Acronyms nightmare

I bought the GB starter pack around 8 months ago and I've never been able to progress. I absolutely hate the programming and scheduling of this site. I can't remember all those acronyms for each exercise and when I start to recalling them it would be time to change for the next exercise in the progression.

The website is painfully slow and the schedule view doesn't have the name of the exercises, only those codes. I keep trying to work printing it and writing the names of each exercise on the corners of the sheets making an unreadable mess.

 

I'm very frustrated and I apologize for my tone but in a world with so many great fitness apps GB might have a great program in theory but it lacks tremendously in functionality and tracking.

 

I'm reaching out to you as last resort before i ditch this program forever, I think I should be missing something I can't understand.

How you guys make this work?

 

Thanks

I made a cheat sheet to help me keep track of it all. But it does get a lot easier after a short time once you get used to it. You'll be doing the same 7 exercises for about 3 months so there's nothing new to learn for a while.

You just learn everything after a while if you keep at it. I rarely check the programme. Just wait until you get your first time with synchronised plateaus and you'll get what I mean.

On a more serious note, it does require a bit of effort to learn names, acronyms and some of the scheduling but as you enter the GB world more, you clearly see it kinda is meant to be like that. Coach WANTS you to know about the programme and be educated, especially if you intend on getting affiliated/certified.

However, I did notice videos loading much slower (if at all) lately, when I checked out the progressions of H3 and T1. Didn't know if it was just me or what and I never saw it as a major inconvenience but glad to see I'm not the only one.

If something loads slowly or doesn't work right, tell us through one of the half dozen avenues of contacting us. It's usually an easy fix. What we can't do is read your mind to know there's an issue.

 

The acronyms aren't going anywhere as they are the most efficient way of talking about the curriculum as a whole. It's quite possible by time all the core curriculum courses are released we'll be close to a thousand different exercises. No one is ever going to memorize that many names, but if we say Front Lever, Preparatory Element #1 you know right off we're talking about a basic front lever progression without needing to know exactly which exercise it is. If it's something you have trouble with, I'd recommend making a few flash cards. If there's enough interest we could even put a acronym->progression photo flashcards game into the portal.

 

We do recognize having multiple tabs open to reference exercises in the scheduler can be a pain and already have a solution completed that will be announced very soon.

Daniel:  

You are going to abandon this program because the acronyms are too confusing?  Yes, I agree:  "SLS/PE2" (or whatever) is not as easy to digest/comprehend as, say, "run 5 miles".  But that's hardly an excuse to stop training. 

 

You can't remember the progression's "official" name?  Then make up your own. What most people call "twisting squats (SLS/PE2 iM), I call "big ol' slice of humble pie that took me 9 months to eat".

 

Now, if you don't mind: get back to training.

Daniel, come on.

 

Stop giving lame excuses.

 

You don`t even need the acronyms. Watch the videos, call them whatever the name you want and do them. I also apologize for the tone but I don`t even need the programming and scheduling software of the site, if it`s that you are referring to. I never even used it. Many people don`t need it.  They just studied the templates and learned how one should proceed through the course.

 

It`s so simple that I get surprised that you find this so painful. If that`s the case you can`t follow a simple template by yourself then  it`s you who is incredibly slow and lazy, not only physically,,,

 

If you are going to ditch this amazing program that has no comparison in the whole world, made by a top class Coach, with great progressions and guidance, I don`t know what is going to please your desired "level". Sorry mate, I think the site can`t level down to your lack of effort and diligence. You should bring your level up.

On a side note...

An education that requires some searching on the part of the student for themselves, inspiring them to dig for deeper answers, usually builds a smarter student in the end.  Answers are not spoon fed or given easily to things that are truly worth learning. 

Hi Daniel,

Unless you are dyslexic or illeterate there really is no sympathy, and from reading your post I doubt either of these to be the case.

I don't mean to be rude but I feel there is a lack of effort on your part.

It does take a while (a week or so) to get used to the format and terminology like everyone has said, but there is no way around that. Don't give up just yet, give it another go, it is immensely rewarding.

Foundation 1:

7 elements

6 progressions (or stages for each element)

6 strength, preparatory elements or PE 1-6

6 mobility, coupled integrated mobility elements or iM 1-6

That's 42 strength progressions (PE's) and 42 mobility progressions (iM's). The format is a necessity.

That's it. Actually quite simple for the beast it is and cleverly designed.

Don't be in a rush, basic does not mean easy. The early progressions are actually some of the most challenging and pay off for later progress through foundations.

I hope this helps and I hope everyone's responses will inspire you to start again and own it this time round. Look forward to see you posting some videos soon Daniel!

Best wishes,

Wesley

Daniel I feel your pain!

when I first bought in I felt almost overwhelmed by all the acronyms and the structure of the programme. Added to that I didn't even know what a ´front lever´  ´straddle planche´ etc were. I almost had a tantrum and gave up, then I decided to get over myself and accept that I have a lot to learn.

 

 I just write it all down, have several tabs open simultaneously and keep on working on my mobility- which is why I joined in the first place. It does get easier to use as you become familiar with the system.

 

Cory´s suggestion of acronym/progression photocards would be welcome here !

 

 I would suggest that you move your focus to what you want to achieve rather than what you find difficult.

Simple solution. Watch the exercises you need to do and write them down with a pen and paper. I have always written them down and it is easier to look back on how many reps you did last workout.

Don't be too worried about what they are called. In Australia the names are different for alot of the exercises. A hollow rock is a dish rock.

Don't be crazy and stop doing Foundation because of a technical issue. You have the program the for you to follow. It is way more than people had in the past.

Thank you for all your responses. I took the time to read and think about it and clearly I had the wrong expectations for this program.

To be honest I didn't really feel like spending all the time required for browsing through this forum searching for cues and instructions on how to perform each exercise. I recognize this is a lack of interest in learning from my part so I'll work on that.

Though that wasn't my point and while many of you were fast to rebuke my complaint just few actually replied to my question, sharing how they keep track of their schedule. Pen and paper seems the best. Brilliant.

 

I really appreciate the reality check, but you seem to be great folks so I might as well stick around.

 

 

Cheers,

I would also add that there is no any other program out there to teach fitness through gymnastics exercises of this level. Everything else is very far behind. It is gymnastics after all, official names are much more complicated than acronyms which are very easy to make sense of as Cory pointed out.

Here's a few suggestions, hopefully constructive.  First, realize that the value of the program comes from the content, not so much from slick templates.  If you've never tried to learn any difficult gymnastics strength moves on your own, you should know the biggest challenge is simply in knowing what to work on and in what order.  The progressions here are brilliant and well worth the money.  Take advantage of that.  Even if the rest of the course material is lacking, you have what you need to succeed.

 

I too was initially frustrated with all the acronyms, but developed a solution right away.  I never used the online workout template, other than to learn how to split up the workouts throughout the week.  For working out though, I found the template too difficult to read and had no organized way to record my results.  I developed a spreadsheet that showed the element and exercise names as well as the abbreviations.  I don't have access to it right now, but will post it in a few days.  If you look around you'll see there's another spreadsheet that is popular amongst forum members.  I built mine before I found it, but it sounds like the other one is very effective.  Mine will simply be another option.

 

You really should take advantage of the forum.  I usually think when a product puts too much reliance on forum discussions, it's a sign of laziness or a poorly developed product, but I think this is an exception.  The insight provided by people who have struggled and succeeded with the movements really can't be built into a program.  If reading the forum posts doesn't interest you, at least take the time to search for posts on the movements you are currently working.  The information there is invaluable and  I'm sure it will give you new appreciation for what you're working on.

 

Finally, when you say the website is slow to load, I assume you're talking about the videos.  This is a real problem, but I've found a workout that will hopefully work for you as well.  If a video takes more than 5 seconds to load, pause the video and reload the web page.  After that, the video should load right away.  Works every time for me.

Agreed with all of the above. I'm a new student (as of Christmas Eve) and at first I was overwhelmed by the amount of information in the forum and other areas of the site.

 

However, that spurred me on to seek out the appropriate information myself and to really get stuck in with the learning and programming which is as much fun as performing a new move personally. Whatever you preferred method is of monitoring or tracking your progress go for it - I think the main thing is just sticking to the correct progressions and ensuring you're performing them at the highest standard and you will be fine.

 

Glad to hear that you're gonna stick with it! I'm only a few days in but I'm already impressed not only by how comprehensive the program is, but also the ongoing support and feedback right here in the forum. 

 

Looking forward to seeing your progress dude! 

Nice to see you on here Andros and glad to hear you'll stick around Daniel.

 

Daniel, there really is no need to search around the site for cues on how to perform each exercise, I certainly have never done this or needed to. The videos have it all.

 

I took the time to watch the videos and try each progression for mastery, in order to discover where I was ability wise for each of the elements. You really have to do this if you want to make the smoothest progress you can. It will take time to watch the videos before a workout to make sure you know what your doing, right it down like you say. After a while you won't need to do that, you'll know where you are and what's next. Eventually I am sure you will come to appreciate the amazing resource the course is.

 

You need to video yourself and then watch it for comparison with the videos. This is where having a coach with a trained eye makes a huge difference, or occasionally posting videos here for feedback. It really is the only way of knowing if it as good as it could be, if you don't know what to look for yourself.

Hey BobH, thanks for the suggestions. On the videos yes, that was one of the problems, and I too figured out that reloading the page helps. If you don't mind pm me your spreadsheet, I'd love to give it a look.

 

Thanks for the tips Wes, I'm looking forward to participate in the forum a little more, as a tool of evaluation and motivation. Keeping it up has been quite difficult and frustrating but rushing as we all know most often leads to injures and more wasted time.

 

Cheers