What should I do

Hi guys, 

I need some guidance…I have the following goals 

I am 33 

I am looking to

1) maximize my strength,  

2)maximize my flexibility,mobility (which is quiet low at the moment ) explosiveness

3) I also need to change my body composition i.e. lose about 12 pounds for health purposes.

I am currently doing the foundations 1 course. What else should I be doing? I saw the tumbling course was released but I have no interest in actually tumbling? Would this course help me achieve my above goals or should I take the Flexibility course?

Help? Also will these courses get me super strong as well

I recommend Foundations, Handstand, and stretch series from what you have described.

Would the tumbling course give a combination of mobility, flexibility and conditioning vs just static stretching in the stretching course?

Tumbling is basically just skill and conditioning. Any mobility gained from it is negligible compared to stretch courses.

"Would the tumbling course give a combination of mobility, flexibility and conditioning vs just static stretching in the stretching course?" MikeR

Sort of. The stretch series is not just static stretching, it is a combination of stretching techniques. Mobility, flexibility, conditioning, and stretching seems to be a part of most courses; not just tumbling or stretch series alone. Does this make sense? Actually this is very hard to answer now that I think of it. Since I have been doing multiple courses, I have seen how everything works together; its very hard to choose a few that would be best and I wouldn't want to leave any of them out.

Sorry, if this doesn't help much. The most logical answer is to buy everything, especially with the goals you described. By the way, I have similar goals as you and just a bit older.

The courses won't make you strong or flexible, you have to do that yourself!

Foundation 1 & Handstand 1 contain so many exercises that if followed properly, as described in the course will get you VERY strong and mobile! The stretch series are great for boosting your flexibility alongside F1 & HS1 as Ryan has already described.

Wesley

I am somewhat struck for time so I do the Foundations one program F7 (twice a week). What is the time commitment for the H1 course? does it also have a 2 day programming model and how long would it take to get through at that pace?

I think I will get the stretch course. 

I am contemplating whether to do 2 days of weights or to do the F2 instead. Im thinking these days about how for someone who isn't flexible that weight lifting is just reinforcing inflexibility.

My suggestion is to buy handstand 1 and stretch series. To make due for the time it takes, break up the series so that as you do F7 twice a week, three other days of the week you do Handstand and stretching. You will absolutely get more flexible and stronger if you put in the time and effort. I've been able to get my hands flat on the ground behind my feet in a solid pike, and can get my forearms flat on the ground in pancake. It's taken me eight months with a few blip weeks where I may not have done all the stretch series. So, given that, my progress could've even been greater. 

I do the basic approach of Foundation on Monday-Wednesday-Friday, Handstand on Tuesday-Thursday, and then Stretching on any of those days either in the PM or right away after my workouts. Furthermore, I purchased Foundations in August of 2014, and while my progress is minimal, I've still made progress given injuries I gave myself and time off due to illness and graduate school. Other people have made tremendous leaps and bounds progressing through all of Foundation 1 in less time than myself. So that's worth noting, too.

I recently added Tumbling 1 on Saturdays, but it's a pretty light workout relatively speaking and for your goals I would focus on those three programs first and add in movement later on. Yes, these programs will absolutely get you to your goals and are the best way to go about doing it. There are cheaper programs out there, yes, but comparatively speaking this is one of, if not, the best-organized programs I've come across in terms of progressions and structure (workouts, form check feedback, general FAQ's, mobility and flexibility quick-fixes or issues).

MikeR said:

Hi guys, 

 

I need some guidance…I have the following goals 

 

I am 33 

 

I am looking to

1) maximize my strength,  

2)maximize my flexibility,mobility (which is quiet low at the moment ) explosiveness

3) I also need to change my body composition i.e. lose about 12 pounds for health purposes.

 

I am currently doing the foundations 1 course. What else should I be doing? I saw the tumbling course was released but I have no interest in actually tumbling? Would this course help me achieve my above goals or should I take the Flexibility course?

 

Help? Also will these courses get me super strong as well

From someone who recently started the Stretch courses, I would highly recommend Stretch, particularly if you are concerned about your flexibility before moving on higher in foundation.  For me, I need more than just the mobility that is paired with the PEs (and I'm someone that 3 years ago could perform most yoga moves quite proficiently).   They are already making a huge difference in my flexibility and I feel great afterwards, releasing all of that muscle tension.  I just recently dropped 15 pounds to get to my ideal weight and I couldn't believe how that extra weight had affected my flexibility.  I actually put the stretch courses in on my rest days to maximize time and I use the follow-along video option for each.  Coach Sommers leads the follow along videos as the instructor. These aren't sissy videos and they are worth every penny. 

MikeR said:

I am somewhat struck for time so I do the Foundations one program F7 (twice a week). What is the time commitment for the H1 course? does it also have a 2 day programming model and how long would it take to get through at that pace?

 

I think I will get the stretch course. 

 

I am contemplating whether to do 2 days of weights or to do the F2 instead. Im thinking these days about how for someone who isn't flexible that weight lifting is just reinforcing inflexibility.

I'm still in F1 so I understand what you mean in terms of feeling out the schedule and programming.  Unlike F1, which has 7 PEs to focus on at a time, H1 and H2 both have only one (plus an iM each).  However, H1 also contains 4 wrist stretches and 4 wrist elements to perform in addition to the PE.  In my opinion, handstand isn't very taxing on the schedule and the value it adds is well worth it.  If you want, you can sign up for one month of the professional online classes to try H1 (The highest level monthly subscription contains access to 12 H1 PEs, all the wrist stretches and the first 3 of each of the 4 wrist PEs, so you can really see what you are getting into with H1 before you invest in the course.)  (H2 isn't available as an introduction with the monthly subscription, but when you buy it, it contains a single PE to work at a time plus one iM).

Can you do the online classes anytime or do they run only certain times? How many workouts are there?

I am going to buy the stretch course and probably the hand stand one…kinda wishing I had bundled it with the F1 now back when I bought it/them

MikeR said:

Can you do the online classes anytime or do they run only certain times? How many workouts are there?

 

I am going to buy the stretch course and probably the hand stand one…kinda wishing I had bundled it with the F1 now back when I bought it/them

Another thing, I do not know if the handstand forum is part of the online classes? However, I do know the Handstand forum access is part of the handstand course. This is huge. The forum is a wealth of information for getting tips for ironing out mobility issues and researching correct form. I can not stress the benefit of the forum access for specific courses enough.

MikeR said:

Can you do the online classes anytime or do they run only certain times? How many workouts are there?

 

I am going to buy the stretch course and probably the hand stand one…kinda wishing I had bundled it with the F1 now back when I bought it/them

The online classes are pre-recorded videos so you can do them any time.  There are 6 categories of beginner classes and six categories of intermediate (core, legs, total body, handstand, shoulder flexibility, lower body flexibility in each).  There is also an advanced handstand category.  Currently, each category has between 4-6 videos ranging from 15 to 45 minutes (most 30 minutes).  There is also a handstand entry series that sets up a 4 week progression to get into a tuck up handstand.  The online classes are slower paced and follow along style and feature all female instructors.  Watching the handstand entry program videos also gave me a much better sense of how much warm up is performed prior to starting progressive handstand movements - so I did learn much better warm up techniques for also adding some core activation and shoulder stretches to prepare the body.  I don't want to necessarily sell you on the classes if you prefer the plug and play style of the courses, but it's well worth the $24 for a month out the handstand 1 course intro that comes with the professional level online subscription if you are on the fence about H1 and want to check it out before you buy the course.  

Access to the handstand 1 forum isn't part of the online classes though.  You have to buy the course to get access to the forum.