Wanting to add some Gymnastics training to slowly / moderately develop skill / straight arm strength / and Mobility, while maintaining Aesthetic

Be Prepared for a Long Read!

So I'm 24, I have been lifting for 7 years  weight lifting and bodybuilding (10 if you count gym classes and training for sports),

Did gymnastics in high school and was alright at it.

I've been in and out of the gym for about 1.5 months now due to starting a new career and being sick.

I'm somewhat training for a physique show right now, but unsure of when I'll compete... So I've just been training... My goal is to step on stage at 160-165, possibly even 170. Is it possible to gain 5-10lbs doing only gymnastics with proper diet?(Small frame)

I do a 5 day body part split now... But I usually do Wendler 5/3/1... The question is how do I implement training to slowly redevelop my gymnastics mobility and strength while maintaining some aesthetic and possibly gaining size?

Stats:

Height: 5'10

Weight: 152-161 (fluctuates)

Bodyfat - 5.5-9% (fluctuates)

Weight Lifting Stats:

DL - 375x5 (5-6 weeks ago)?

Bench Press - 225x4 (3 weeks ago)

OHP - 135x3-5 (shoulders are weak point) (3 weeks ago)?

Olympic Squat - 205x11 (last week) - Butt two inches from floor.

Bodyweight Exercises:

Weighted triceps gymnast dips - 135x6

Weighted Pull-Ups - 90x5

Front-Lever Raises / Straddle Front Lever Holds - unsure about time always do them after weighted pull-ups once in awhile for lower lat activation.

Straight-Bar Muscle-Ups 

One-Handed Pull-Ups - 3-4 in each arm with straddled legs (current)

Straight Arm - L-Sit to tucked planche to handstand (can't hold handstand well)

glute ham raises - 15 for 4 sets

pistols - 8 each leg after heavy squats, balancing is hard after heavy squats. (I can dunk a basketball on a good day).

My planche, handstands (shoulder girdle strength), hip flexors, core stability, balance, & straight arm strength need the MOST work.

Now I was able to do all those things without any of the F1 stuff currently in my workouts just Weightlifting. 

I'm not trying to toot my horn but I wanted to give you all an accurate background of my fitness level in regards to both weightlifting and Bodyweight exercises... This has little correlation to gymnastic skills... However, I think I have a head start.

I want to specifically work on my handstand balance, core-strength, straight-arm strength and mobility / flexibility!  I don't think I really need much bent arm strength (unless we're talking about bent-arm at weird angles like the planche push-up)

Any ideas on implementing stuff from H1, R1, or F1/F2 into a upper-body / lower-body split as I'm going to hit it hard again here soon...

I'm just afraid that I'm going to lose size and shape if I make the entire switch to gymnastics and start ALL the way from F1... 

What do you experts WITH Experience weightlifting at an intermediate-advanced level or hybriding the two think I should do?

And I know that doing both will result in slower progress but I'm okay with that, Fitness is a Life-Long pursuit.  Since I can't hold a straddle planche let alone do straddle planche push-ups but bench 225 for reps which is a lot for my weight... I'm unsure of how I should program this. 

What I'd like is slowly moving from Weight Lifting to a Hybrid then to Gymnastics and Bodyweight once I have developed enough skills, strength, etc. and yeah this could take anywhere from 6 months to 2+ years to make the transition, again, I'm okay with that.

I plan on building a set of PVC parallettes and a Home Pommel Trainer because pommel used to be my main event and I think it'd be fun to mess around with again.

And later buy rings when I can build an apparatus to hang them from... id like to focus on ring static holds and multi-plane movements.

A good layout or starting point would help a lot!!! 

Please ONLY CONSTRUCTIVE advice towards my goals.

Thanks,

Skoy

 

EDIT: I have no idea why there is white text highlighted, I'm posting from a mobile device.

 

You should test mastery all the way from the beginning of F1. If you don't need to do the exercise/mobility then you'll pass mastery by definition. If you don't pass mastery, then that's the program telling you that need to the exercise/mobility, it's really that simple. 

It's perfectly fine to add extra work after Foundation to maintain your current strength in some skills, as long as it doesn't interfere with Foundation training and recovery (so in my opinion you should keep it low volume). You should still do the things you enjoy doing, just be smart about it.

Ultimately you'll also have to decide on how to focus. It's hard to train and progress on a lot of things at the same time. I personally wouldn't recommend hybridizing Foundation with another strength program, unless you have a knowledgeable coach to do that for you. 

 

Wow, a long post indeed. I planned to keep this short but completely got wrapped up in it all; I started in a similar position to you so it has snowballed as I've been typing.

 

Firstly, know that I do not consider myself an expert. I'll just give my opinions from my own experience and hopefully you can take something from it. 

 

The majority of my training time has also been spent with weights; starting when I was 16 and stopping just after turning 25 to pursue the GB curriculum. I competed in powerlifting at national level but would not consider myself a strong powerlifter. Strong gym goer? Sure. But powerlifter? Average at best - those guys are monsters.

 

I do truly believe that putting the weights on maintainance and focusing on Foundations for a time will be of huge benefit. So perhaps the foundation 3 day template hitting some sub max sets of 5 for your main lifts at the end of your workout. Eg on SLS day finish it with a few set of 5 at 85% your training max in squats or deads. You could still keep the 531 template and just not go AMRAP for the last set. Then you could hit you bench or OHP after HBP + RC. 

 

If you are dead set on keeping the weights in with intensity, (which I think is fine by the way), I'd probably recommend doing an upper/ lower split 2 days a week with one or two f7 days and one or two handstand days. 

 

 

You are clearly strong but do not make the mistake of thinking you can skip ahead or won't need bent arm strength etc. I dipped with my bodyweight before starting GB but took some time just to make it through HBP/PE2 - pushups! Know that foundations is just that, a foundation. You're building a physical structure that will allow much greater things down the road. The mobility development and joint health/ strength that are developed won't make you into a world class physique competitor but they potentiate a level of training that can develop remarkable physiques.

 

If you're truly in it for the long haul and don't mind the time it takes (nor the work) then I believe, and it is just my opinion, that putting the weight training on hold or at least maintainance while focussing on foundations is worth it. And I'm aware its probably not what you want to hear, it's not what I wanted to hear. I tried to marry the two styles when I first started the GB curriculum and eventually realised it wasn't working for me, so I've focussed all of my attention where it needs to be, the basics and foundations.  I had aches and pains and injuries and very large mobility deficits that needed (and still need) fixing. You nay not have any of that, I don't know. But if you don't then you will fly through foundations and be able to incorporate weights at you choose. Incorporating them too early though may not just slow progress it may halt it all together. It's very hard to gain mobility while lifting maximally from my experience. Maintaining it is far easier.

 

I've really gone overboard here and I'm sorry for the rant, just a topic quite close to me. And I probably am coming across as antilifting, but I really am not. I just think foundations deserves (and in fact needs) focussed attention. I think it's better to focus one and let the other rest for a while than try to do too much of both and go nowhere, or worse, backwards.

 

Okay, I feel I could talk forever about this but probably already repeated myself umpteen times. Hope it does help in some way, the two ways I mentioned integrating both is how I would start. Then make adjustments slowly over time. No one will know the perfect template for you (nonexistent anyway). Just start minimally and be sensitive to your body's response.

 

Phew!

Signing off

Max

Skoy91,

Props to your work ethic, I think you will do well!

Real quick:  I recommend buying the foundation and Handstand courses. See if you can test yourself through most of it. I would use the month for a "testing" period as I think there may still be a money back guarantee. That knowledge and self assessment will give you many answers. That month of testing could be a maintanence period of your weightlifting schedule to not loose anything for your competitions.

Best of luck,

Ryan