FSPs, FBEs, WODs: How to program??

Hi everyone, I've read BtGB and I thought I had the programming down pat. In the last section of the book, Coach mentions that integrated training is the 'most effective strength training protocol' described in the book. But when I read through some posts in this forum, I read more and the more I read, the more thoroughly confused I became. Rather than continue being paralyzed by analysis, I decided to ask for help.

Here's what I think I know about programming after reading the book and looking through this forum:

1. The FSPs listed in the book have easier variations listed on this forum that should be mastered before attempting more advanced FSPs like FL.

2. Move to a harder progression if you can hold a FSP for a certain time.

3. Mastered progressions should be maintained work for the prior progression is of course necessary and is most easily accomplished by performing a 30 sec set for each of the prior steps in the progression before beginning that day's focused work.

4. The L-sit and German hang are important FSPs to master before other FSP work.

5. It is necessary to master hollow and arch holds.

6. Additional HS work can be done on top of normal programming.

And here are my questions:

A. Is the WOD a total replacement for the integrated training program described in the book?

B. If so, is it better to jump straight into the WOD or build a strength base through integrated training first?

C. Should FSPs be practiced before FBEs in all instances as a warm up? For WODs, I can see how this makes sense, but would it be overkill to do the same for integrated training since you'll already do FSPs in integrated training?

D. What is the proper sequence of progression for the various FSPs?

E. Planche leans or planche progressions for FSPs?

F. Is it advisable to train lower body on a separate day using barbell work? For instance, running a modified 5/3/1 once a week doing squats and deadlifts.

G. How long does a typical BtGB workout take?

For anyone who took the trouble to read through this, I apologize for asking all these questions since I know that many of them have already been answered in other posts. Its just that firstly, I seem to become more confused the more I read and secondly, many of these other posts are somewhat old and I was wondering if the best practice has changed since the book was published.. Thanks in advance for the help!!

1. It's an alternative program that covers all your bases including conditioning. One thing is when I only did SSC FSP+FBE integrated training, my conditioning of course suffered since at that time I didn't incorporate that.

2. Either or. The WOD doesn't specify on just strength. However, you will get stronger in general. As well, it tends to not to take nearly as long as Integrated training.

3. If you are doing integrated training you would (I do) the preFSP WU and then hit FSP+FBE's. No need to double up. You can use easier progressions to warm up for your worksets.

4. Well, the book has these and the DragonDoor covers mosts of them accept the advanced frog stand. In forum threads, most of the preFSP WU series has been gone over.

5. ? Both. I like PL for a WU drill but they can still be used to advanced stages of PL training.

6. Depends on your goals. I prefer to as the GB lower body WOD's I find are just acceptable for conditioning for me. I don't find them challenging as pure strength wods and they are not as frequent as a linear strength program. I generally only did my 531 program 2d/week whereas the GB WOD does lower body once every 9 days it seems like.

7. You could probably do the FSP WU series, your WU and the WOD in 30-45m. A full FSP WU, and SSC FSP+FBE will probably run you 75-90m, maybe 60 if you optimize things.

Thanks for the really helpful reply, Blairbob! I think I will do the WOD and use barbell work for legs.

So, let me see if I got this right:

1. I can do the WOD instead of integrated training and still build strength while additionally building conditioning. So in that sense, the WOD is superior.

2. If I do the WOD, I should do the FSPs (and not the easier variations) as a warmup. However, If I do integrated training, I should use easier progressions of FSPs.

3. I can use planche leans for FSP warmup.

I still have a number of questions:

A. Is the FSP WU series and WU series two separate things? Does that mean I should do two successive and different warm up sequences? What goes into the WU series - mobility work and such?

B. Is it advisable to do the program at this frequency right off the bat?

C. Should I still do the lower body WODs anyway if I decide to do something like 5/3/1 for lower body? I've made decent progress on squats and deadlifts and I'd like to make at least 2x bodyweight on both because I'm sorely lacking in lower body strength and I read that 2x bodyweight on these lifts indicates a decent base level of strength.

D. Should I jump straight into the latest WOD or should I start from those posted earlier? Are newer WODs more intense than older ones?

On 4.: I do have the book but I suppose I was not being very clear. I was confused over which BtGB progressions follow from the beginners' ones. From this post (viewtopic.php?f=18&t=5265), I read that these FSPs are recommended for beginners:

60s plank

60s reverse plank

60s perfect hollow hold with hands over your head

60s arch hold in the superman flying position

60s Parallel Bar support.

60s chin up grip dead hang

I think (not at home now) the book lists planche, L-sit, straddle-L, back lever, front lever and manna as the FSPs. It also ring supports as a prerequisite to full-ROM ring dips. Additionally, I read here that handstands are fundamental to bodyweight strength. While I can see that hollow hold probably leads to front lever and arch hold probably to back-lever, the rest of the progressions aren't too obvious to me. Well, its not like I can do a perfect hollow hold for a minute yet, but I'd just like to get the program down first..

Thanks again for your advice in advance!!

A lot of people like to start the WOD a week behind so they can see how other people scaled it or know how to influence their nutrition around it.

The parrallel bar support would lead to an l-sit while the reverse pushup position would be for balancing the shoulder girdle and later manna work.

PHILIP said:

A lot of people like to start the WOD a week behind so they can see how other people scaled it or know how to influence their nutrition around it.

That's a great idea! That's what I'll do then.

PHILIP said:

The parrallel bar support would lead to an l-sit while the reverse pushup position would be for balancing the shoulder girdle and later manna work.

Okay, so:

Parallel bar support -> L-sit

Reverse Pushup -> Manna, eventually

Hollow hold -> Front lever?

Arch hold -> Back lever?

But what does chin up grip dead hang and plank become?

2. Were you to do the WOD, you should do the preFSP WU (the planks and such) preWOD and perhaps you could add in SSC FSP training if you wanted to. On days such as the embedded FSP+FBE WODS, you would just do the preFSP WU.

A. The preFSP WU series is the planks and what not. The GB seminar does go over a WU series but it is not the PreFSP WU series and is your run of the mill warmup stuff. It's cool, but they aren't the same thing.

B. It should be pretty doable to jump right into the WOD, scaling if need be. I do think it is a good idea to know what you are capable of before doing starting it. Thus do some baseline tests for various FSP and FBE.

C. If you want. You might be able to use them for conditioning or use some of those exercises as assistance lifts. Many people doing some sort of barbell training substitute that for the lower body GB WODs.

D. Just do the WOD as posted and scale as/if necessary. If you go back to the beginning of when they were posted, they were supposedly easier. I can't remember them all that well, off-hand.

60s plank

60s reverse plank

60s perfect hollow hold with hands over your head

60s arch hold in the superman flying position

60s Parallel Bar support.

60s chin up grip dead hang

Basic hangs develop basic grip strength for the hanging levers besides being a form of stretching and preparation for the joints and connective tissue (as are the planks). Planks are a form of support that lead into handstand and planche work.

There are more progressions for FL/BL than just hollow and arch holds. Those are stage 1. They are detailed in the GB seminar. I will give you a clue and state that skin the cats AKA 360 pulls are somewhere in there. It's been stated on the forum that you should have a competent GermanHang before working on the back lever. Without a solid hollow hold and good pulling strength, you will never get a front lever.

Blairbob said:

There are more progressions for FL/BL than just hollow and arch holds. Those are stage 1. They are detailed in the GB seminar. I will give you a clue and state that skin the cats AKA 360 pulls are somewhere in there. It's been stated on the forum that you should have a competent GermanHang before working on the back lever. Without a solid hollow hold and good pulling strength, you will never get a front lever.

What is the front lever equivalent of the german hang? Or, rather, what's in between a hollow hold and a front lever?

That would be graduate series material so I won't say. However, there are plenty of articles and youtube videos on it so it's not a unknown progression.

I am not from the seminar so I am not sure. But if you turn a german hang upside down you get an L hang. And I use L hangs before I teach people front levers.