What You Wish You Knew Before Starting Foundation One

Hello,

My name is Tiago, and I've just started Foundation One 3 weeks ago.

I'm thinking of collecting some insightful wisdom here, and asking the question "What do you wish you knew before starting Foundation One?"

Do you have any tips or guidance on how to progress the most smoothly and without injuries?

Loving you,
Tiago

HI Tiago, if you are completely new to GST simply follow the prescribed set and reps and the weekly schedule. Sometimes more mobility is necessary to working separately on your flexibility with the stretch series can help to avoid plateau sometime due to mobility deficits.

This course teaches you patience. Without patience:

• you will not progress
• you will probably hurt yourself or exacerbate an existing injury
• you will become frustrated

With patience:

• train consistently
• become more self aware and learn how your body responds to training
• you will still become frustrated, but you will interpet it as part of the training process

This is what I wish I knew before starting GST. There are many other places on the Internet where you can see other approaches to training, gymnastics skills and strength. GB isn't for everyone, and one of the complaints I've read is that progress can be slow. Sometimes this is good - it teaches you to not force your body beyond its limits - and sometimes you will end up with a combination of elements where you regress in strength. But by the time you realise this, you will also know how to maintain strength using additional training.

Do it the way written, no matter how easy it may seem. I tried skipping around on exercises because I was fit to start with, but it backfired and I eventually reset everything to PE1, step 1 to make sure I was setting myself up with the proper foundation for future lessons.

Also, the forum is invaluable -- you can learn a lot from other athletes' form checks, questions, and conversations. 

@Jennifer Marie,... I have exactly the same experience!!! Haha, overrated my "fitness level" -> RESTART.

My advice -> regular formchecks - early in the progression, mid way, final one... because you may think you nailed the exercise, but coaches eyes probably will see something you've missed... 

On 4/9/2018 at 6:47 AM, Alessandro Mainente said:

HI Tiago, if you are completely new to GST simply follow the prescribed set and reps and the weekly schedule. Sometimes more mobility is necessary to working separately on your flexibility with the stretch series can help to avoid plateau sometime due to mobility deficits.

Thank you @Alessandro Mainente , I am definitely thinking of picking up one of the stretch series. How can I go about choosing the best one for me?

Wow thank you all so much for this advice. Really really helpful.

I will stay patient, do regular formchecks (great advice @Petra Kmecová) and pick up a stretch series.

Thank you!

8 hours ago, Tiago Buhr said:

Thank you @Alessandro Mainente , I am definitely thinking of picking up one of the stretch series. How can I go about choosing the best one for me?

well, you can tell me something more?

how is your shoulder flexibility? can you handstand with fully open shoulder or do you have a limitation?

how is your middle split?

how is your pike compression? do you have problems along the manna work?

On 4/10/2018 at 5:35 PM, Alessandro Mainente said:

well, you can tell me something more?

how is your shoulder flexibility? can you handstand with fully open shoulder or do you have a limitation?

how is your middle split?

how is your pike compression? do you have problems along the manna work?

Hey Alessandro,

I tried answering this question by my current means of mobility knowledge.

And to be honest, I have absolutely no idea. I know I'm lacking mobility and flexibility in all of them, that's for sure.

Tiago:

if you have the financial means, buy all 3 stretch series (currently $225 total for all 3).  I bought all 3 in April 2015.  I look at that purchase this way:  I'm going to be doing those stretch series every week for the rest of my life.  So, from that perspective, the price is dirt cheap.  I was made out of concrete in 2015 after not stretching at all for 30 years (not exaggerating);  I've made very steady -- though slow -- progress the last 3 years.  My back pain has disappeared;  my everyday functional fitness is improved;  my workout progress (gymnasticsbodies and other athletic pursuits) is much improved.

You could always try one of them ($85), see what it's like, and then circle back to the other 2 when you realize how effective the first one is.  I believe -- I could be wrong -- that if you come back and purchase the other 2 relatively soon after the first one, the nice people at gymnasticsbodies.com will still give you the discount you'd get if you bought all 3 at once.  

Welcome to GB, and good luck.

Craig

I wish I had listened to Coach's various podcasts earlier. They focus the mind remarkably well on important points. 

11 hours ago, Craig Copeland said:

Tiago:

if you have the financial means, buy all 3 stretch series (currently $225 total for all 3).  I bought all 3 in April 2015.  I look at that purchase this way:  I'm going to be doing those stretch series every week for the rest of my life.  So, from that perspective, the price is dirt cheap.  I was made out of concrete in 2015 after not stretching at all for 30 years (not exaggerating);  I've made very steady -- though slow -- progress the last 3 years.  My back pain has disappeared;  my everyday functional fitness is improved;  my workout progress (gymnasticsbodies and other athletic pursuits) is much improved.

You could always try one of them ($85), see what it's like, and then circle back to the other 2 when you realize how effective the first one is.  I believe -- I could be wrong -- that if you come back and purchase the other 2 relatively soon after the first one, the nice people at gymnasticsbodies.com will still give you the discount you'd get if you bought all 3 at once.  

Welcome to GB, and good luck.

Craig

Thank you. I think I will start saving up to buy all 3, because it really is something that will benefit me my whole life.

This is a more psychogical one, but I wish I'd started actual gymnastics cclasss earlier with Foundation.

Being able to at least dabble in skill work keeps you from getting hung up on the glamorous badass exercises and makes it much easier to swallow working at the level you actually need. Plus it's extremely rewarding. But focusing on any kind of skill or sport work and conditioning with that end in mind is solid.

Of course some want to work out as an end in itself, which is fine too.