Progressions, Exercises, Mobilizations, Mastery

I'm a brand new beginner to the program.  I met Coach Sommer at the Colorado CrossFit certification back in 2004, shortly thereafter, opened CrossFit Los Angeles. Have an extensive background as a health and fitness coach, programming, weightlifting, and basic bodyweight movement... also took up basic gymnastics about 12 years ago at a local gymnastics gym.

I'm super excited about starting the program. Haven't just focused on gymnastics ever. I've also got some lower and upper back issues that are causing some regularly recurring pain that I believe gymnastic mobility and strength will help tremendously. 

So far I've gone through 3 days of the foundation program and have a few questions.

1. I'm having a lot of trouble with the cryptic codes/abbreviations for all the exercises. No idea what they mean. When I do the workouts, I just follow along with the videos. Is there a place with the description of the codes for each progressions (exercise and mobility) that I can print out as reference material for when I go to the gym?

2. In looking at the workouts, why are there no descriptions or codes for the mobilizations that go with each exercise? I can't figure out what I will be doing without watching the videos.

3. I don't really understand the option to "test mastery". When I started the program, I noticed that every code on every day was different... so I decided that I should click "test mastery" for every day that looked different. I have no idea what that did or if I should have done that. So far every workout has shown "test mastery". I'm guessing that I shouldn't have done that... but I'm really not sure. Advice needed.

That's all - thanks in advance for advice and help in getting rolling. 

Andy

A lot of your questions are currently answered in the course related material. The search function for the forum is found near the upper right hand corner of your screen, just below the words "Gallery" and "Help."

Here is a few helpful threads, that are pinned near the top of the Foundation One subform:
1. New to Foundation One? Start Here.
2. Foundation One F.A.Q.
3. How to Test for Mastery Simplified
4. Questions on Cycling and Deloading
5. Failed Set- How to Proceed
6. How to Know When to Stop a Set

 

I would suggest watching the videos, read the course materials many times over and write or type the abbreviations and the full name of the exercise. When I started epwe had no dashboard, so it was pen and paper. Writing it down every workout really made the names and abbreviations sink in. After a while you will know them without having to look them up. Especially the exercises you get stuck on.

Remember when you had to learn all the Crossfit terminology, it was hard. I am sure you know all abbreviations without needing to look them up. GST will be the same.

I'm having the same problem Andy so what I've done is open 3 tabs on my browser

Tab 1: This has the series of follow along daily workout videos

Tab 2: I have the Daily Workout Planner - this shows the abbreviations of everything that you are going to be doing that day and shows a thumbnail image of the movement which helps as a reminder before going into the workout video.

Tab 3: I keep the the training video page open (the one where each move is explained in detail to you). so I can reference it quickly if need to.

So you can quickly take the abbreviation of the next workout from your planner on Tab 2, quickly check out the instruction video on Tab 3, then go straight into the workout on Tab 1.

I'm sure in time it will all become second nature to us.

I hope that helps

Barry

Thanks for the suggestions. Am starting to take a deeper cut at all the materials and info. It's a bit overwhelming.

I really don't get this "week 11" thing regarding testing mastery.

• Where is "week 11"? I don't see the program written out by weeks anywhere. I must be either dense or completely missing something obvious??
• On the dashboard in the workout scheduler, it appears that you can select "test mastery" for any workout, on any day. Is that correct?
• In my first post I mentioned that I clicked on "test mastery" in every workout. Should I not have done this? This week, every workout has been "test mastery". I'm guessing that I shouldn't have done this, but am not sure?

On the sPL/PE1>iM, I'm unable to do it keeping both butt cheeks on the ground, does that mean "fail" and I stay here at this level in spite of my ability to do sPL/PE1:5x15r easily?

If you read through the Intro Articles section carefully your questions should all be answered.

"Weeks" have been replaced with "steps" a while ago. Some of the documentation might not be fully updated. Week 11 is now Step 9.

Thanks Giovanni... but where are the steps listed? And how often should I be testing?

The steps templates are listed on the bottom of the exercise page (click on the "-" button), and also here:

https://my.gymnasticbodies.com/f-templates/

explanation of steps is here:

https://my.gymnasticbodies.com/how-mastery-works/

In the simplest terms, you test every time you begin a new element. This is a "placement test". Depending on how you do in the test, then in the next workout you won't necessarily start from step 1, but you may be guided to skip a few steps, for example to start from step 5 or 6. Then you work your way up to step 9 (mastery) over the following weeks/months, and test again. Once you finally prove mastery, you move to the next element and the process repeats.

So, if you are new to foundation, on your first workout you will test mastery on all the PE1 elements and you will be "placed" appropriately in the next workout. The scheduler takes care of everything for you, as long as you log properly.

First off. Read the introductory articles. They'll help. Secondly, don't worry about 'test mastery' unless you find both the strength and mobility easy of whatever exercises you are working on. Test mastery is the step you take when you think either a) you don't know where you stand in the scheme of GB and are just starting out and want to see how good your strength and mobility are or b) you think have mastered this movement: meaning the number of sets and reps required, with perfect form and pace -- as determined by the instructional video, and the accompanying video for that progression's mobility, with all the same expectations. 

The abbreviations will become second nature. Figure out which progressions you are working on (PE1, PE6, SE1, whatever) and then stick with familiarizing yourself with those progressions only. Knowing the later abbreviations is overkill and superfluous in the beginning. Also, watch, re-watch, and then watch again both the video of Coach's athletes and then the second video where the British individual (his name is Wesley) explains the exercises and their form in more detail. 

So, after doing that, you 'test mastery', reading the introductory articles, and watching the course video explanation, from there you determine where you are at with each progression. Either it's really fucking hard and you could only muster a couple reps (you'd stick with block 1), you had a couple reps but not much endurance (block 2), you had most the reps and endurance but it still needs a little refining (block 3), or you mastered that progressions and will then try the next progression (in the next workout--don't try to master to progressions of the same element in one workout). Each block is 4 weeks. If there are three blocks, that means there are 12 weeks. Each of these weeks is referred to as a 'step'. So, Step 1-4 of Block 1; Step 1-4 (referred to as Step, or really week, 5-8) of Block 2); and Steps 1-4 (Step/week 9-12) of Block 3. These steps within these blocks are divided in some way with Steps 1-3, 5-7, and 9-11 being separate from Steps 4, 8, and 12 (or really week 4, 8, and 12). The last step of each block is a deload, where you will cut your reps in half for all exercises, no exceptions. Furthermore, you will stay on each Step (1-3, 5-7, or 9-11) until you have mastered that step with perfect form, number of reps completed and ROM. So, say you are Step 1, you don't go to Step 2 until it's completed. If that takes you two months, it takes you months. Now, within those two months, every four weeks you will have to deload (Step/Week 4) and you will continue as such. The hope is that you don't need that long and that you could advance one step every week, but our bodies don't work that way. So, in the best case scenario it would look like Week 1: Step 1; Week 2: Step 2, Week 3: Step 3, Week 4: Step 4 (DELOAD), however in reality it will sometimes look like Week 1: Step 1, Week 2: Step 1, Week 3: Step 2, Week 4: Step 1 (you would cut step 2 in half in this case, providing you a deload). Does this make more sense?

It takes some time to make sense of the extensive technical explanations. It is harder that much of these programs have come out within the last year so for the greenest of the green there is that much more to pick up on to be brought up to speed. Initially, all there was was just Foundation 1-4, so there was less to figure out. In any case, stick with it, go slowly and it will make sense.

Thanks, Daniel. 

What if the exercise/strength component is quite easy, but the mobility is the thing holding you back?

For example, for sPL/PE1, I had no problem with 5x15 reps of scap shrugs, however, my glutes, piriformis, and external hip rotators are as tight as a drum... I can't possibly do the swivel hips keeping my glutes touching the floor and having my knees make it to the floor in internal rotation. 

Do I simply stay here, continue to do the 5x15 reps of scap shrugs (though easy) along with the integrated swivel hips mobility? I'm afraid if I do that, I'll be stuck here forever!  

38 minutes ago, Andy Petranek said:

What if the exercise/strength component is quite easy, but the mobility is the thing holding you back? 

You stay with that inseparable pair until your mobility catches up. There's a method to the madness.

39 minutes ago, Andy Petranek said:

I'm afraid if I do that, I'll be stuck here forever!  

No such think as being "stuck," if you change your mindset and understand that that particular element is your "savior" or stepping stone to a more balanced and capable you!, then you'll be happy to polish that stone.

Both the strength and mobility elements must be mastered in order to move on to the next exercise pairing. This is a hard pill for many of us to swallow, but to put it simply many of us have screwed up our bodies via either a complete lack of mobility training or imbalanced training programs. This is precisely why the program mandates that both strength and mobility elements be mastered before moving on, to save us from ourselves and our tendencies to skip over our weaknesses and focus on our strengths.

Swivel Hips is a common bottleneck and yes, if you have really f'd your mobility (as I had when starting) it may take a substantial time investment until you fix the problem. 

As Morpheus said to Neo, "I didn't say it would be easy. I only said it would be the truth."

You already chose the red pill. Might as well accept reality for what it is and get to work.