Marc Weaver Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 I have been doing CrossFit for about a year now and was looking for alternate means of increasing my strength. I came across Gymnastic bodies and have already noticed strength gains in just a few short months. (L-Sit holds have increased my dead lift, power clean and snatch maxes. Head and Handstand pushups have become a lot easier and I can do them without the kip. etc) I see the vision that Gymnastic Bodies has and love it. I plan to go to the certification courses in AZ next year and need to know what are all of the prerequisites of becoming certified? I eventually want to coach others on these Gymnastic skills. What do I need to do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nic Branson Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 For now be patient and wait for the seminar. You will need several seminars to even be considered. Keep in mind this is for Coach's GB work not for technical event skills. Train hard, ask questions and contribute as time goes on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Weaver Posted November 5, 2012 Author Share Posted November 5, 2012 If I have to be considered to be a coach then what is the point of the seminar? Is it just for hands on help and training? I'm used to CrossFit, not GB... sorry. Are there coaches that I could find to get training and such? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshua Naterman Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 If I have to be considered to be a coach then what is the point of the seminar? Is it just for hands on help and training? I'm used to CrossFit, not GB... sorry. Are there coaches that I could find to get training and such?If you're used to Cross-fit then I don't know if you will be comfortable with a program that is so much more professional than what you are used to with Cross-fit The seminars serve many purposes:1) Most importantly, you will learn exactly where you are doing things right and where you have inadvertently gone wrong. This will keep your progress in a steady forward direction. This is accomplished through three 8 hour days of hands-on time where you are tested for your abilities on that day and directed to the training group where your current limitations will be addressed. At the seminars we are all about one thing: Helping you get to the next level.2) You will get to see, first hand, exactly what kind of person is in charge of this program. Coach is one of the highest quality human beings you will ever come in contact with. 3) When you are ready, you will have the opportunity to test for certification. We do not allow anyone to be certified until they have "been there and done that" according to the GB standards and prove it in person. There will not be a plethora of certified GB coaches because this program, unlike Cross-fit, is not a money-making machine. This program is about quality of performance. You can't just pay money and sit through a class that you forget half of to get certified, you have to earn it the old-fashioned way.4) Bonding with like-minded people. The people who show up to these seminars are always a truly incredible bunch of people. They are courteous, fun, intelligent and range from physical supermen to people who are just on the basics. Some are old, some are young, but all of them are serious about their training and are a pleasure to spend three days training with. You will make friends, and the forums will feel more like home.Right now, the moderators and Coach's gym staff are the "coaches" but Coach Sommer and Coach Jeff are the only true GB coaches. The rest of us have accomplished varying levels of success but with the new program in place we're all moving forward There is no one holding a GB certification yet, if that is what you are asking, but a number of us have aspirations to do so in the future!Think about this: If ANYONE can be a coach, where is the quality control? Do you want to be trained by someone who has been at your level in the past but has successfully moved far beyond what you realized someone could achieve as an adult through systematic progressions that they can guarantee success with, or would you rather be trained by someone who paid 1000 dollars for a one day course?Do you want someone who was told a few times how to get you to where you want to go, or do you want someone who has already walked that path successfully?How do you justify sending someone off to be a coach with your name on their business card if they can't do everything that they are teaching? Coaches are supposed to be able to help people every step of the way, and you can't do that if you haven't made the journey. You don't understand the stumbling blocks until you've stumbled on them.If you have questions about form or where to get started we are always ready and willing to help with that. That is why we are here! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Burnham Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 If I have to be considered to be a coach then what is the point of the seminar? Is it just for hands on help and training? I'm used to CrossFit, not GB... sorry. Are there coaches that I could find to get training and such?Gymnastics strength is not something that can be learned in a weekend. Honestly I feel that any certification that only takes a few days is pretty much worthless. The more I learn about gymnastics training the more I realize I don't know. The seminars fill the holes in your training. They really open the door to the whole thing. I left with a notebook full of notes and can confidently say that I am not qualified to coach anything above just the most basic levels. They are extremely valuable and if you value your own progress you should attend. If you just want to coach to make money then just get a few crossfit certs and call it a day. Most people I meet aren't really interested in hard work and long term goal, Rather they care more about how they feel during the workout and how "hardcore" it makes them.Edit- darn josh beat me to the punch. Again with a much longer response 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coach Sommer Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 - The GB Seminars are a hands-on-training environment for explaining and exploring the intricacies of the GB program. Individuals are grouped according to ability levels and progress as their own individual talents and drive permit.- In regards to GB Certification (there are four different levels), unlike CrossFit, I am under no illusions on whether someone is qualified to represent GB after only one weekend of training. They are most certainly not. After a minimum of two GB Seminars and one solid year of training, outstanding GB students are invited to begin the process of becoming GB certified. Note that consideration for becoming GB Certified is by invitation only. This is not, I repeat not, a cookie cutter certification and many of those who attempt it will fail. Obtaining a GB certification is a most difficult undertaking and, unlike attending a GB Seminar, most certainly not for everyone. Those who pass are personally physically capable in that particular level of the GB program as well as able to teach that GB level with my complete confidence.Yours in Fitness,Coach Sommer 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Li Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 Right now, the moderators and Coach's gym staff are the "coaches" but Coach Sommer and Coach Jeff are the only true GB coaches. The rest of us have accomplished varying levels of success but with the new program in place we're all moving forward There is no one holding a GB certification yet, if that is what you are asking, but a number of us have aspirations to do so in the future!I bet moderator Gregor Saksida can easily get certified. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coach Sommer Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 Right now, the moderators and Coach's gym staff are the "coaches" but Coach Sommer and Coach Jeff are the only true GB coaches. The rest of us have accomplished varying levels of success but with the new program in place we're all moving forward There is no one holding a GB certification yet, if that is what you are asking, but a number of us have aspirations to do so in the future!I bet moderator Gregor Saksida can easily get certified.Probably; but not easily by any means. It is important to note that proficiency at both GST strength AND mobility are required. While he is certainly very good at the strength training portion, Gregor has some serious issues with flexbility and mobility.Yours in Fitness,Coach Sommer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Li Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 Hmm... silly me, I thought all gymnasts would have to be very flexible and mobile to be competitive let alone compete at the international level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coach Sommer Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 Remember that Gregor is a ring specialist; a breed not known for their mobility. In fact it was this lack of mobility that led to Gregor's long term injury that he is just now recovering from.Yours in Fitness,Coach Sommer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Weaver Posted November 5, 2012 Author Share Posted November 5, 2012 Thanks for the quick replies. First of all let's not dog on CrossFit completely. It has revolutionized the way that people look at fitness, and it is the basis of THE most elite athletes on the planet, not just CrossFit Athletes. That being said I have experienced a ton of CF trainers who were worthless and have pathetic programming to increase athleticism and strength. I also disagree with how the determine who can be certified and who has the rights of coaching. This is exactly why I am looking into GB. I mean it when I said that I see the vision of GB and I want to be apart of it. I will be diligently training using the forums and what I have read in Coach Sommer's book to be prepared for the seminar in May. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Burnham Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 and it is the basis of THE most elite athletes on the planet,I would love to hear justification of this. This is probably my favorite argument for crossfit because it has almost no evidence. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Malin Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 and it is the basis of THE most elite athletes on the planet,I would love to hear justification of this. This is probably my favorite argument for crossfit because it has almost no evidence.While an interesting point, we are not going to let this thread get derailed on the topic.Even for those who are not in the select making the certification, there are many grades between that and beginner where you can achieve recognition and test your mettle. It's not an all-or-nothing system. However, even if heck froze over and Coach even considered lowering the standards of certification, I would never let that change reach the internet. The fitness and health industry need much higher standards and not lowered ones. Certification and licensure don't mean very much in America, and I have been embarrassed on many occasions by the terrible quality of education and training shown by peers who have the "top" certs or a license. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nic Branson Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 Got summed up nicely before I got back. Study, train, listen and be patient. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig Mallett Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 the amount of "Personal Trainers" who are training people and actually ruining joints, causing problems, or generally have no idea what they are talking about is pretty sad. People are doing weekend courses and coming away "experts" in fields that really require years to be competent at. Generally the only trainers that are any good are the ones who were training for years before bothering to get their certification, and usually only get the piece of paper so that they have some kind of certification and be able to teach.I'm all for coach's rigorous testing before certification, his standards are very high so this means that if someone does actually have one of his certifications, they will definitely know what they are talking about, and not just be "faking it until they make it" as was painfully advised to me when I first got my PT certification. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azure Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 Honestly I'd be very skeptical about some guy saying he is qualified to teach me ring strength elements or gymnastics skills that was not a gymnastics coach or did not at least previously have a great deal of training in it (college gymnast for example). So the first question would, from my perspective as someone who wants to learn ring strength, why would I listen to a guy who neither has a great deal of ring strength himself (you said yourself a few short months) or any coaching experience with gymnasts? Coach with his certifications has a chance to create an individual that people will listen to but such a person's credentials would be strictly from his certification (since he most likely won't be a gymnastics coach or a former high level gymnast). If coach was to hand those out left and right they would mean very little. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Burnham Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 Honestly I'd be very skeptical about some guy saying he is qualified to teach me ring strength elements or gymnastics skills that was not a gymnastics coach or did not at least previously have a great deal of training in it (college gymnast for example). So the first question would, from my perspective as someone who wants to learn ring strength, why would I listen to a guy who neither has a great deal of ring strength himself (you said yourself a few short months) or any coaching experience with gymnasts? Coach with his certifications has a chance to create an individual that people will listen to but such a person's credentials would be strictly from his certification (since he most likely won't be a gymnastics coach or a former high level gymnast). If coach was to hand those out left and right they would mean very little.You also have to be cautious about former gymnasts too. A vast majority have been doing gymnastics from an early age. This makes their training style different than someone who has started as an adult. Also some previous gymnasts don't really understand why their coach did the things they did. Adapting gymnastics for adults is difficult and coach can attest to that. Really the only program I've seen for adults is GB. I train at a club and they always tell me to try things that I know I am not capable of doing. They see my strength and assume that the flexibility and tendon strength matches. Basically even if the coach has gymnastic experience you may not get much out of it. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Davis Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 Remember that Gregor is a ring specialist; a breed not known for their mobility. In fact it was this lack of mobility that led to Gregor's long term injury that he is just now recovering from.Yours in Fitness,Coach SommerAha! That's why rings was the first event I was able to compete after starting a family and working a desk job for 10 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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