My GST Restart

Hey everyone,

I'll be restarting the GB program from the very beginning again on 2/27/2017

I started GST in early 2014 when I was 15 with F1 and H1. I already had a little over a year of calisthenics experience prior to starting GB.

The need for immediate gratification eventually caused me to be inconsistent. I would go weeks (even months at times) without doing a workout because I hated working on the basics. I started skipping progressions because I wanted to quickly get to the more advanced moves. Long term, this got me nowhere.

In 2015 and 2016 I became drum major at my high school which threw off my already inconsistent workouts even more. My shoulders couldn't recover from conducting daily at school and training so I decided to take another break until I knew I could fully commit to GST.

Nonetheless, I have made a lot of progress on my mobility (still working on middle split and ankles), handstand (90s consistently/headstand push-ups), and press handstand (stalders & pike).

A Few Things I've Learned Along The Way:

- Don't miss workouts! Consistency is key.

- Look at training progress in yearly increments to see improvements.

- The time will pass regardless if I workout or not.

- Plan my workout schedule around my life instead of the other way around.

- Record myself to check form and see progress.

- GST is more mental than it is physical (for me).

Here are a few progress pics I still have:

Bridge after a handstand workout - April 19, 2015

Bridge - June 11, 2016

Pike after a handstand workout - April 19, 2015

Pike - June 11, 2016

Feel free to follow my progress on Instagram if you'd like: https://www.instagram.com/malikblasingame/

impressive pics @Malik Blasingame and welcome back. As most people say, the journey is infinitely more important than the destination.

Impressive work. Not to knock you at all, but if my math's right your now 18? And you felt worse before? Dude your mobility is insane, I dunno how much credit you're giving yourself but given that you're not a full-time gymnast and you have a handstand, pike, Thoracic Bridge, pancake, and stalders you're pretty solid in that department man. Most people coming to GB are much older than me, let alone you. Keep at it. Consistency is key to everything valuable.

13 minutes ago, John Kiggundu said:

impressive pics @Malik Blasingame and welcome back. As most people say, the journey is infinitely more important than the destination.

Much appreciated @John Kiggundu!

3 minutes ago, Daniel Taylor-Shaut said:

Impressive work. Not to knock you at all, but if my math's right your now 18? And you felt worse before? Dude your mobility is insane, I dunno how much credit you're giving yourself but given that you're not a full-time gymnast and you have a handstand, pike, Thoracic Bridge, pancake, and stalders you're pretty solid in that department man. Most people coming to GB are much older than me, let alone you. Keep at it. Consistency is key to everything valuable.

Thanks a lot @Daniel Taylor-Shaut!  I really appreciate the kind words. Yes I'm 18 now. Sadly, no I don't really give myself much credit. I consider myself a perfectionist and haven't been working to reach my full potential. My nutrition wasn't that good either. I've learned a lot over the past 3 years, and my mindset has changed a lot which is why I want a fresh start with GST.

Lol, your nutrition... When I was 18, I'd have two bowls of cereal and pizza whenever I wanted--not that that was a good thing, but I just didn't know any better or see much difference either way. Good on you, though, for being WAY ahead of the curve. It'll probably save you from the freshman 15, you're definitely an exception and not the rule in that category, though. Keep it up.

5 minutes ago, Daniel Taylor-Shaut said:

Lol, your nutrition... When I was 18, I'd have two bowls of cereal and pizza whenever I wanted--not that that was a good thing, but I just didn't know any better or see much difference either way. Good on you, though, for being WAY ahead of the curve. It'll probably save you from the freshman 15, you're definitely an exception and not the rule in that category, though. Keep it up.

Thanks again Daniel haha 

When I was 18 I didn t even know the word "nutrition". My only interests were sleeping, missing lessons at school, being with friends, being more with friends and girls. This last interest was not reciprocal.

Hi @Malik Blasingame, 

All I can say is that with your attitude and your youth, you'll ascend to a level that you have never imagined. This I am sure 101%.

I am one of the guys that have restarted Foundations. (I guess I have restarted more than anyone else who ever did) The reason for restarting is because I started my GST Journey 28 y/o with no experience in GST, calisthenics or bodyweight training. (currently 32 y/o). Reasons for restarting: skipping progressions, skipping mobilities, not fully mastering an exercise, getting too burned out, reaching plateau, getting hurt, studying my own program/workout schedule and learning how my body adapts.

What I can impart to you is that, you do not really need to restart anything as long as you have already mastered it. As @Alessandro Mainente said, you can do maintenance sets or a certain day to review previous elements, use them as a warmup or as a cooldown.

Since you are young, I strongly suggest that you attend a GB Seminar or travel and train at other GB Affiliates and learn more about GST.

Welcome back to training and we are all excited to see your progress. Looking forward to it.

12 hours ago, Leo Trinidad said:

Hi @Malik Blasingame, 

All I can say is that with your attitude and your youth, you'll ascend to a level that you have never imagined. This I am sure 101%.

I am one of the guys that have restarted Foundations. (I guess I have restarted more than anyone else who ever did) The reason for restarting is because I started my GST Journey 28 y/o with no experience in GST, calisthenics or bodyweight training. (currently 32 y/o). Reasons for restarting: skipping progressions, skipping mobilities, not fully mastering an exercise, getting too burned out, reaching plateau, getting hurt, studying my own program/workout schedule and learning how my body adapts.

What I can impart to you is that, you do not really need to restart anything as long as you have already mastered it. As @Alessandro Mainente said, you can do maintenance sets or a certain day to review previous elements, use them as a warmup or as a cooldown.

Since you are young, I strongly suggest that you attend a GB Seminar or travel and train at other GB Affiliates and learn more about GST.

Welcome back to training and we are all excited to see your progress. Looking forward to it.

Thanks for the tips @Leo Trinidad.  Can't wait to see how far GST takes me! I'll definitely be attending a seminar sometime in the future.

Just a quick update.

My Current Schedule:

Mon - Foundation (core, upper, lower)

Tuesday - Thoracic Bridge

Wednesday - Handstand & Middle Split

Thursday - Front Split

Friday - Movement

Mastered FL/PE1, SL/PE1, SLS/PE1, HBP/PE1, and sPL/PE1 today. Going to start filming myself every time I attempt mastery on an element or just to check form if I'm unsure and will post them to YouTube unlisted.

Great job committing to GST especially at such an early age. I wish I had learned how to discipline myself in high school. I also started in 2014 and I recently restarted for the 2nd time a few months ago. I think I have done more form checks and filmed myself more in the past few months than in my first 2 years of GST. It definitely makes a huge difference. If you take the mental strength and patience you learned in GST into other aspects of your life you will be very successful. 

8 hours ago, Dorian Brown said:

Great job committing to GST especially at such an early age. I wish I had learned how to discipline myself in high school. I also started in 2014 and I recently restarted for the 2nd time a few months ago. I think I have done more form checks and filmed myself more in the past few months than in my first 2 years of GST. It definitely makes a huge difference. If you take the mental strength and patience you learned in GST into other aspects of your life you will be very successful. 

Thanks @Dorian Brown!

Thanks for sharing, it can be humbling to start over.  And @Leo Trinidad thanks for sharing your experiences too.  I just officially started the handstand series today after having trouble keeping my line straight for a while.

I can't really say I am restarting because I never took the handstand series seriously yet. Even though I taught some of the beginning steps to others last year in an adult class I started.

9 hours ago, Robert Davis said:

Thanks for sharing, it can be humbling to start over.  And @Leo Trinidad thanks for sharing your experiences too.  I just officially started the handstand series today after having trouble keeping my line straight for a while.

I can't really say I am restarting because I never took the handstand series seriously yet. Even though I taught some of the beginning steps to others last year in an adult class I started.

No problem @Robert Davis. I focused mostly on the handstand series and practiced them daily, so they're fairly easy for me. I believe @Coach Sommer said at this stage of training, handstands & press handstands should be the main focus; so just stay consistent with your workouts and it'll come eventually.

Good luck, Malik! You've still got age on your side  not like some of us.

ive just restarted as well, mainly as our gym club has purchased new equipment so I can build on the progressions properly. I only started in October last year so it's not a huge set back and my focus this time will be on mobility and mastery - hopefully at the grand age of 38 it will help cut down on potential injuries and strains.

it will be interesting to follow your path and compare it to my own to see what a difference 20 years makes! Hopefully my gymnastics background as a child still gives me some advantages

2 hours ago, Paul Wallbridge said:

Good luck, Malik! You've still got age on your side  not like some of us.

ive just restarted as well, mainly as our gym club has purchased new equipment so I can build on the progressions properly. I only started in October last year so it's not a huge set back and my focus this time will be on mobility and mastery - hopefully at the grand age of 38 it will help cut down on potential injuries and strains.

it will be interesting to follow your path and compare it to my own to see what a difference 20 years makes! Hopefully my gymnastics background as a child still gives me some advantages

Haha thanks @Paul Wallbridge! 

Great idea to focus on mobility. It takes some time to see progress, but you'll feel so much better. Making my own daily limber routine has helped a lot. I go through all of the major positions (bridge, shoulder extension, pike, pancake, middle split, front split) along with some other wrist/ankle mobility. 

Good luck with your training! Looking forward to your progress as well haha 

Update #2:

Mastered WP/PE1, FKP/PE1, WR/PE1, FTP/PE1, HS/PE1, pHS/PE1 today.

15 hours ago, Paul Wallbridge said:

Good luck, Malik! You've still got age on your side  not like some of us.

ive just restarted as well, mainly as our gym club has purchased new equipment so I can build on the progressions properly. I only started in October last year so it's not a huge set back and my focus this time will be on mobility and mastery - hopefully at the grand age of 38 it will help cut down on potential injuries and strains.

it will be interesting to follow your path and compare it to my own to see what a difference 20 years makes! Hopefully my gymnastics background as a child still gives me some advantages

That's interesting, when I workout with the Arizona state men's gymnastics team I consider time to be on my side. As a teen/young adult there is an urgency to define yourself, figure out how to support yourself, find a spouse, etc. At 40 I have done those things and have no more time limits.  No one asks me what I will do after I graduate anymore.  I'm even done having babies  (yes 6 is enough for me) so I can sleep well most nights. If I feel pain I can address it without missing anything. Life is Good. 

2 hours ago, Robert Davis said:

That's interesting, when I workout with the Arizona state men's gymnastics team I consider time to be on my side. As a teen/young adult there is an urgency to define yourself, figure out how to support yourself, find a spouse, etc. At 40 I have done those things and have no more time limits.  No one asks me what I will do after I graduate anymore.  I'm even done having babies  (yes 6 is enough for me) so I can sleep well most nights. If I feel pain I can address it without missing anything. Life is Good. 

Heh, I said age not time  faster recovery rates etc. Totally agree with you that as a mature gymnast I tend to be more focused and have a much better idea of what I want and can achieve. Kudos on 6 children, 2 is plenty for us!  

3 hours ago, Paul Wallbridge said:

Heh, I said age not time  faster recovery rates etc. Totally agree with you that as a mature gymnast I tend to be more focused and have a much better idea of what I want and can achieve. Kudos on 6 children, 2 is plenty for us!  

What is age but a measure of time? 

Update #3:

- Mastered T1/2.1, T1/3.1, and T1/4.1 today.

- Core strength has always been (and still is) my #1 weakness. Before my restart, I had a really hard time with T1/2.1. Little did I know that I was actually doing double the reps. Happy to say that it was actually fairly easy to master today. 

Keep up the good work! I reset to 1.1 on everything so most are only up to 1.7 so far!

Update #4:

- Mastered SL/PE2, sPL/PE2, and SLS/PE2 today. Could have mastered RC/PE1, but decided to leave a little in the tank.

- Doing FSS/SE22&23 without a wall now in my daily limber routine.

On 3/2/2017 at 9:59 AM, Robert Davis said:

That's interesting, when I workout with the Arizona state men's gymnastics team I consider time to be on my side. As a teen/young adult there is an urgency to define yourself, figure out how to support yourself, find a spouse, etc. At 40 I have done those things and have no more time limits.  No one asks me what I will do after I graduate anymore.  I'm even done having babies  (yes 6 is enough for me) so I can sleep well most nights. If I feel pain I can address it without missing anything. Life is Good. 

 

Yeah, job insecurity can make GST gains a little sporadic and inconsistent, no matter how diligent and disciplined someone is.