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Started by LIE, February 1, 2013 · 31 Replies · 3,177 Views
Coach sommer i read in the overview F1 that said most of the program level is around level 1.....
.right now i could hold stradle planche. Full BL....Full FL...
Should i be doing F1 only....or should also i train at some times for exp stradlle planche to maintain my strength?
Thank you
Everyone should start with Foundation One; in addition to strength requirements there are also a huge range of integrated mobility requirements that must be met as well.
For more information, read the entire thread.
Make sure you can do the mastery levels for each before returing to the levels you are currently working.
Cufonggbu said:Coach sommer i read in the overview F1 that said most of the program level is around level 1.....
.right now i could hold stradle planche. Full BL....Full FL...
Should i be doing F1 only....or should also i train at some times for exp stradlle planche to maintain my strength?
Thank you
I am at a similar level. But I am still going through F1 and self-testing myself on all the exercises. Why? Because I am hoping to find areas in which my foundation is deficient, so that I can correct those weaknesses. The exercises are basic enough that you could attempt one or two mastery-level sets before your normal conditioning, provided you take a rest in between. If you assess two exercises at a time, that's only 21 training days to assess yourself on all the progressions (assuming you don't fail anywhere).
jfslocum said:I am at a similar level. But I am still going through F1 and self-testing myself on all the exercises. Why? Because I am hoping to find areas in which my foundation is deficient, so that I can correct those weaknesses. The exercises are basic enough that you could attempt one or two mastery-level sets before your normal conditioning, provided you take a rest in between. If you assess two exercises at a time, that's only 21 training days to assess yourself on all the progressions (assuming you don't fail anywhere).
yeah that was another thing, how do we determine the rest time within F1? is it outlined because I didn't see it anywhere
Do the movement then the mobility, repeat. If you have it mastered the mobility is all the rest you really need.
Nic Branson said:Do the movement then the mobility, repeat. If you have it mastered the mobility is all the rest you really need.
thanks a lot, Nic 
appreciated.
Hello,
So if you say that the mastery level is reached when resting is just for the time the mobility exercises take, is this valid also for beginners? I guess its very exhausting if you do all the sets in a row as a beginner, with just the mobility in between and you also might be doing the exercises with bad form than?! Also after all i read its more beneficial for optimal strength gain to take proper rest periods like 3 - 5 minutes in between the sets. What is the explanation behind such short rest periods?
paul1111 said:Hello,
So if you say that the mastery level is reached when resting is just for the time the mobility exercises take, is this valid also for beginners? I guess its very exhausting if you do all the sets in a row as a beginner, with just the mobility in between and you also might be doing the exercises with bad form than?! Also after all i read its more beneficial for optimal strength gain to take proper rest periods like 3 - 5 minutes in between the sets. What is the explanation behind such short rest periods?
Yes, even for beginners, all the rest you are allowed is the time it takes to do the iM.
If your form breaks, you're attempting to do too much volume, and need to go back.
Foundation is not strictly max strength work. It's exactly what it says on the tin, a foundation for later advanced GST work.
Thank you for your fast reply , really appreciate it. Can you explain please what you mean with " attempting to do too much volume"?
I still dont understand why i shouldnt rest till i recover completely and what the benefits are in terms of strength gain with such short breaks?
paul1111 said:(...) I still dont understand why i shouldnt rest till i recover completely and what the benefits are in terms of strength gain with such short breaks?
Short answer: 'cause Coach says so! - 'cause if you rest longer, this is a corruption of the program and the Foundation Police will get ya!
Attempting too much means that at this point in space and time, your abilities do not match your ambition (yet); it means you would be better served to attempt exercises at a level that you can handle.
paul1111 said:Thank you for your fast reply , really appreciate it. Can you explain please what you mean with " attempting to do too much volume"
I still dont understand why i shouldnt rest till i recover completely and what the benefits are in terms of strength gain with such short breaks?
The benefits in terms of strength gain are that you will gain more strength. Who do you think is stronger: the guy who can do 75 pushups in 25 miuntes, or the guy who can do 75 pushups in 5? The exercises in Foundation are not taxing enough that you should have to rest 3-5 minutes between sets.
The point is also to get your mobility to the point where the iM is no longer so taxing, but is actually a period of rest.
Yours in Fitness,
Coach Sommer
Coach Sommer said:The point is also to get your mobility to the point where the iM is no longer so taxing, but is actually a period of rest.
Yours in Fitness,
Coach Sommer
Huh. I hadn't actually thought of it like that, but I like it.
Those Xiaopengs are pretty darn exhausting rest! 
They actually feel worse than the push ups 
Flameous said:Those Xiaopengs are pretty darn exhausting rest!
They actually feel worse than the push ups
Then you should reduce the weight. Xiaopengs shouldn't be too too exhausting imo.
Great, thanks for clearing things up.
paul1111 said:I still don't understand why I shouldn't rest till I recover completely and what the benefits are in terms of strength gain with such short breaks?
Basically because you are working to develop endurance at a given level of strength. Remember, the crossover between strength and endurance is greater than you think. Obviously working 75 reps without pause is a greater endurance benefit than 15 reps, pause, 15 reps, pause and so on.
Now the reason you have to work with such volume over such a small timeframe (I mean, it's basically 1 set) is so that your strength doesn't exceed your endurance level. These exercises have to possibility to injure you if you push yourself too hard, but that's much harder to do when you're already exhausted. You could work at a higher level of strength if you took more time to rest between sets, but you would also be exceeding the level you can safely work at without injury. The high volume holds you back, forces you to get comfortable with your given strength level before letting you progress.
Also, higher volume work causes more of a hypertrophy effect and bigger muscles means stronger muscles.
This is just my take on it. I spend a lot of time trying to figure out how much of a genius Coach really is....
Bipocni said:(...) the reason you have to work with such volume over such a small timeframe (I mean, it's basically 1 set) is so that your strength doesn't exceed your endurance level. These exercises have to possibility to injure you if you push yourself too hard, but that's much harder to do when you're already exhausted. You could work at a higher level of strength if you took more time to rest between sets, but you would also be exceeding the level you can safely work at without injury. The high volume holds you back, forces you to get comfortable with your given strength level before letting you progress. (...)
hummm, maybe you are correct, but I think you are mostly speculating here Bipocni
this is a very interesting topic, because you almost always read in terms of strength gain to take proper breaks. But if you see a gymnsat on TV its more like an endurance + strength mix like Bipocni said, cause he does alot of "exercices" in a row without taking breaks. Maybe Coach Sommer can explain this better?
FredInChina said:hummm, maybe you are correct, but I think you are mostly speculating here Bipocni
True, but the logic checks out. I may be speaking from personal experience somewhat...
Joshua Slocum said:The benefits in terms of strength gain are that you will gain more strength. Who do you think is stronger: the guy who can do 75 pushups in 25 miuntes, or the guy who can do 75 pushups in 5? The exercises in Foundation are not taxing enough that you should have to rest 3-5 minutes between sets.
I don't really understand! So you only allowed to rest on Im mobilisations! What about if your body tells you that you not able to do it! The tut exercises builds so much lactic acid in the body that it's really hard to do them one by one.What about the execution of the exercise? Should we not listen to our body and do it when we ready or at least when we rest enough that we already to do another set! I found myself that if I don't rest up to 5 minutes on 11th week I will fail as I did many times! I know these are basics exercises but for us adults they are really hard! Like myself I've been doing gbf for at least 11 months and my weight is 92kg, I don't cheat on exercises I always do them correctly and even if I fail I keep on keeping on. So you shouldn't be resting between the sets, sounds really impossible! Can you give me an indication on the rest for gbf? That will be much appreciated!
RafaelBad said:... I don't really understand! So you only allowed to rest on iM mobilisations! What about if your body tells you that you not able to do it! ,,,
Get stronger. 
Yours in Fitness,
Coach Sommer
Your body doesn't tell you it can't do it - it just stops!
It is your mind that feeds you those little suggestions... ;-)