What equipment needed for foundation 1 course

I wanted to know what equipment would be needed to practice foundation  course properly. I live in India, and hence don't have ready access to gymnastic based gyms nearby.

You'll need a soft mat (e.g. a yoga mat), a reasonably big flat area (e.g. 4'x8'), a pair of rings and some stall bars. 

You'll also need a crapton of perseverance.   

Is it necessary to have a stall bars

Not strictly speaking. They'll make your life easier, but you can get away with a pull-up bar, a doorway, and a sturdy dowel. 

Stall bars (or something similar, like a sturdy playground ladder) do become necessary for the side lever progressions in Foundation 3 and 4, and they're also needed for some of the mobility work in Handstand 2. Foundation 4 also requires a rope for climbing. 

Hi

I'll attach my post to this thread as it's equipment related.

I do standard push ups, pull ups, chin ups, kettle bells, judo and steve maxwells joint mobility drills every morning. I don't have a place to mount rings or stall bars. Can i still benefit from foundation 1 and handstand 1 not being able to get all the equipment ? By benefit i mean being able to work up to standard required by the both courses.

Regards, Kamil

I have just begun HBP/PE5 in F1.  How are people going about this exercise without parallel bars? Rings or? Are there lots more exercises which require parallel bars  to follow?

Kind regards,

Matty P

Two sturdy chairs facing each other. Google it, you'll find a ton of images that will make this clear

Yeah, I did chairs. Pbars are the best, but this is not an appropriate stage to use rings for your dips patience.

Equipment Needed for Foundation One

For the handstands series - If I am doing everything from my house - I don't have the weighted bar they are talking about for the shoulder exercise - where do I buy that or what can I use to substitute that? What about stall bars? I am a bit afraid I will have no where to hang those in my apartment 

Kerry,
You can use a 1" diameter 4 feet long dowel, which you can find at most home improvement centers:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/6416U-1-in-x-1-in-x-48-in-Hardwood-Round-Dowel-10001808/203334068 
I say 4' because most likely that will be the minimum width for later elements such as dislocates. If you have very restricted shoulders, which you're going to find out pretty soon, you many need to "downgrade" to a 5' dowel. I'm sure some can attest to that. 

Also get a few inexpensive 1" hole standard plates (2.5 lb., 5 lb., 7.5 lb., 10 lb.) that should be a good start:
https://www.fitnessfactory.com/Home/Item.cfm?ID=3049

Regarding stall bars, at first you'll be fine using a doorway or edge of sofa table/counter top for some of the stall bar elements. If you look around the equipment threads, people share some work-around solutions. I remember seeing a post from @Ryan Bailey where he shows a set up for the Inverted Pike Pull. Eventually, if you get the GB bug, you'll want to find/get your own stall bars. 

You can find some nice solid stall bars perfect for fitness here:

https://infitnessequipment.com/collections/clearance-items/products/rangeley-pine

For HBP/PE7 in Foundation 2, the video has the dips on a parallel bar, with palms facing the stomach. If i modify using chairs, my palms will be facing my hips. Does this matter?

On ‎4‎/‎17‎/‎2016 at 10:25 AM, Kerry Potter said:

For the handstands series - If I am doing everything from my house - I don't have the weighted bar they are talking about for the shoulder exercise - where do I buy that or what can I use to substitute that? What about stall bars? I am a bit afraid I will have no where to hang those in my apartment 

I bought a standard barbell from big box sporting goods store.  15-lbs and some change for the 72-inch bar.  12+ for the 60-inch bar.  A bit heavy for me for shoulder extension dislocates but I use the plates and PVC pipe for those.  I chose the 1-inch standard because it's lighter and shorter than a Olympic bar.  But then again I have one of those too.  The dumbbells are 3.5-lbs or so.

Hi

one more question from me on this topic. I am 6weeks into foundation 1 (and really pleased to say I am starting to see the benefits come through). Regarding equipment- some of the drills use a dumbbell. What is the optimal weight to use as I don't have room at home for a full set. Would anyone be able to guide me on this? Or would it be more cost effective to get a barbell with some standard plates and use the plates instead of the dumbbell?

any thoughts welcome and appreciated

all the best

alex 

HI Alexander, depending on the exercise usually if you have to use a dumbell you should look for 10% bodyweigth as a mastery goal (like xiapoengs variation), for JC the half of the BW it is the required mastery weight. 

What are people using for the thoracic bridge series? I completed it, but it feel like I need a lot more gear than GB advertises I'd need - namely, a swiss ball and bungee cords. It seems like stall bars are almost a necessity, as well. 

Any thoughts on the amount of equipment required? I already payed for rings and paralettes in addition to the course. It is really frustrating to see I need more gear. 

Hi James, 

The bungee cords/resistance bands are necessary for a couple of the TB Stretch exercises. Stall bar, however, can be replaced by furniture at your house like couches, chairs, walls, etc. The private TB Stretch forum has some visuals of equipment substitutions.

Before I purchased some stall bars, I was using a barbell in a squat rack. It wasn't ideal, but I could do a lot of the stretches using this. Some of the pike stretches can be done with two bars in a squat rack, one for feet and one for hands.

My stall bars were cheaper than the GB courses, I paid 150 Euros for a set.

I just started and need to purchase some rings. Do people just hang them off a pull up bar in their house? I have no outdoor access right now (too cold).

Hey Sean,

Yes, hanging them off of a doorway pull-up bar is totally fine and a super common way to get going with upper body workouts at home. 

I’m doing foundation 1 and trying to do Arch Up excercise (SL/PE4) but having trouble doing it without stall bars. I have a doorway with pull up bar, rings, chairs, a couch and dumbbells. Is there anyway to get around it? Is it even worth pursuing the foundation series if I don’t plan to get stall bars down the track? I feel like I’m stuck and cannot progress in a small city apartment where I live.