Floor Space and Equipment Required

Hello GB Community, I was wondering if a floor space of 3.5 by 6 ft is sufficient for the Foundation/Handstand/Stretch Series as I will be using a mat outside. I was also wondering if: Stahl Bars, a pull-up bar, dip/parallel bars, rings, 2 plyo boxes, a bench, dumbbells, plates and a barbell are sufficient for the majority of these courses. In terms of the weights utilized, using beyond 15lbs is probably unnecessary for Foundation One, is this correct? Or can I be expected to use beyond this range in plates and dumbbells?

Hi Joaquin

Those equipments are definitely sufficient in order to begin the courses you mention. You will also need a dowel for the Handstand course. You won't need any heavy weights as you don't need to use weights beyond 15lbs for Foundation 1  

Alright awesome , also is the mat supposed to be designed for absorbing shock or will a thickness similar to a yoga mat suffice?

Yes, a yoga mat will do the job  

Alright, thank you Pauline

Will I at all be needing an elevated surface beyond a foot or so for the Foundation/Handstand courses that a stahl bar couldn't be effectively used for? For any of the Side Lever progressions, or RLL or ArchUps? Or is that beyond Foundation One? If someone could let me know, from the equipment I listed, what will be used for Foundation One vs Foundation Two? As I was planning on purchasing these things but it might be more cost effective to split it according to when it would actually come in handy.

One more question, for the dumbbells, is there a minimum weight range? Would anything below 5lbs be of little use under Foundation One?

Joaquin,

I'm ~5-months into my journey with GST. Thus far the equipment I've needed:
- yoga mat or padded floor
- 2-lb, 5-lb, 10-lb dumbells
- rings or substitute to hang from for RC exercises
- stretch blocks (front & middle splits)
- bungee cord (thoracic bridge)
- broomstick or dowel

Very minimal and easy on the budget. Stall bars look to be helpful but I've gotten by without them thus far. Looks like in then next few months I might move in that direction.

Welcome aboard and just consistently put in the effort! Oh and Thrive is totally worth it... highly recommend it!

1 hour ago, William Trask said:

Joaquin,

I'm ~5-months into my journey with GST. Thus far the equipment I've needed:
- yoga mat or padded floor
- 2-lb, 5-lb, 10-lb dumbells
- rings or substitute to hang from for RC exercises
- stretch blocks (front & middle splits)
- bungee cord (thoracic bridge)
- broomstick or dowel

Very minimal and easy on the budget. Stall bars look to be helpful but I've gotten by without them thus far. Looks like in then next few months I might move in that direction.

Welcome aboard and just consistently put in the effort! Oh and Thrive is totally worth it... highly recommend it!

I'm struggling to find a good substitute for stall bars. Any good ideas? 

Hey William

Thank you I appreciate the feedback, looks very easy on the budget, thus far that is . Yes, I am just as anxious to get started

46 minutes ago, Richard Harper said:

I'm struggling to find a good substitute for stall bars. Any good ideas? 

A power rack with two stations for 2 bars.

If you don't have access to a gym, the other two alternatives I've seen are ladders and sets of bars attached to a wall. You want to make sure the ladder is firmly attached to a very stable structure, the ladder should preferably have rungs/steps small in width as those seen on the silver/aluminum ladders with roundish rungs as seen here:

20 hours ago, Richard Harper said:

I'm struggling to find a good substitute for stall bars. Any good ideas? 

@Richard Harper I've used stuff around my house...  Desk, Chair, Countertop. I've added a pillow or padding if needed.

Thoracic Stretch Video - you use stall bars the most, but frankly my mobility is so pathetic I wasn't able to make it to the end of that series. Only recently have I been able to have the strength/mobility to push into a head assisted bridge.

So don't worry about buying all the equipment now - these details can overwhelm and complicate just starting.

The hardest thing is starting... get into a pattern of consistently doing GST even if you don't have all the set-up. After 3,6,9,12-month of staying consistent you'll get to the point you can reward yourself with buying stall bars (or something else you think you need).

3 hours ago, William Trask said:

@Richard Harper I've used stuff around my house...  Desk, Chair, Countertop. I've added a pillow or padding if needed.

Thoracic Stretch Video - you use stall bars the most, but frankly my mobility is so pathetic I wasn't able to make it to the end of that series. Only recently have I been able to have the strength/mobility to push into a head assisted bridge.

So don't worry about buying all the equipment now - these details can overwhelm and complicate just starting.

The hardest thing is starting... get into a pattern of consistently doing GST even if you don't have all the set-up. After 3,6,9,12-month of staying consistent you'll get to the point you can reward yourself with buying stall bars (or something else you think you need).

Some great points here. Thanks for your reply. I guess one really can't get around needing rings and a pull-up bar as rings are needed from day one. 

@Richard Harper

I wrote about how I installed my rings (mounting bracket and screws). So far it's held strong just going into the ceiling 2x4.

I have one more question, I'm close to finalizing all the equipment I will be using although I ran into a dilemma. I tried looking through the forum but couldn't find anything, is there a minimum width for the pull-up bar (ideally something that would last me through all the progression including F4), and if the pull up bar is stationed near a wall, how far must it be stationed at the minimum?

I was looking at a configuration of 43" from the wall and a pull-up bar of 70", would this suffice?