More information needed

Hi there,

I am highly interested in getting Foundation 1 and Handstand 1!

But the information I can find on the contents of the program seems scarce.

Before I purchase I would like to get to know things as

• how many days a week I should train/how much time do I spend?
• which extra equipment do I need?
• do I train my whole body?
• is it suitable for me as I'll be 40 this year?
• can I combine the program with some additional weight training?

Thank you for giving me hints on where to obtain information on the above questions...

-Your specific recovery speeds is something you will figure out if you do go ahead and follow the program. It really is different for everyone. In general though, most people train on a 4x/week schedule (split the program in two and follow it twice a week) Or do the full Foundation workout twice a week. 

-I don't know if we are allowed to post all the equipment requirements or not. But think of a gymnastics gym and then see how you could substitute that in your home for most things.It's very doable, just gotta be creative. 

-Yes, you train your whole body.

-It is suitable for you, however you may find that progress will be much slower than if you were 20. Hang in there, it'll teach you discipline and that will pay off boatloads later on in the program.

-You can combine it with weight training. Foundation is a great program in order for you to become physically prepared for most sports endeavors and we have many different types of athletes here. Gymnasts, Martial Artists, Rock Climbers, Weight Lifters, Bboys etc..

Hope that helps mate,

Chris.

equipment needs: stall bars, pull up bar, rings are the main items.  You could get by without stall bars for quite a while using substitutes. On the F1 forum, if you purchase, there is loads of info on what people have done to get creative finding ways to do exercises without buying equipment.  If you have a park nearby, probably the only thing you'd really need is rings.

Unrelated, but that is an awesome signature quote MT Nordic 

Thanks guys! I wonder why gymnasticbodies provides so little helpful information about their programme though. Maybe they should take a look at GMB for example, those guys do an excellent job in marketing and customer service.

The Gymnastic Bodies courses have a full refund option (within 30 days) so if you want to know exactly what is required and what you can expect, just purchase a course and check it out. You will also get access to the Foundation forums, which are full of relevant information. If it's not for you just ask for a refund.

yoflow said:

• how many days a week I should train/how much time do I spend?
• which extra equipment do I need?
• do I train my whole body?
• is it suitable for me as I'll be 40 this year?
• can I combine the program with some additional weight training?

Thank you for giving me hints on where to obtain information on the above questions...

• There are many different programming options. In total, you'll want to budget on the order of 4 hours a week for your workouts. It's also recommended that you supplement with some moderate cardio work 2x/week.
• Rings and stall bars are required. Other equipment is used, but for the most part it's stuff that you can substitute with items you'd find around the house or in a park. A rope is required for Foundation 4.
• Foundation works the arms, chest, core, back, and legs - it hits pretty much the entire body.
• Foundation is absolutely suitable for 40 year olds. In fact, you'll probably find that the emphasis on mobility and joint preparation makes the program especially well suited to you.
• You can combine the program with whatever other exercise you like. However, you'll find that additional weight training is superfluous for the most part.

Hi there!

As you can tell, my first post is dating from May last year and I am still pondering if foundation 1 is the right thing for me.

If I am patient enough, that is. Because I am interested in ring training and I did some rings already as I bought GMB Rings1 last autumn. Of which I am not totally convinced, otherwise I'd not bei writing here right now.

Here at gmynasticbodies, the recommendation is to go through foundation 1+2 before getting rings 1.

My question ist: How long is this going to take for me as I'm not a complete beginner in bodyweight training?

And do I really have to absolve F1+2 before I can dedicate myself to the rings again to practise muscle ups and front and back levers as I already did when I got the rings?

To be honest I should add that I am asking this also because when I got the rings new I was so excited about it that I was overdoing it a little and got lateral epicondylitis on both ellbows pretty soon...

I feel I habe to come to a decision soon now, so I appreciate any advice!

Best regards Flo

You can start training rings whenever you want.

However, in the GB curriculum, it's highly recommended that you finish all of Foundation before switching your focus primarily to ring training; the better a foundation you lay, the further you'll eventually be able to progress. As you've found firsthand, ring training without proper preparation can quickly lead to injuries. There is some rings work in Foundation: the early rope-climbs progressions, some HBP elements, and the later front lever elements. You also don't have to entirely eschew ring training while doing Foundation: it just shouldn't be your focus.

Going through Foundation could take anywhere between 2-6 years, depending on your current levels of strength, endurance and mobility.

Had you not hesitated and began Foundation last year, you could already be training Rings.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

Had I begun gymnastics 35 years ago, I could have won the olympics a couple of times.

I didn't refrain from getting H+F1 because I was sitting on the couch doing nothing but because I had made a decision for another programme on which I had spend money as well. So I needed telling arguments for a change which were quite hard to find because there is not very much information available on your courses unless you really buy them.

Which I finally did the day before yesterday when I decided to trust in the 30-day-money-back guarantee.

My impressions are very ambivalent so far:

Everything seems absolutely well-thought-out. I had not expected otherwise of an experienced gymnastics coach.

Referring to F1 my proficiency is in the upper range of the exercises (PE 4-6), so maybe I'd be better off with F2?

Especially for mobility, which is a by far bigger issue for me than strength, there are tons of exercises which seem extraordinary helpful.

The programming itself seems too long-winded for my taste. I write "taste" because I hope to include the emotional aspect by using this word. I am convinced it will work. If I was a machine, I'd go through it without hesitating.

But I am not, I'm an emotional human being which wants to get on the rings and up on its hands instead of crawling on the floor for ages. I'm just not patient enough for that.

To be honest, I'm not sure if I can do HS/PE1 (Tripod) for 5x60 secs (I believe so, but I'm not going to find out. It's just not appealing to me). I can do HS/PE7 5x30 secs. But there are several iM-Exercises below 7 which I cannot do with proper form and full ROM. What to do in this case?

There are some examples in F1 similar to the one above.

Then, I have been doing pull-ups for years now. When I decide to follow F1, does that mean I should do no more pull-ups? Same thing whith dips...

I hope I do not sound offensive - that's not my goal. I just wanna find out if H+F1 suits my needs.

Please excuse me if something should sound funny - English is not my first language, I'm a German guy...

Regards Flo

Start with the program from the beginning instead of all this speculation of where you are strength-wise and where to begin.

Also, one must master every exercise before starting with the next one, even though the next one might seem easier. Every aspect of the programming has a purpose.

Regarding taste, just suck it up. If you cannot do the hard parts (the "easy" parts) and you decide to skip/cherry pick exercises then you will not gain the full benefits of the program, and worst case scenario would be a later stall in your progress or injuries.

This program suits anyone who is willing to put in the effort and think long term gains instead of short term gains

yoflow said:

Referring to F1 my proficiency is in the upper range of the exercises (PE 4-6), so maybe I'd be better off with F2?

 

Especially for mobility, which is a by far bigger issue for me than strength, there are tons of exercises which seem extraordinary helpful.

The program is intended to be followed without "skipping". Meaning you should not advance exercises unless you have demonstrated mastery of both the PE and the paired iM exercises. If and when you can demonstrate mastery, you should move on (there's no use training an exercise you can already do perfectly!). Don't just assume you can do an exercise either - you should actually do it and prove to yourself that you can do 5 sets with perfect form and no rest.

The programming itself seems too long-winded for my taste. I write "taste" because I hope to include the emotional aspect by using this word. I am convinced it will work. If I was a machine, I'd go through it without hesitating.

 

But I am not, I'm an emotional human being which wants to get on the rings and up on it's hands instead of crawling on the floor for ages. I'm just not patient enough for that.

This is an important consideration. Foundation is designed with results in mind, not entertainment value. There's nothing wrong with taking some time after your Foundation workout to play around on the rings or in handstands. In fact, it's recommended that you do this! What you shouldn't be doing is adding dedicated/heavy training on top of Foundation. So for example it'd be fine to hop up on the rings and do a few skills for fun, but it would not be a good idea to work e.g. muscle ups for sets/reps.

You should ask yourself how much time you need to spend on the rings/on your hands in order to be happy, and how important is it that your training yields results versus entertainment. This is a personal judgement that only you can make - don't let anyone tell you which is more important *to you*! If you want more entertainment than Foundation delivers, then you should try to find another program, or try to make a hybrid program.

To be honest, I'm not sure if I can do HS/PE1 (Tripod) for 5x60 secs. I can do HS/PE7 5x30 secs. But there are several iM-Exercises below 7 which I cannot do with proper form and full ROM. What to do in this case?

 

There are some examples in F1 similar to the one above.

As said above, you start with the first exercise, and move on as soon as you can demonstrate mastery of both the PE and iM. That you think you can do a later exercise is immaterial. There's two reasons for this. If you're struggling with a PE, that PE has exposed some weakness or deficiency that would be beneficial to work on. If you're struggling with an iM, that represents a deficit you should address to mitigate the possibility of injury in later progressions.

Then, I have been doing pull-ups for years now. When I decide to follow F1, does that mean I should do no more pull-ups? Same thing whith dips...

Yes. If you're following the program, it's a bad idea to add additional strength training on top. But the program does have some dips and pullups in it.

This is a quote from Coach Sommer on the AMA Reddit. I think it is very revealing of the spirit of the Foundation Course, and food for thought that I think fits well in this topic:

"I never presuppose how far someone can or cannot go. I always assume that they are going to achieve excellence. As a consequence of this attitude, I always start everyone from the beginning and then require them to carefully and progressively work their way through my system.

How far they progress will largely be a measure of how badly they want it. Those who insist of being 'entertrained' will only make marginal progress. However for those who are not afraid of some hard work and monotony - the sky is the limit."