GB Program combinations & F1 mods

I am brand new here and have a whole bunch of questions for both my own training and training others of varying abilities, interests, attentions spans etc.

Combining Programs:

1 - With limited time and obvious mobility deficits which would you find more beneficial - Running F1 as is OR using just the strength elements from F1 in an antagonistic pair and then running the entire Stretch Series.

2 - Any experience running Handstand program directly before F1 as a single training session as oppose to separate days for those who can train longer but less frequently?

3 - How are people using the Movement course?  I'm interested in it personally as a BJJ warm up but wondering if certain elements of it can be used as a warm up even on a hard gym floor for people I train.

4 - Would combining F1 with Movement shift some more training to lower body?  My hobbies are climbing and BJJ so mixed with F1 it is pretty upper body dominant.  Movement seems to have some jumping and plyos in it which might balance things out?

F1 Mods:

1 - Does anyone add any unilateral training (bodyweight or conventional weight training) for people who have asymmetries?  ie 1 arm rows?

2 - Has anyone played with the periodization of F1 for those who are less patient?  Example:  wave volume and intensity even for those who haven't shown mastery.  So one might work rows for 4-8 weeks and then move into an intensity block where they work the next level for 4-8 weeks in the lower rep ranges while keeping hinge rows as an accessory movement.  I know this is not ideal but to have some clients stick to an exercise for more than 2 months without moving on can be difficult.

3 - If you are having a very easy time with a strength exercise but struggling with a mobility exercise how do you prioritize the mobility exercise to fast track it or would Stretch Series come in at this point?

 

I hope it's not bad etiquette to just rapid fire every question instead of having different topics for each.  I did my best to search for similar threads as well so sorry if some of these have been asked.   Looking forward to hearing your experiences training yourself and others with these courses.  This would really help me decide what will be best to start with as well.  Right now I am leaning towards F1 & Movement so I would be most interested in that combination especially on a harder floor with no access to stall bars yet.

Thanks!

Welcome to GB, Jay! Great questions.

1) Definitely do F1 as is and stretch afterwards or in a separate session.

2) If you decide to do handstand training on the same day as foudnations, I recommend doing it after. Since handstand is skill work, I have always found it better to get my hard work in first and then finish with handstand or stretch.

3) I have found the beginning elements of movement to be a fantastic warm up. Please remember that sharing the course material with others that you train in BJJ, or otherwise, is not permitted. 

4) Movement 1 is a tumbling course so although it would surely benefit BJJ, it may not be the plyometric type of course you are thinking of.

5) I don't add any additional training in with my students and have had great success fixing assymetries. 

6) We reinforce patience in our classes and because of the success our students have been having, we no longer get questions regarding how long we spend on a specific movement.

7) The stretch series is a nice aide to the troublesome mobility issues. I add in extra sets as warmup and cooldown on my Foundation days and sometimes add them in to a relevant stretch series.

1. I would do F1 as is. I do stretch series on separate days except on Friday where I do F1 and the thoracic bridge series.

2. I do H1 after F1 and it works out well. I'm still on pe2 for H1 but it's a good cool down for me from foundation.

F1 mods:

1. I think it would be difficult to pass mastery if you had a severe imbalance. Eventually you will plateau and be forced to deal with it. That's the secret sauce of GB imo. There is no fake it till you make it, you either have mastery form or you don't and you can't move on till you fix it.

2. Impatient and GST don't go together. I view it kind of like math; just because you are bored/ having trouble with algebra doesn't mean you should skip to trigonometry or calculus. You have to get the basics down first otherwise you just going to get stuck and have to start over anyway.

3 - You can do the stretch series and put more mobility work in your warm up. There are lots of extra mobility tips scattered throughout the forum for specific elements. You just have figure out what the limiting factor is and then target it with specific exercises. IE. When stuck on Deck Squats, sitting is a deep squat for 5-10 min a day can really accelerate your progress.