what are you using GST for?

I recently saw this video and it got me thinking of why I do GST and what I use it for. it's been a real great resource for injury rehabilitation, strength, mobility, yata, yata but deep down, I really love to ride my bike and have as much fun as possible on it. it's made me get pretty hurt, some of you know how much i've had to work on mobility thanks to a list of annoying injuries ranging from the tips of my fingers, to my neck, including my shoulders and even sacral fractures, KO's. it's also helped me get through pretty tough times.

watching Drew do his thing and hear him talk about doing the most he can for himself as an athlete and watching go HAM is so inspiring to me.

so, really, what i wanted to hear/read about is, why do you do GST? what keeps you putting in the time and effort for mastery? 

To get the honeys

I've seen better results in GST--particularly Coach's system--than any other workout routine. The emphasis on patience and mobility in particular have been key in bringing me better results than I ever got from weightlifting.

More importantly, I think it's the most purely enjoyable training out there for me. Little excites me more than the idea of one day mastering the GB curriculum and performing HBP, planche, maltese, cross, etc. It's the best kind of motivation. I just love the training. Weight lifting never did that for me.

well, for years i was interested in overall fitness and especially calisthenics, but i was literally doing "bodybuilding" with only bodyweight exercises.Then, after my 20th birthday, something was missing from my training and life generally.I wanted to be strong, flexible,have a strong body, so i decided to put all my effort in GST. 2 years later, right now, i know that i made the best choice of my life. I love my workouts, i feel full, i am more flexoble, agile, very stronger than before. My body looks different too, all that "extra" bulky muscles start to go away, and all my body needs is just here Everyday i visualize myself doing crosses, maltese, press handstands etc, and every week i am getting closer to my goals. Never felt better. Movement for the movement. It's all there.


P.S: i've been fed of those shitty kipping muscle ups, the banana handstand pushups, all the showoff calistehnics dudes. Let's get serious. Do it right, or back off to the basics if you can't. That's what i've learned though coach sommer's training system. Drop your ego, and make fast, slowly

I've always enjoyed sports and pretty much any activity that's physically challenging. This means I personally identify with being athletic, and i feel it's important for me to put in the time it takes to achieve what others would classify as "naturally gifted" or "good genetics". GST is a great  practice on it's own and it provides a base of physical preparation for any other athletic activity.

I saw this video and said, wow.  I want to do those things, to look like that, to have that type of control.  I started following random advice on the Internet, which didn't get me very far very fast, and then I (re)found GB and jumped right in.

As an aside, at my dojo, it's a tradition to do your age in pushups on your birthday.  I would love to be able to do the pushups the guy does around 2:05 into that video.  My birthday is in March, so it might be unrealistic for next year, but I'm still giving it my all.

Overall joint health and body conditioning.

The hypertrophy is an added benefit.

Mastery of my body.

I hate GST, actually. Maybe hate is the wrong word. I don't like to do it. Not very fun for me (unless...hand balance) and I get bored with it. I'm not too interested in the possibility of doing front levers or showing off iron crosses. I'm not too interested in being the most ripped guy at the beach or the strongest in my circle of friends (it's still nice when people point out my biceps though ).

For me it's like how kids don't like to practice maths yet it's important for them to practice maths and they just have to suck it up. Maths will help kids with other areas of their life, and being able to push through will serve rewards.

I like to climb trees, play tag, kayak during sunset, dive into warm waters, hike and explore, climb cliffs without a second thought. GST is like brushing your teeth...you just have to suck it up and do it even though you know its in the end good for you.

Normally when you dislike something as much as I dislike GST, you usually quit. I've been here since the forum's very humble beginnings...I guess the rewards are just really worth it.

I do it because I enjoy it. Because it is something that makes me happy.

Every day, I wake up and I smile, because it is a day that I can work with my training, whether it be active training like doing something like leg lifts or a rest day where I focus hard on resting so that I can make the most of my gains.

It's an adventure for me, it makes me feel like a child again. A child with no responsibility, no awareness of how cold the world really is, just good old ignorance full of happiness.

Edit: And also for the honeys.. Yeah, definitely for the honeys.

i use it as strength training for my upper body. i used to do a more powerlifting style of training but it started to bore the hell out of me. i like to idea of using different progressions as a measure for progress instead of just piling on kg to a barbell, i.e. going from a flat tuck FL to a straddle FL gives me more than using more weight on weighted pull ups; going from single bar dips to korean dips gives me more than just using more weight on the benchpress and so on.

i stopped using barbells for my upperbody nearly one year ago at that time i had a 125-130kg benchpress (competitionstyle)@80kg bodyweight. i tested my bench press just for fun a few weeks ago and benched an easy 120. GST works.

For me it's 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu.

Im at the point where the biggest lack for my progress is not being athletic. Im really skillful, but dont have the strenght and enduranse.

Im bigger and better than ever now after Foundation. I do interval running also.

Vanity.

Murray Truelove said:

Vanity.

Simply I have only one body, and I'm not interested in less than the best.

I'm greedy and I want it all; this is the way to do that

More advanced I'm in my primary effort (freerunning), the more i understand that GST is my protection (or as I like to say: My armour). It allows me to go harder, knowing that my body can take the certain amount of beating. Of course, doing "party tricks" like planche and levers is good, but mobility, strenght and resilience of my body it the main benefit.

But what is most important (and i can't thank Coach enough for this) is the change of mentality. This whole forum "oozes" that mentality: You are responsible for your success, Hard work, No excuses, No shortcuts, No bullshit etc. Now i know that i can achieve everything if i have the right tools and work hard, wich is invaluable knowledge.

Oldrich Polreich said:

More advanced I'm in my primary effort (freerunning), the more i understand that GST is my protection (or as I like to say: My armour). It allows me to go harder, knowing that my body can take the certain amount of beating. Of course, doing "party tricks" like planche and levers is good, but mobility, strenght and resilience of my body it the main benefit.

 

But what is most important (and i can't thank Coach enough for this) is the change of mentality. This whole forum "oozes" that mentality: You are responsible for your success, Hard work, No excuses, No shortcuts, No bullshit etc. Now i know that i can achieve everything if i have the right tools and work hard, wich is invaluable knowledge.

Well said, both of those points

I use GST to get stronger and out of convenience since I don't need much equipment or weights which I don't have much access to unless I'm at a gym. I also find GST much cooler and gives better body spatial awareness. I would not hesitate to incorporate both GST and weight lifting in my workouts though.