Starting WOD's advice

Feel as though I'm progressing past the total beginner stage and looking to incorporate the WOD's in my workouts. I've done about 4 months consistent training based on Coach's book, but haven't followed the WOD at all (they were waaaay beyond me right from the start).

I want to change things up and start doing the WOD program. It looks like the workouts have progressed quite a bit from when I last tried them (back in the beginning). I understand I can modify the workouts with the correct progressions, but today I was still quite a ways behind in my ability.

Can anyone tell me if it would be good to go back and start doing the WOD, from when Coach first started posting (did he use an intro period at the start); or would it be better to just jump right in and modify the workout to my current ability?

Thanks for your opinions

I don't think he has changed them to be any harder than they originally were...for the most part.

Yea, the workout of the day is supposed to be modified by each individual to his or her level of ability. So if you're supposed to do 10 minutes of ring handstands and you can't do a ring handstand or any free balancing handstand, you do a wall handstand. If you're supposed to do SLS and you can't, well, you do whatever squat progression you are able to perform. And so on.

Blairbob said:

I don't think he has changed them to be any harder than they originally were...for the most part.

I did notice the holds are for 15secs now instead of 5. It also seems he has rotated in more support stuff. it also seem

s like some of the ring series are tougher..?

Looking at some of the progress others are making I am wondering if I should fall back off the WODs for a while to work on the basics some more. I have been thinking my progress has not been too great as I have basically been doing the same progression since I started doing the wods. I have nailed some muscle ups over that time and can do a BL but the FL, Planche and other activities have sort of stalled through that whole time. Maybe changing up and coming back is the right thing? Or are the WODs helping me across a larger group of skills and thus my improvements have been less dramatic in specific areas?

Maybe changing up and coming back is the right thing? Or are the WODs helping me across a larger group of skills and thus my improvements have been less dramatic in specific areas?

That is a very good question and unfortunately nearly impossible for me to answer. The GB WODs are being used by people from around the world, all coming to the table with incredible differences in their degrees of preparation, and are, of necessity, very general in nature.

One possible solution, while not as structured for increasing FBE strength as the killroy70 program but still allowing you to partake of the other components of the GB program (e.g. handstand work, ring strength etc.), would be to use killroy70 static strength training component prior to performing that day's GB WOD.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

As I mentioned in other threads I'm a BIG FAN of integrated training like GB WOD's 090615 or 090604

Since I got the book I quitted dynamic strentgh exercises.

Coach says that integrated training is probably the best method of combining FBE and FSP. So I focuse on that by doing giant sets of BL+pulling, PL+pressing, FL+abs 3-4 times a week (rotating the FBE like killroy70: curl, horizontal pulling, pull up, multiplane pulling etc)

But I don't want to neglect HS work since I love HS wall runs and XR strap HS and find them extremely productive.

Questions:

How would you implement HS work in these routines?

Do wall runs or strap HS as a finisher? Is there any kind of integrated HS training like HS + wall pike press HS/cast wall walks/press to shoulderstand on rings or something like that? If there is integrated HS-training would that be too much work for one day for a beginner if you do BL, PL, FL AND HS?

Or would you do 3 times a week the integrated training of BL, PL and FL and put HS work on a seperate day like mostly in the WOD's e.g. 10 minutes of HS wall runs or 12 cycles of XR strap HS, finish with 2x10 wrist pushups?

Any suggestions/thoughts would be much appreciated

Thanks everyone for the great input and thanks Coach for pointing out killroy70's routine. The routine I put together was very similar to his -though didn't allow for very much work with things like handstands and ring routines - I was getting kind of bored. I'm newly inspired by his progress and no longer think its as important to be able to do the WOD. I can see that I still don't have the required basics and will need to learn some patience. To change it up and give me some new things to work on I think I'll copy the killroy structure and do a 3 part workout. Do you think the example below is trying to do too much? Feedback is totally apreciated

4 days a week

Part 1: static positions -do this every workout ( I like to pair them up to save some time)

Wall bar working leg lift progressions

Back Lever with Straddle Support

Front Lever with Planche work

L-sit (I usually do by itself for some reason)

Part 2: daily fundamental exercises

-similar to killroy, but include each area every workout, but rotate through the different exercises

eg Day 1: Wide Grip pull ups, paired with bulgarian ring pushups

Single Leg Squat, paired with V ups

Day 2: inverted curls paired with dips progression

hamstring SLS, with hollow body levers

etc...

Part 3: specific focus work that switches up daily

probably press to HS work once a week

definitely muscle up work once a week

ring strenght routines

multiplane exercises

(realize I should probably focus this a little better...

You are going to hit overtraining within your second week if you don't break up what you're working with the FBE. Everything else looks ok. As a beginner, you should not have a focus day unless it's handstands, you are going to be shot to hell from the statics and the FBE. And when you do finally do that, it'll be a workout by itself for the most part. Like right now, when I do my ring strength, the only thing I do outside of that routine is some handstand work and some pseudoplance pushups. It just takes too much time to recover and grow when you do more than that. You'll see, do what you think will work. You are never going to know what your limits are until you do too much, so go ahead and get that out of the way. It's actually really important that you do that, because once you know your limits you can get close to them each time without passing them. You'll learn to rest when you need to, and you will know when your work capacity increases, because you will be able to tell. You'll have a more accurate idea of your actual progress and you will be able to think more critically about how to improve yourself. By critically, I mean you'll be able to identify specific areas where you are doing too much or too little, or where you should add in something. Stuff like that. You'll see. Have fun with the process, look forward to your mistakes so you can learn from them!