How long to finish foundation series?

[Juan Bañeres]

Hi, just sarting foundation 1, i see that there is around 25 progressions per element, if each progression is 12 weeks, that is like 6 years!

i have heard from looking around the forum that it should take 2 or 3 years, is there something im missing?  

clarification woud be much appreciated,

thanks a lot.

[Orench Lagman]

Depends on how strong your initial strength is. Some progressions you will master faster.

[Mikkel Ravn]

...and some progressions you will master slower.

Think of the timespan as a university curriculum, and it will make more sense to you.

[Kyle West]

Sure, it might take that long if you start on week 1, block 1 for every element, but most people are going to be able to master exercises and advance faster and could start at week 5, block 2 for the same exercise or could test out of the movement entirely and move on to the next movement. No point hypothesizing how long it will take, you move at whatever pace YOU need to, could be slower or faster. Kids who started gymnastics at 5 aren't as good as they are at 20 for nothing. They took 15 yrs to build the body and skills. Just because we're adults, people tend to forget how long it takes to develop the body.

[Alessandro Mainente]

Approximately 2-3 years, some exercises have a technical aspect like handstand that is required for advancing in the progression. here the more time you spent refining it, the faster you can progress.

[Daniel Taylor-Shaut]

I used to think about the GST in those terms, but think about it more along the lines of how healthy and strong can I make my body. Because, honestly, that's what this is all about. There isn't a single of one of us going for gold in Rio. Similar to maybe a meditation practice or a yoga practice, you don't ever 'master' a GST practice. Think of it like that and milk every step for what it's worth. Also, of note, what people have said is worthwhile, too. If you master something quickly, so be it. Chances are some other progressions will not come so easily. Enjoy the process. This is not a six-week beach body course and shouldn't be treated as such. I learned that the hard way after injuring myself (which I'm finally recovered from  -- shoulder impingement and hip impingement from forcing internal rotation are definitely able to be self-induced, please advise )

[Alexander Egebak]

4 hours ago, Alessandro Mainente said:

Approximately 2-3 years, some exercises have a technical aspect like handstand that is required for advancing in the progression. here the more time you spent refining it, the faster you can progress.

Has anyone yet mastered all the foundation exercises since F1 came out in 2013?

[Alessandro Mainente]

I think that Niels Jorgensen has already mastered them, he has almost manna.

I met him 2 years ago, he is a beast. one of the most complete students I've ever meet. basically no weak points, flexibility, balance, press to hs, strength. no weak points.

[Jon Douglas]

Several people have everything apart from the manna

[Dylan Robertson]

1 hour ago, Jon Douglas said:

Several people have everything apart from the manna

I assume they've moved onto the ring series and are doing that while continuing the Manna work from Foundation? 

[Jon Douglas]

1 hour ago, Dylan Robertson said:

I assume they've moved onto the ring series and are doing that while continuing the Manna work from Foundation? 

Yes indeed. As well as H2 & 3, and more difficult Movement training.

Badass.

[Mats Trane]

To me it's a journey not a destination.

[Wouter Molenaar]

I sometimes get stuck on a progression for a few weeks (a week point) then blaze thru a few progressions after that.

[Coach Sommer]

On June 26, 2016 at 0:36 PM, Daniel Taylor-Shaut said:

I used to think about the GST in those terms, but think about it more along the lines of how healthy and strong can I make my body. Because, honestly, that's what this is all about. There isn't a single of one of us going for gold in Rio. Similar to maybe a meditation practice or a yoga practice, you don't ever 'master' a GST practice. Think of it like that and milk every step for what it's worth. Also, of note, what people have said is worthwhile, too. If you master something quickly, so be it. Chances are some other progressions will not come so easily. Enjoy the process. This is not a six-week beach body course and shouldn't be treated as such. I learned that the hard way after injuring myself (which I'm finally recovered from  -- shoulder impingement and hip impingement from forcing internal rotation are definitely able to be self-induced, please advise )

Beautifully stated, Daniel.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

[Gabriel Nunez]

It's funny what you find when you jump into these forums. This something that I have thought about and relayed to others every time they ask me about GB training. While I was aware of mastery and skipping progressions, I always assumed that it only occurred at the beginning and once you could not do a progression, you started from that point and worked through all 12 weeks/ 9 steps.. boy, I have been going about it the slow way. BUT, I have not reached a plateau and really believe that you have to give your body time to adapt and really take in what you are trying to make it become. Like coach said, slow progress is better than no progress.

[Sascha Fast]

I think that there is a different mental challenge in GST than in weight training. 

You learn a squat and then it is only refinement. A squat can be learned in as short as 20min. It is one exercise and then you add weight to it. In GST you progress from movement to movement. Instead of one movement, you have a family of movements that build on each other and you move through a whole family. 

Without any deep understanding that the progression from a tuck to a advanced tuck planche should be seen as a progression of 100kg (no idea how the numbers make sense, just for explanation), you can't grasp that in can take a long time to learn a movement.