Sets and Reps

Hi

Sorry for polluting the board like this, with my total lack of knowledge!

I'm trying to construct a training program for myself, and haven't seen much on the topic of how many sets/ reps.

With weights, it's always been 3-5 for strength, with a few minute break (3+?) and at least 3 sets, sometimes more.

Are similar practices used with gymnastics training (In this instance, a front lever) to weight lifting, so I would hold my front lever progression for 10 seconds,until failure, and then wait a few minutes, for the next try- or as soon as I fail, do I jump back up and try again, until failure, with one Front lever acting as one `rep` out of perhaps 4 for a set, with me doing say 3 sets in total?

Also, how many `sets` should I be doing for things like this?

Thanks, and sorry if this has been covered and I'm just unobservant.

I'm no expert and not one to talk but i think i can at least say that you shouldn't do that at all with the front lever, that's not how you train it. You never train it to failure. FL is an FSP and you train all FSP's in the same manner, be it SSC or "embedded" or whatever else but not like you are describing.

Plus, i don't think you'll get much muscle with the tuck FL anyways (if that's where you're at) training it in that fashion. You're better off picking some tough FBE's or adding weight to pushups/pullups or something like that because full range of motion exercises like those are of course better than a static one to build muscle, or so i think i've heard.

I'm not to concerned about gaining muscle, I'm after strength- muscle should follow!

What do you do/ did you do to train for the front lever- and how do you train at the moment, in terms of sets and reps... I'm getting quite confused about how I should structure my program.

Evilllamas said:

I'm not to concerned about gaining muscle, I'm after strength- muscle should follow!

What do you do/ did you do to train for the front lever- and how do you train at the moment, in terms of sets and reps... I'm getting quite confused about how I should structure my program.

The answer is spread all over this forum.

Do you at least know what a SSC (steady state cycle) is? Or the FL progressions?

Well in case you don't know the progressions, or both, you should read the BtGB book. It's all there. In case you don't have it, then read this article for the progressions and some guidelines:

http://gymnasticbodies.com/index.php?op ... s&Itemid=3

As far as sets/reps goes, as the book says just take your max with the first progression and do 50% of that time for sets. Assuming you're starting out you won't be able to hold the tuck FL for 60 seconds, so take your max time, for example let's say it comes out 30s (just an example), so you would do 4 sets of 15 seconds to accumulate 1 minute, as the article says. Take 45-90 seconds max between sets (again what the book says). Personally i only take 45s. 1 minute a day 4 days a week is what i hear you should do.

For more info on the SSC read the thread "SSC" or something like that in this forum.

That's basically it.

Thanks allot!

Been looking for that info!

I have the book btw, it's brilliant!