Please help me figure this out.

I'm just starting this guys. I really want to build a gymnastic body. I'm really just not a fan of weight lifting. Being able to manipulate my body like a gymnast is a much more compelling goal to me than lifting steel for no reason. Also i do parkour and this is just the type of conditioning that really applies well to the sport. I bought "Building the Gymnastic Body" and now i would like someone to teach me how to utilize it. I was hoping it would be a little more user friendly, (i.e. Where to start based on how far along i already am, how long to do exercises, when i should progress to the next level of a position, work out routines etc. etc.) But its essentially just "here is how to do the movement". Don't get me wrong, i'm not complaining, i think the book is great. But i'm having trouble getting started.

Right now i'm just hitting the gym every other day and doing pushups, rows, and this "static strength pre-requisite" routine that i found here on the forums which consists of 3x1minute planks, reverse planks, arch holds, hollow holds, PB support and chin up dead hangs. Thats 3 sets of 1 minute on each of those.

So what i what i would like is just someone who knows whats what to tell me where i should start, and at what point i should move onto the next level. For example, at what point during my training for a frog stand should i move on to working on a tuck planche etc. And what fbe should i start with etc etc.

I feel like i'm asking for a lot which i apologize for but i really want to get moving with this stuff. So if there is a thread on this forum that explains what i'm asking i'd love the link. I would assume there would be. Or if you guys feel up to just explaining this stuff to me, i would appreciate it immensely.

Thanks in advance.

-Connor.

If you can hit all those static strength exercises for 3 sets at 1 minute with no rest then it's time you move on. The requirement was only to do the whole thing for one set with no rest I believe.

From my understanding, next is where you start replacing that static routine with the FSP's. And I think the general rule for time in holds before moving on to the next progression is 60s for tuck, 30s for advanced tuck, and 15s for straddle.

A lot of people then do the Workout of the Day (WOD) after the static work. You'll probably have to scale down the workouts though, so use the book and forums to find easier variations of the movements in the workout. What you want to do is hit the same sets and reps as in the workout, with the variation of the exercise you can manage.

I guess this will depend on how much time you have to workout though. And this isn't the only option. So it would be a good idea to mention how much time you have to workout and if you can do the static strength routine for 1set, 60s each without rest, and someone might be able to help you come up with a routine.

Okay good to know. I'm gonna start working through the FSP's starting at the first progression of each then.

So you're saying just jump into whatever WOD is up currently and just scale it down to my ability? Sounds simple enough. I had another question that is escaping me right now...damn. Anyway i'll post it when i think of it. Oh and to answer your question about how much time i have to work out, I'm a college student and i work but i don't really have many responsibility's so i've usually got at least 5 or 6 hours of "free time" per day that i use to work out or do homework or work on my writing, so, all that to say time isn't really an issue.

Connorm said:

So you're saying just jump into whatever WOD is up currently and just scale it down to my ability?

Indeed, that is, after your FSPs. I would still do one set of the prereqs of FSPs too, just because you can do 1 minute of them doesn't mean stop. They're a good conditioning tool. Honestly, for myself, I felt like the WODs were too hard for me even scaled down. I did one SSC and then I started following the WODs again and felt much better about doing them.

Vincearoo said:

Connorm said:

So you're saying just jump into whatever WOD is up currently and just scale it down to my ability?

Indeed, that is, after your FSPs. I would still do one set of the prereqs of FSPs too, just because you can do 1 minute of them doesn't mean stop. They're a good conditioning tool. Honestly, for myself, I felt like the WODs were too hard for me even scaled down. I did one SSC and then I started following the WODs again and felt much better about doing them.

My mistake. Once you've completed the static strength pre-reqs, you should continue using the routine as part of your warmup, like you said.

Okay so i've reread what you guys have posted so far. I'm unclear on a couple things. 1. You say work on your FSP's before doing the WOD. This means DURING THE WORKOUT do the FSP's before i do the WOD right? That is to say, i'm not supposed to be able to do a planche and an L sit and a back lever etc. before i ever do a WOD. At least that sounds right to me. 2. What does SSC mean. I think i read steady state cycle somewhere but i'm still not sure what it actually means. OH YEAH! one other thing. I noticed the WOD doesn't seem to change every day. Or maybe i'm mistaken. If i'm wrong about that let me know.

Connorm said:

1. You say work on your FSP's before doing the WOD. This means DURING THE WORKOUT do the FSP's before i do the WOD right? That is to say, i'm not supposed to be able to do a planche and an L sit and a back lever etc. before i ever do a WOD. At least that sounds right to me.

Yes, do the FSPs as a warm up. And no, you don't need to be able to do a planche and an L sit before you do the WODs. You can start with an L sit tuck, or frogstand or whatever you're capable of. Scale it down to your abilities.

Connorm said:

2. What does SSC mean. I think i read steady state cycle somewhere but i'm still not sure what it actually means.

I like to follow the Killroy Template for my SSC. Essentially, you do a test for your current capabilities of FSPs and FBEs. You then do the exact same thing for the next 8-12 weeks. It seems like forever, but everyone here stresses to take your time otherwise you can and will be injured and if you're injured it'll go even slower.

Connorm said:

OH YEAH! one other thing. I noticed the WOD doesn't seem to change every day. Or maybe i'm mistaken. If i'm wrong about that let me know.

WODs are not posted everyday. They are posted M/T and Th/F. It's plenty of work for most of us, you can probably even get by with 3 days a week if you wanted to. I don't feel bad if I'm busy and can't do the 4th workout. I always try to do 5 days of FSPs though, I do them M-F. Weekends are off.

Okay so this is how i'm understanding it at the moment. Please correct me if i'm wrong.

I do "integrated training" in a cycle for 8-12 weeks. This consists of doing an FSP, then doing an FBE that works the same area as the FSP did. I do this with each FSP throughout the work out til i'm done. And at the end of the 8-12 week cycle i move up to a harder variation of the FSP.

So for example: I do a frog stand for 60 seconds worth of time then do push ups. Then i do an L sit for 60 seconds (6x10seconds probably) then leg raises or something like that etc. etc. Is that right? Am i even close?

My other question then is this: Where do the WOD's come in? Should i be doing FBE's that apply to each FSP or should i just do all the FSP variations i'm currently on and then do the WOD regardless of whether it works the same muscles i'm trying to hit with the FSP's?

Hopefully this makes some sense. Thanks again guys.

-Connor

Connorm said:

I do "integrated training" in a cycle for 8-12 weeks. This consists of doing an FSP, then doing an FBE that works the same area as the FSP did. I do this with each FSP throughout the work out til i'm done. And at the end of the 8-12 week cycle i move up to a harder variation of the FSP.

So for example: I do a frog stand for 60 seconds worth of time then do push ups. Then i do an L sit for 60 seconds (6x10seconds probably) then leg raises or something like that etc. etc. Is that right? Am i even close?

My other question then is this: Where do the WOD's come in? Should i be doing FBE's that apply to each FSP or should i just do all the FSP variations i'm currently on and then do the WOD regardless of whether it works the same muscles i'm trying to hit with the FSP's?

Personally, the way I do it, is I do all my FSPs before I do any FBEs. Right now I'm doing: Frog stand 15s, L sit 10s, BL tuck 10s, FL tuck 6s. I run through each of those and then rest for 30s-45s and repeat until I'm done. Then after that I do 5x5 of the FBEs that I'm following for the day.

After 8-12 weeks you retest all your FSPs and FBEs. You don't necessarily go up to the next progression. For example, during my first SSC I was doing 10x6s for my Frog stand. I then retested it at the end of 8 weeks and found I could hold it for a consistent 30s. You then divide your max time in half and then divide into 60s to find your time and sets. Which in the case of 30s, you would do 4x15s.

If you're following the WOD you just warm up with FSP pre reqs and your FSPs and then hit the WOD directly. You don't do any FBEs if you're following the WOD.

Okay. And how do i decide whether to do FBE's or the WOD? Just a preference thing? or.... I wish i had a coach with me to tell me exactly what to do lol.

Connorm said:

Okay. And how do i decide whether to do FBE's or the WOD? Just a preference thing? or.... I wish i had a coach with me to tell me exactly what to do lol.

It's up to you. I personally don't feel like I follow the WODs correctly without a coach. The programming for the WODs though are much much much better than any of else can come up with though, so if you can make it work, you'll get much more effective results than I'll be getting.

Just don't mix and match. If you're going to do your FBEs in 5x5 fashion, do that for 8-12 weeks. Don't alternate WOD and an SSC weekly or anything of that such.