Frustrated

I have been following the foundation one programming for 3 weeks. I have about two years of body building style lifting under my belt with a lot of calisthenics work accompanying it. I have built up a great deal of strength with some impressive numbers that don't make sense in conjunction with one another, and some severe muscle imbalances with an anterior pelvic tilt that has brought me from 5'11" to just under 5'10". I approach foundation with the goal of rebalancing my core and fixing my balances, and I am following the programming to a tee. The problem for me is I just don't feel like I'm getting a workout. I like to lift for 2-3 hours a day and come home feeling like I put a HARD days work in. With foundation I feel I have lost that outlet and I am hesitant to mix the Coach's programming with weightlifting because I do not want to disturb the balance between mobility and strength which is already messed up. I am already seeing differences in mobility but I am just frustrated at how slow going and easy the PE is. I guess it's a necessary sacrifice, but how do you guys approach the training knowing you are capable of doing so much more? Every day feels like a wasted day because I do not expend that much energy during my foundation sessions.

Quick question: When you were doing 2-3 goes per day, how much was quality work and how much was filler/rest time? That sounds like a huge amount of time to be constantly lifting, and I remember coach stating that even his elite athletes were doing only around 90 minutes of actual conditioning work.

Also, have you tested for mastery on a few elements that you're finding easier, or just starting everything on PE1?

If it is easy you need to test for mastery and move on. There is no need to spend 12 weeks on something you can master today. You will find once you move on you will hit a point where the exercises are challenging.

If you were into playing basketball, running, tumbling, karate, swimming, or any other sport, you wouldn't completely quit your sport.  You would use Foundation to support your sport by getting whole body strength and mobility.  Your sport is bodybuilding.  There happens to be a lot of crossover between Foundation and BB, but you don't need to completely quit your sport.

1.  Do foundation first.  Pay special attention to quality reps and mobility.

2.  Do your bodybuilding workout adjusted for pre-fatigue.  If you have large rest periods, use foundation approach of doing mobility and stretching during this time.

Your progress might be slower in both.  You might be surprised and actually make faster progress -- who knows?  You might need to adjust this once your mobility starts to catch up with your strength, etc.  Whatever you do, take it slow and give your body time to adapt.

This is not an official answer by any means -- just some ideas.

Mark Collins said:

If it is easy you need to test for mastery and move on. There is no need to spend 12 weeks on something you can master today. You will find once you move on you will hit a point where the exercises are challenging.

If I test mastery and progress do I not lose something essential to the programming? 

Alec,

This question is discussed thoroughly in the Intro Articles section of your course material. Please take a few minutes and re-read the material that you skipped over before.

Yours in Fitness,
Coach Sommer