Reasonable Results from the GB WODs

While certainly not the only tool in the Gymnastic Bodies strength training toolbox, the free GB WODs have and continue to produce good results for those who use them intelligently.

The following are the tangible results of one GB forum member after following the GB program for two years. Certainly not earth shattering musculature, but a huge improvement over where he started. His thread documenting his results is available here.

Before

After 9 months

A few months short of two years

is impressive coach...i want to share my expricen with you...i force (shahaha) my brother to train with GB method...when he started he was in a very very bad condition...no one chin up, no one leg raise, max 2-3 push up with correct form maintaining the core in correct position, no hspu, no pbar dips, no support position, no dead hang more than 5-10 seconds...after 2 months following your ideas he got the following results:

-15 seconds tuck front lever (and 2-3 slow controlled chin up)

-6-8 pseudo planche push up with perfect form and 22-25 normal push up

-german hang

-4-5 ring dips

-several box hspu

-more than 20 second in support position (but no RTO)

i follow with him your tips from A to Z to adjust his training, also using my experince of 1.5 years of gymastics in my city...

he got a strength transformation and he feels better than before!!!

Very excellent in both this individual and your brother, Alex.

Very nice!

If people get their nutrition in line and start with the pre-requisites, as is recommended, they will find that they build an excellent musculature with the GB WODs. We see entire gyms full of them at each seminar!

Very impressive...I'm looking forward to reviewing my own results when I hit the two-year mark

Yes i recall this from some time ago.

I love Coach's use of understatement, very refreshing in the hype filled world of fitness.

Great resultsI I'm gonna beat 'em, though.

I might be unreasonably hard to please, but I don't think that's much progress to show for a year's work. I know that I would not sign-up for a program that promised so little. I do appreciate the honesty, though.

"Reasonable" was chosen for a specific reason. There are of course more far more muscular followers of the GB program (a couple of whom are shown below); however my intent with this thread was not to show the maximum possible but rather to demonstrate what has been accomplished with the GB program by someone who possesses more modest physical gifts.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

Well that's his opinion... so what if someone doesn't agree with you.

And I get what he's saying. Very modest results. Still, a lot of people go the gym and lift weights 3-4 times a week for years and still look fat and weak... This guy has leaned out. Can a lot of people probably get the same results in half that time? Yeah sure, but we don't know his background/diet etc.

The point here is realistic results, for the regular joe.

Still great results imo, big difference in looks between pic 1 and 3. Good job.

Everyone,

I have been doing Gymnastic Strength Training™ for 3 years now, and I am in the best shape of my life. I exercise for an hour a day for at least 300 days a year (at least...I probably miss only 20 days [excluding rest days]). My program is based off of the WOD, but I added plyo, yoga, stretching and more, but 10/14ths is gymnastics WOD based.

What I love about Gymnastic Strength Training™ is that it isn't about just moving random weights around, and it does NOT get you huge like many weight lifting programs. Plus my girl friend (and all the other girls I know) like the build that gymnastics gives better.

Anyway, I think those results for 2 years are similar to what I had after 2 years. Looks great to me. I agree with Bdk1786 in that if you are expecting to see massive muscle gain and are an average joe, then you might be disappointed.

I however have been in love with gymnastics since reading Coaches article over 3 years ago.

-Prometheus

The picture of that second guy makes me want to get a tattoo that moves when I flex and workout.

Anyways, I think that is actually a good transformation considering he was doing the WOD. The WOD doesn't have you sprinting 3 times a week after a morning session of deadlifts, squats, and power cleans. It isn't made to make you huge or lean you out. He has experienced both without actually having to work toward those goals. So if you're unimpressed, think of it as killing three stones with one bird. While only aiming for one.

I think the original pic showed reasonable progress, but it's certainly not the maximum that you can achieve with the GB program. IMO (and I could be wrong) it comes down to how much you're willing to do. With Sliz's near perfect nutrition set up and Coach's super great WOD system, there's no doubt that much, much more can be achieved in one year than what is shown in the first pic. This is in NO WAY meant to discourage the person from the first pic! On the contrary, I think it should motivate us all to train harder and be more strict in our nutrition because so much more IS achievable.

No kidding @Phillip!!

But killing stones with birds? Sounds tough... :wink:

Patrick Smith said:

No kidding @Phillip!!

But killing stones with birds? Sounds tough... :wink:

It is until you get the hang of it. You have to use the bird at just the right angle...

I do agree though. Apparently, there aren't just three heads of the shoulder. Anatomy is finding out that there might be seven. Imagine if there was a body builder WOD that used the rings to hit all around the shoulders. I wouldn't want to hit all seven heads with weights but with a ring routine, it would be easy. That goes for all the other upperbody muscles too. I lifted before but the rings have actually made me grow bigger than any lifting I ever did.

PHILIP said:

Patrick Smith said:

No kidding @Phillip!!

But killing stones with birds? Sounds tough... :wink:

It is until you get the hang of it. You have to use the bird at just the right angle...

I do agree though. Apparently, there aren't just three heads of the shoulder. Anatomy is finding out that there might be seven. Imagine if there was a body builder WOD that used the rings to hit all around the shoulders. I wouldn't want to hit all seven heads with weights but with a ring routine, it would be easy. That goes for all the other upperbody muscles too. I lifted before but the rings have actually made me grow bigger than any lifting I ever did.

European anatomy recognizes each perimysium packet as an individual head, more or less, which leads to the number of 7 on average. Some people have 7 heads of the biceps, some people have the short head of the biceps tendon attaching to the acromion process, etc... there are all kinds of individualities within human anatomy. The number of "heads" is somewhat individual, but typical "anterior, medial, posterior" divisions are definitely not fully descriptive or accurate.

Once ready for them, rings are definitely the ultimate upper body developer along with dumbbells.

Niku said:

I might be unreasonably hard to please, but I don't think that's much progress to show for a year's work. I know that I would not sign-up for a program that promised so little. I do appreciate the honesty, though.

I suppose then that you should abandon these pages and sign up with the 4 hour body by Timothy Ferris.He promises much, as opposed to little. He claims to have gained 34 pounds of muscle in 28 days, without steroids, in 4 hours of total gym time. You will find a few of his impressive claims and tempting promises on this page:

http://www.fourhourbody.com/

Personally, I'm going to stick with the gymnastic bodies program.

Can anyone guess why?

PHILIP said:

The picture of that second guy makes me want to get a tattoo that moves when I flex and workout.

Anyways, I think that is actually a good transformation considering he was doing the WOD. The WOD doesn't have you sprinting 3 times a week after a morning session of deadlifts, squats, and power cleans. It isn't made to make you huge or lean you out. He has experienced both without actually having to work toward those goals. So if you're unimpressed, think of it as killing three stones with one bird. While only aiming for one.

Anyone who can kill ONE stone has me both impressed and perplexed!

slizzardman said:

PHILIP said:

The picture of that second guy makes me want to get a tattoo that moves when I flex and workout.

Anyways, I think that is actually a good transformation considering he was doing the WOD. The WOD doesn't have you sprinting 3 times a week after a morning session of deadlifts, squats, and power cleans. It isn't made to make you huge or lean you out. He has experienced both without actually having to work toward those goals. So if you're unimpressed, think of it as killing three stones with one bird. While only aiming for one.

Anyone who can kill ONE stone has me both impressed and perplexed!

I'll make a youtube video on how to do it. It's right after the reverse muscle up progression in the BTGB.

His hips are very wide which puts him in a disadvantaged position. People who have wide hips find it increasingly difficult to look big because their lats are over shadowed by their obliques. BTW great transformation man!

I'm not much to share these types of photos, but after reading a few posts I feel compelled.

http://beta.stefanhinote.com/progress.jpg

Six months. All GB work.

*seems to be worKing*

Hi stefanhinote,

Great transformation dude!