed for the purposes of RC/PE2, not for a more advanced exercise. You can't just then say "ok, I'll do a stronger stretch then" because at this point, are you focusing on the mobility and the Foundation program or are you doing a completely different program.

This applies to benching too in pressing days where heavier weights would make tighter chest counteracting the iMs you're doing or heavier weights while squatting for tighter quads/hip flexors.

The better and smarter alternative is that if you think you're being held back by mobility. Fix the mobility instead of ignoring it. Strength is never going to be bottlenecked by muscle, but by ligaments and tendons of joints because they take longer to adapt.

I agree, and currently I run wed/sat as mobility days in a circuit for each element. I considered going to the 5 day plan and running a Saturday with the tues/Friday template, but it doesn't fix my conditioned feeling of wanting to get more in.

I'm also a student and have a sit down job, until march, so when I get off I'm brimming with energy to move. I already train in the mornings, and the last 3 weeks I added a second session to compensate for this. Before anyone mentions the posture distortions of sitting all day, my classes are online, and I use a ball for my chair at work and studies to always focus on not rounding my back, and I'm constant getting up to shake out hip flexors.

As for overtraining, tightening the internally rotated shoulders, I do othe mobility work to prevent that. There are a lot of mobility exercises I incorporate into my daily life to prevent that. I keep bands in my work station to help with that as well.

If you have the recovery to train more, then train more Foundation work. E.g. bump up to the 5-day schedule, or the 3xF7 schedule. 

If you still have excess energy, or you don't have the recover to increase your Foundation work, I'd recommend using your excess energy to take up a sport that will synergize with your GST. Some possibilities would include gymnastics, bboying, or circus performance.

Joshua Slocum said:

If you have the recovery to train more, then train more Foundation work. E.g. bump up to the 5-day schedule, or the 3xF7 schedule. 

 

If you still have excess energy, or you don't have the recover to increase your Foundation work, I'd recommend using your excess energy to take up a sport that will synergize with your GST. Some possibilities would include gymnastics, bboying, or circus performance.

I've looked into getting hobbies to help out, but really in my area the closest gymnastics type gym (CrossFit gymnastics) for adults is three - four hours away, and other thing relatively close require either a military ID, or college ID.

I'm going next week to check out a new studio that just opened up that offers yoga and tai chi. I've also been just playing around with movement drills at the football field while throwing in rolls, cartwheels, and other various skills. It's actually rather fun. The other day I messed up a cartwheel into a handstand and actually held a one arm straddle handstand for roughly 5 seconds before going splat.

I don't have H1 yet, but this coming paycheck I'll order it. I've set my schedule to the F7 - 3x. I'll keep noting my progress in my journal and how my body responds to the full body sessions. I do remember training full body being very effective back when I started training in general. Thank you for the advice!

Based on the very recent post where you detailed how quickly you got injured when you tried to go too fast with GST, I think you should stick to the quote you have in your signature, i.e.  "You need a foundation before you  can add the extras". Stick to F1 the way Coach has prescribed it, and don't add any extra strength work until M1 comes out. You already hurt yourself by trying to work outside the prescribed programming, and now less than one week after posting about how you've learned your lesson, you ask about adding more work again. Take it easy; GST is not a race. The ones who really benefit from any form of strength work are those that persist for many years, not those that blow themselves out and quit after several weeks/months. 

If you have extra energy, do some mobility work if your mobility is lacking, or consider picking up an athletic activity that has benefits that you don't get from doing Gymnastic Strength Training™. Think team sports, endurance sports, water sports, wilderness activities, martial arts etc.. All of these provide you with benefits you won't necessarily get from GST alone (socialization, endurance capacity, enjoyment of the outdoors, self-defense, etc...), and what's best is that GST will make you better at them as you progress. 

If you need advice regarding specific activities, I'd be more than happy to help you find one that suits your situation. 

-MR said:

Based on the very recent post where you detailed how quickly you got injured when you tried to go too fast with GST, I think you should stick to the quote you have in your signature, i.e.  "You need a foundation before you  can add the extras". Stick to F1 the way Coach has prescribed it, and don't add any extra strength work until M1 comes out. You already hurt yourself by trying to work outside the prescribed programming, and now less than one week after posting about how you've learned your lesson, you ask about adding more work again. Take it easy; GST is not a race. The ones who really benefit from any form of strength work are those that persist for many years, not those that blow themselves out and quit after several weeks/months. 

 

If you have extra energy, do some mobility work if your mobility is lacking, or consider picking up an athletic activity that has benefits that you don't get from doing Gymnastic Strength Training™. Think team sports, endurance sports, water sports, wilderness activities, martial arts etc.. All of these provide you with benefits you won't necessarily get from GST alone (socialization, endurance capacity, enjoyment of the outdoors, self-defense, etc...), and what's best is that GST will make you better at them as you progress. 

 

If you need advice regarding specific activities, I'd be more than happy to help you find one that suits your situation.

That would be awesome, thank you. I forgot too add that another reason I'm not really doing any other leisure activities is because I'm leaving for basic training soon, and I'm not too keen on paying monthly fees with yearly contracts. It's the same reason I left the gym I was at where I did participate in yoga and other flow classes.

As for my injuries, they came from advancing to the tuck planche, tucked front lever, and straddle back lever too quick and working them 4-6 days a week. I got ahead of myself when I realized I could hold them for certain times, but never had the prerequisites. I've been working f1 the way it's written, once again, for the third week, and I already feel better. Despite my ability to get the hollow hold in the planch/push up position, I find the whole program very fun and look at doing my second session each day as my hobby vs just another workout. My first session is always serious and focused pushing each exercise to the limit only taking time to grab water, or write some notes.