I held off on the Front Lever.........Regret

[chingyvang]

I just started my planche training about a month ago and didn't bother with the front lever because I thought it was going to be an easier exercise. Boy was I wrong because I finally started my front lever training yesterday and struggled so hard trying to bring my butt up to shoulder level. It uses more shoulder strength than I'd ever imagine.

If I can't get my butt up to shoulder level within a few weeks, I might have to start using negatives

[Dillon Zrike]

Why wouldn't you start from negatives and build from there???

With all of these exercises there should be no point where you say "I'll skip that and do the harder one." I understand you thinking that doing the harder thing will develop all the other easier stuff, but the whole program is designed around a stepping stone system. It will keep you from getting injured and you will see better results. If you teach a kid math are you going to give him a calculus problem and tell him to solve it when he can't do algebra? He might do all this research and eventually figure it out, but he will understand a lot better, and progress a lot faster, when you just take the time to teach him algebra, algebra 2, geometry, trigonometry, before finally getting to calc. Just because it's exercise, it does not make the process any different. You must learn the basics and continuously build from there.

Front Lever is not a stated prerequisite to planche, but if you look at the book at the end of the back lever section there is a box that says proficiency at back levers will greatly accelerate future planche progressions. Then the next thing I notice is front levers are the exercise right before planche progressions. What you must realize is that all of these exercises feed off of each other. Doing one and following the progressions you will see improvement, but if you follow the wods and try to achieve every exercise in the book you will see HUGE improvement.

I think something to note is that before pursuing advanced ring strength you should be able to perform every exercise listed in BtGB for rings, and at LEAST 90% of the other exercises. That's just my opinion.

[chingyvang]

ok so should I do WODS on the same day as my training? Because I am also starting HIIT

[Joshua Naterman]

Yes, but WOD should come first. Also, make sure you ease into HIIT. Going balls to the wall and running yourself into the ground will A) lower your performance in future sessions since you won't be recovered, B) most likely lead to injury because you have not taken the necessary time to build up to a high level of work and C) will make you feel like crap and tired all the time. You should never push to your limits, it is best to run short SSC with HIIT and increase only one factor at a time.