Stretch series

[Anthony Mak]

With regards to the stretch series, Coach Sommer advises that the stretch series be performed once a week only for best results and any more than this could be counterproductive, does this mean only once stretch series should be trained each week? I.e front split or middle split or thoracic bridge. Or could I train say front split and middle split within the same week?

[Coach Sommer]

No, it means that each of the series should be performed once per week with full body limbering on other days.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

[Tomas Hajdu]

No, it means that each of the series should be performed once per week with full body limbering on other days.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

Could you give us any details on a good daily limbering routine? I haven't seen it adressed anywhere in much detail, really just people throwing things together

In terms of the foundation series could it be previously mastered IMs or the weighted IMs following a SSC?

[Tracey Weaver]

I would love some insight on what a full body daily limbering routine would be.  

 

Would something like a few rounds of a sun salutation suffice?

 

Thank you!!

 

Tracey :-) 

[Giovanni Garcea]

Not sure if it is a good idea or not, but for what is worth I do Defranco's "Limber 11" (lower body) and "Simple 6" (upper body) after a few minutes of light cardio and before the GB workout. It does seem to help.

 

If there are better limbering routines out there I'm all ears. I guess ideally I could create a limbering routine myself that addresses my specific needs, but I'm not there yet with my knowledge.

[K V]

It appears that GB Curriculum roadmap is going to require an adjustment; especially in terms of mobility and handstand work.  This fine tuning will be an ongoing process.

 

It was never my intent that students would not start press handstand work until 2-3 years after they began GST.  Once again, your guys' zombie like mobility is throwing a monkey wrench into the GB developmental path.  

 

To start with, everyone needs to stretch more.  A lot more.  I had hoped that the GB Stretch courses would accelerate the correction of these basic mobility deficits, and they have in some cases; but not everyone has been taking full advantage of them.

 

For example in my own personal training, I currently strength train 3 days per week, yet I stretch 5-6 days per week; 3 days of full body limbering before the strength workouts and 2-3 days of 'hard stretching' on off days with the stretch courses.  

 

If limbering up before a workout, during a workout with the integrated mobility and the stretch courses themselves are not the fundamental focus at your current level how are these deficits ever going to be corrected so that we can move on?

 

It also cannot be overstated that press handstands are essential for long term gains in GST.  Without a press handstand everything in GST will later come to a grinding halt.  There is no avoiding this.  

 

I would also hope that it is obvious that effective press handstand work cannot take place without a reasonably proficient free handstand.  

 

In my opinion both free handstand and press handstand gains have been far, far too slow for most GB students.  It is a failure on my part that I have failed to be sufficiently explicit that handstand and press handstand are not party tricks to be worked on the side.  But let me be clear now that handstand and press handstand work are essential for future GST progress and must receive the same degree of attention and focus as your Foundation work.

 

Do not however be overly harsh on yourselves.  You are certainly not alone.

 

This summer while working with the GB Master Class and the GB World Team in Stroud, both groups composed of some of GB's best and most talented from around the planet, I had to be rather 'forthright' about their needing to remove their heads from their #$$@$, quit piddling around, and get these basic handstands and press handstands mastered.  In fact the majority of their 2 days of training was spent on exactly that.

 

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

As far as this post of Coach goes, he does stretching apart from the (hard) stretch series. So, I'm guessing, you can use the stretch series itself for limbering, but maybe not "hard".

 

DISCLAIMER: I don't own stretch series, so I don't advocate anything. Use your best judgement. Also, consult with Coach or someone qualified before doing anything. I'm just speculating here. I'm in no way responsible for your routine which you might expect to follow.