Making Foundation One more difficult?

Hi there,

I'm brand new here, but I competed in powerlifting for 3 years, and then I've been olympic weightlifting for another 3. However, I've been unable to train anything to do with my legs for 4 months now (I have tendonitis... but I'm getting it seen to, don't worry). So I thought I would get better at my upper body and core gymnastics work.

I bought Foundation One just a couple of days ago now and, after a bit of confusion of how it all works, I think I see now. But I tried to increase the settings to the maximum level, and the exercises are still too easy for me. I was wondering how I increase out of "beginner" mode. I emailed support and they told me to post in the forum, with a video. I haven't had time to do the F1 training just yet (as I've been doing my own training and basic ring work), but I thought I'd share a recent pullup video with you so you can see that I'm not a total beginner:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIHOJq1jGas

I have pretty good flexibility too, I'd say. Perhaps someone can advise me of the best thing to do here? Do I need to buy F2/3/4? Can I get a refund for F1, or is there some way to increase the difficulty even more? I would like to start the R1 course too, but it says somewhere not to start it until you can do F2. However, I'm not sure what the last progression of F2 is!

I hope that makes sense. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Maria

HI Maria, welcome to GB. Basically when someone tells me that F1 it is too easy I ask them to post a proof about that, so you are welcome to post your mastery of the F1 elements with the correct requirements. so for example for Pseudo planche push up perform 5x10 reps with the IM as active recovery in between the sets and so on for all the fundamental exercises.

2 hours ago, Alessandro Mainente said:

HI Maria, welcome to GB. Basically when someone tells me that F1 it is too easy I ask them to post a proof about that, so you are welcome to post your mastery of the F1 elements with the correct requirements. so for example for Pseudo planche push up perform 5x10 reps with the IM as active recovery in between the sets and so on for all the fundamental exercises.

Thank you for your response Alessandro.

I'm looking at my Dashboard for the Upper Body section and it's telling me to do:

1. (Parallel Bar dip x5 + SA Bent Cat x 30s) x 5

2. (Bent arm chin hang x 30s + Overgrip bent pull x5 ) x5

3. (Elevated planche lean x30s + prone half straddle planche single leg extension x 10) x 5

The core section tells me to do:

1. (Hollow body rock x 12 + Shoulder bridge rock x 5 ) x3

2. (Arch up x 2 + standing weighted oblique stretch x 30s ) x3

3. (Neg hanging leg lift x1x10s+ vertical pike pull x5) x 3

Are these the exercises you want me to video? (I can't currently do any lower body training.)

I'm not sure where it says to do pseudo planche pushups 5x10... Am I missing something?

Hi Maria. 

Foundation One is deceptively hard, because there's a lot of strength endurance in the programming. I could personally do 15+ clean pullups, zero kicking and kipping, when I began, yet it took me more than a year to work through it.

Don't assume that it is easy.

22 minutes ago, Mikkel Ravn said:

Hi Maria. 

Foundation One is deceptively hard, because there's a lot of strength endurance in the programming. I could personally do 15+ clean pullups, zero kicking and kipping, when I began, yet it took me more than a year to work through it.

Don't assume that it is easy.

Thanks for your input Mikkel, that's interesting to know.

Don't worry, I'm not assuming that the whole course is easy; I bought F1 precisely because I want to challenge myself and improve. I just want to start at a reasonable point on the course, and I think I'm a bit confused as to how I'm supposed to use this system.

Hi Maria,

I'll try to help you understand the system more clearly.

Each week, all you need to do is simply complete each available workout once, on any day or days you choose. Coach Sommer's recommendation is to complete each workout once per week. This recommendation can be found in your weekly planning tool just above your available workouts. 

To complete a workout, all you need to do is click on one (for example, click 'Core'), and you workout will begin playing. Our interface is designed to make the follow along videos an integral part of your F1 training. After following along with the workout video, select how it felt using the five smiley faces (Too Easy, Easy, Fine, Too Hard, or Failed Mobility). This will let the system know how to progress you forward for the following workout; all workout settings are adjusted automatically from workout to workout, based on your smiley face records for each movement.

Before moving on from a progression, it is expected that you complete all five sets of the mastery requirement and demonstrate proper mobility in between each set. Since you have just started the course and are unaware of pseudo planche push-ups, it is unlikely your workouts are setup correctly. My suggestion from here is to submit a support ticket and we can get everything assigned correctly. It will also help to send in the link to this forum thread with the ticket. We will get you squared away shortly!

https://my.gymnasticbodies.com/help/

Start on PE1 and Step 9 and video record your set. Mastered? Do the same for PE2, PE3 and so on. If your video recording demonstrates less than mastery then that's where you're at. Yes, maybe incline pushups aren't hard but the later progressions very well might be. Go to workout settings in my.gymnasticbodies and go from there. Good luck.

Edit: Start on PE1, Step 1 and if it's way, way too easy mark the smiley that indicates that much. Keep going like this form checking yourself each time you get to Step 9, by submitting a video of your exercises. Hit the too easy smileys each time you workout (so no more than once a day) and then once the ease of exercise plateaus and it is no longer too easy or easy, you'll know where you stand.

Do as Daniel says. I would start from the very beggining. Before GST I could do 10 good form pull ups, more than 10 dips and negative dragon flags and when I started with GST I realized I was a total begginer, I had bad form in many exercises and that being able to do a harder progression doesn t mean you have mastered previous one. F1 is really hard becaue the reps are high (15 reps, 60 seconds, 60 reps) and also taking into account you should take only the paired mobility as rest, never more than a minute or so.

For example your pull ups are not with good form from the 1st one and with really bad form in the last, so you can probably do only one or two clean pull ups, which means your body is not ready to do pull ups yet and is better to start with ring rows and build up the strenght slowly and safely. Take a look to the forum! That will help! And enjoy GST.

OK, cool. Thanks for all your input guys. I've raised a support ticket because it does seem my account is not quite doing the right thing (hence why I thought it looked a bit too easy), but I'll also start from the start and see how I get on.

Hello Daniel,

Immediate mastery testing is no longer allowed.  

It will now take three or four workouts marked 'too easy' to reach mastery testing.  This is due to far too many students glossing over their workouts and failing to achieve true mastery of an element and the paired mobility.

If a student feels that they would like to incorporate additional maintenance strength work while they work their way thru the introductory elements and mobility, they may do so after their daily GST assignment has been completed.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

8 minutes ago, Coach Sommer said:

Hello Daniel,

Immediate mastery testing is no longer allowed.  

It will now take three or four workouts marked 'too easy' to reach mastery testing.  This is due to far too many students glossing over their workouts and failing to achieve true mastery of an element and the paired mobility.

If a student feels that they would like to incorporate additional maintenance strength work while they work their way thru the introductory elements and mobility, they may do so after their daily GST assignment has been completed.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

Noted.

It would be very interesting to see your mastery videos after what you have said. I was physically in great shape when I started GST but very quickly realised that I was nowhere near mastery on any of the elements even for pe1.  

I could easily do proper form pullups and chin ups for example, but am still stuck on ring pulls pe1 after many months, partly due to the change of foundation one a few months ago, but am still struggling to complete just the first progression.

I believe that you have yet to fully understand quite how challenging that  F1 is,  far far far away from being easy once you have tried mastery on all the elements.

Hi Maria,

I think you're falling into the same trap many before you have. It all looks so easy on paper. The reality usually is that  the form and technique you've learned for 'easy' exercises like push ups, pull ups, plank are really nothing at all like a GST push up, GST pull up and GST Elbow Plank. There's lot of technique involved which you have to maintain for many reps/time combined with mastering the integrated mobility and with pretty much zero rest throughtut your entire training session. To those inexepriened with GST these GST versions of the  exercises compared to the gym version dont really look any different, but trust us, they are! There's a lot of people on here who are strong when it comes to lifting but they get humbled by the most basic of F1 requirements. 

After a year of F1 my advice is start from the beginning and to post regular form checks and examine others form checks. If you jump ahead you'll realise after time that your basics weren't right and you need to start again because you dont have the foundation to do the harder exercises. F1 is like a torch that shines a bright light on your weaknesses and it will address them but the process needs to be adhered to. 

First figure out the technique and display great form then aim to maintain that form at the speed demonstrated in the follow along videos, as well as being able to execute the integrated mobility. What you might think is good form for an incline row, incline push up etc may not be good enough in the coaches eyes. 

Enjoy the process!

Maria

When I started GB I wanted a lot more flexability and gymnastic type strength. At the beginning it was easy, but what I started doing was looking at the form checks and noticed alot of people thought it was too easy at the beginning and they jumped ahead to make it harder, I then noticed people stuck on some PE'S and IM'S and some had to go back to work on this. What I have done is I started working on form  while it is easy so that the form becomes an after thought so when you get to the greater reps your not going to lose that form as easy as you tire. I also work on the mobility which is what stops many people from progressing. If you don't have flexability and mobility along with strength you will hit a wall as far as gymnastics is concerned. If you follow this program and not rush you will also develop your muscles much bettor with more endurence. People can push out alot of reps but form sucks and they don't use full range of motion if you have these people slow down and and use full range of motion the amount of reps they can accomplish diminishes greatly. So think about what your goal is starting this program. I have done many programs and this IS the best I have done. I do the stretch M,W,F I do core and lower M,W,F I do upper and Handstand Sun,T,TH,. I started doing foundations 6 days a week with handstand and stretch 3 days a week. As I progressed I changed it to what it is now. I would suggest watching the form section and working on form while it is easy so when you get to the harder part you will have developed the correct muscle and your form and mobility will not push you back wards. Sorry about the long windedness. I have been doing this program around 9 weeks and I love it I have also made myself do each PE and IM 1 week instead of pushing ahead and at this point very glad I did. My mobility is progressing bettor than I thought but I still have a very long way to go. With this program you have to change your thought process if you do this you will notice the small changes much easier and not get as frustrated.

Michael

Personally speaking, I do my best to hold myself to a form that is, seemingly, more strict than what is demonstrated in the course related videos. However one must know the expected form and pace by the way it feels and can not be distracted by a follow along video.

As others have stated, you will find small little changes during the workout. With something I am currenty working on, I recently found one small change that is seemingly demonstrated in the course videos. Changes to your workout environment and or how much clothing you choose to wear as you workout all have an effect as well.