once I master F2, what can I do to keep the strength?

I have seen great progression and really loving the program. But there is a question I am really interested in and I hope somebody will answer it!

My personal goal is just mastering F2. I am in gymnastics training and just do it for fun, so F2 and press handstands are my personal goal and at the moment I don't have the desire to go further.

Here is the thing I am confused about:
I think that the Straddle Reverse Leg Lift an SL/PE5 is so easy, I could do hundreds of those whereas the Curl Up in SL/PE4 is a lot harder. The same is with the windshield wipers on stall bars and then the side arch rocks.
I understand that one of them is the more max strength and the higher reps are endurance. 
But which exercises should I do on a daily basis when I have mastered F2 to keep my level of strength? 

If I mastered all the progression throughout the last one in F2, will I always be able to do the "pre-exercises" by just training the hardest progression?


I thought that once I mastered F2, I will just stick to the last exercises in the F2 program and do them on a daily basis + some press handstands.

Is this stupid? Any ideas?

I would personally choose the exercises that you felt were the most challenging/highlighted weaknesses in your kinetic chain for each progression and keep doing those rather than just doing the final progression of F2 simply because it's the last progression in F2.

As you yourself said, certain later progressions are easier naturally for you (which mirrors mine and other people's experiences with the F series) than earlier ones because of individual strengths and weaknesses. So, why spend your time and energy on exercises that you already found easy instead of those that you had to work to master?

Remember that the whole F program is designed to be completed and to strengthen your kinetic chain from all necessary angles/aspects to allow you be able to complete the final progressions in F4; the final progressions in F2 are just stepping stones along that path.

My 2 cents. Maybe more experienced members will disagree.

Use the last exercise of F2 as a warm up.

Choose 1-2 exercises from each progression each day you work strength; do a mastery set or two as part of your warmup.

Personally I'd recommend going as far as possible - don't stop at F2: go for the whole course. The stronger you get, the more enjoyable gymnastics becomes.

It seems arbitrary to stop at F2. It's not a natural stopping spot, just an arbitrary designation along the way to F4.  Personally I don't see why you would stop.  It sounds like you are going to keep training, so why not keep making progress?  If you indeed stop at F2, I would just practice a couple of the hardest variations for you from each exercise as a warmup before your other strength training.  I think, though, after you did this a short while, you would become bored and would want to continue on.  But it might be good for giving your body a break and really consolidating the strength you've built over the preceding year.  

MT Nordic said:

It seems arbitrary to stop at F2. It's not a natural stopping spot, just an arbitrary designation along the way to F4.  Personally I don't see why you would stop.  It sounds like you are going to keep training, so why not keep making progress?  If you indeed stop at F2, I would just practice a couple of the hardest variations for you from each exercise as a warmup before your other strength training.  I think, though, after you did this a short while, you would become bored and would want to continue on.  But it might be good for giving your body a break and really consolidating the strength you've built over the preceding year.

Thank you alll!

I don't know, but I think it must be super hard to go beyond F2, especially as a girl. And at the moment, F2 is like my ultimate goal and seems to be suuuper impressive.

Joshua Slocum said:

Choose 1-2 exercises from each progression each day you work strength; do a mastery set or two as part of your warmup.

Personally I'd recommend going as far as possible - don't stop at F2: go for the whole course. The stronger you get, the more enjoyable gymnastics becomes.

Thanks for your answer! Yes, I know it is stupid, maybe I want to progress after mastering F2, but I think I want to focus on gymnastics training then.

I have one more question.... is Foundation and some press handstand work enough for womens gymnastics or should I add something to be well prepared for WAG?

This is more general life advice: Why not cross the bridge when you come to it? When you are there, you'll be in the best position to make a decision.

I'd still master F4 for WAG. Keep in mind that in the gymnastics world the Foundation series reprensents just that: the foundation. You may shift your focus to actual gymnastics when you reach certain steps in progressions (I'm not qualified enough to determine which steps) strength-wise, but mobility-wise the whole series is definitely useful.

Just keep doing it and don't worry if you progress slower because of gymnastics if that's your priority.

Bro said:

I'd still master F4 for WAG. Keep in mind that in the gymnastics world the Foundation series reprensents just that: the foundation. You may shift your focus to actual gymnastics when you reach certain steps in progressions (I'm not qualified enough to determine which steps) strength-wise, but mobility-wise the whole series is definitely useful.

 

Just keep doing it and don't worry if you progress slower because of gymnastics if that's your priority.

Yes, you are definitely right...the stronger the better. But which average gymnast (I want to be L8) can do a straddle planche, or a hollow back press unless they are not on the elite path? Or what about L-Pulll Ups? They may be able to climb a rope in straddle once, but 5x5 L-Pull Ups should enable you to do so, am I wrong?

I mean, I want nothing more than being good, But I don't wanna fool me, there are girls working at least 5 years to get to L7, they have tailored training programs, train 20+ hours, are young, some do home schooling, they have a good coach and a team and still need a lot of time and some are stuck years at Level7 before they progress.

I definitely am motivated, I really want it, I work hard, I watch gymnastics clips and read articles...but I can't train more than 10 hours a week + 3 hours of conditioning plus some home skill work and stretching. I don't have more time, I am at university, I need to meet friends and have a job...

So that's why I guess Level7 gymnastics plus Foundation2 is more enough already. With the Foundation course, I am actually looking for something I can do my whole life, I am 21 now, I kind of need to beat time. I don't want to work years for my skills, I want to get to a certain Level as fast as possible and then just enjoy being there and try to keep it as long as possible, ideally untily my 40''s.

I am thinking about being an assistent at uni in gymnastics training (our assisents can just master doing some tucks an tumbl trak, so everything is the basics of the basics).

Of course, I want to progress. And when I have all of my skills I might start with trying 2 twists or double backs into the pit. But at the moment, I can't even imagine doing a RO BH Full because I am just doing RO Back Tuck....

And the same is with strength. At the moment, 5x5 L-Pull Ups seems sooo hard, because at the moment I can't even do one single rep,

Maybe I want to progress further when I mastered F2. But I have the forboding tht after F2 a whole new world for strength starts which aims more towards MAG or Elite. It must be really hard to progress, risk of injury may increase because or harder exercises, you need rings etc....

I don't know, but at the moment, F2 seems unreachable for me, so let's see how it goes once I mastered it.

Sorry for putting such a long topic in here, I just wanted you to understand my point of view.

So no matter what will be one I get to that point, if I wouldn't progress faster I could just do the hardest exercises for me and maybe add some more, right?

And one more question - why are there no handstand push ups in the course? I thought they were such great exercises?

katlinchen said:

And one more question - why are there no handstand push ups in the course? I thought they were such great exercises?

And there is your answer why you shouldnt stop at F2 ;-)

Also Coach has said multiple times that it is much easier to achieve gymnastics skills if you have a proper foundation of strength and I'm sure that point is not at the end of F2 

katlinchen said:

Yes, you are definitely right...the stronger the better. But which average gymnast (I want to be L8) can do a straddle planche, or a hollow back press unless they are not on the elite path? Or what about L-Pulll Ups? They may be able to climb a rope in straddle once, but 5x5 L-Pull Ups should enable you to do so, am I wrong?

I mean, I want nothing more than being good, But I don't wanna fool me, there are girls working at least 5 years to get to L7, they have tailored training programs, train 20+ hours, are young, some do home schooling, they have a good coach and a team and still need a lot of time and some are stuck years at Level7 before they progress.

I definitely am motivated, I really want it, I work hard, I watch gymnastics clips and read articles...but I can't train more than 10 hours a week + 3 hours of conditioning plus some home skill work and stretching. I don't have more time, I am at university, I need to meet friends and have a job...

So that's why I guess Level7 gymnastics plus Foundation2 is more enough already. With the Foundation course, I am actually looking for something I can do my whole life, I am 21 now, I kind of need to beat time. I don't want to work years for my skills, I want to get to a certain Level as fast as possible and then just enjoy being there and try to keep it as long as possible, ideally untily my 40''s.

I am thinking about being an assistent at uni in gymnastics training (our assisents can just master doing some tucks an tumbl trak, so everything is the basics of the basics).

Of course, I want to progress. And when I have all of my skills I might start with trying 2 twists or double backs into the pit. But at the moment, I can't even imagine doing a RO BH Full because I am just doing RO Back Tuck....

And the same is with strength. At the moment, 5x5 L-Pull Ups seems sooo hard, because at the moment I can't even do one single rep,

Maybe I want to progress further when I mastered F2. But I have the forboding tht after F2 a whole new world for strength starts which aims more towards MAG or Elite. It must be really hard to progress, risk of injury may increase because or harder exercises, you need rings etc....

I don't know, but at the moment, F2 seems unreachable for me, so let's see how it goes once I mastered it.

Sorry for putting such a long topic in here, I just wanted you to understand my point of view.

So no matter what will be one I get to that point, if I wouldn't progress faster I could just do the hardest exercises for me and maybe add some more, right?

And one more question - why are there no handstand push ups in the course? I thought they were such great exercises?

Don't overthink things. Keep mastering progressions. Eventually either you'll plateau, or you'll finish F4. There's no quantum leap in difficulty in the series - each progression is a natural step that follows the previous. It doesn't matter how strong the average female gymnast at your level is - if you can get stronger with the amount of time/effort you have available for your strength training, then your gymnastics will be that much better.