‘Building the Gymnastic Body’ by Christopher Sommer – a review

[Frodocious]

‘Building the Gymnastic Body’ by Christopher Sommer – a review

http://www.gymnasticbodies.com/catalog/

Well after several years (and I do mean years!) of waiting for this book, it has finally arrived. Was it worth the wait, well, yes and no…

For those of you who don’t know Coach Sommer, he is a well respected US gymnastic coach. His students have won numerous State, Regional and National championships and he has been writing bodyweight training articles for Dragondoor (http://www.dragondoor.com/) for several years. He recently launched his own website (http://www.gymnasticbodies.com/) and this book has been promised for a good few years now. The book is along the same lines as the Dragondoor articles; in that it covers the basic progressions needed to build up a gymnastics based strength routine. The book is one of a proposed five part series covering a variety of gymnastic training concepts.

The 5 volumes in the series will be:
‘Building the Gymnastic Body’ – beginner to intermediate basic strength.
‘All Muscle, No Iron’ – advanced ring strength.
‘Liquid Steel’ – joint preparation/active flexibility.
‘The Handstand Chronicles’ – handstand work.
‘The Dynamic Physique’ – dynamic strength.

‘Building the Gymnastic Body’ covers static strength (inc. l-sit, planche, front and back levers), upper body pressing (inc. pushups, dips, handstand pushups and multi-plane pressing exercises), upper body pulling (inc. rows, pullups, ring curls and multi-plane pulling exercises), combined pull and press (inc. muscle-ups), core work (inc. v-ups, hanging leg raises, lower back and obliques) and legs (inc. deck squats, single leg squats and hamstring exercises). Each exercise has a progression from an easy variation, e.g. push-ups, to an advanced variation, that may take years to perfect - planche pushups. Also included in the book are sections on basic equipment and program design. The latter is split into program creation for static strength, basic strength and integrated programs.

The exercise descriptions and progression are excellent, allowing everybody who buys the book a place to start, regardless of current strength levels. I found the program design chapter a little confusing at first glance, however with further reading it became clearer. I would have liked it to have included a sample workout, but it is easy enough to create your own with the information available. Coach Sommer’s website will (hopefully) be listing ‘Workouts of the Day’ in the near future.

The exercises listed do require you to have access to some gymnastic equipment or be able to improvise things. At the very least, you will need a set of gymnastics rings. Other useful items would include a pullup bar, a set of parallettes (or pushup bars) and a dip station (can be improvised with 2 chairs). If you’re really lucky, a set of parallel bars, a pommel horse (or some kind of high bench – for doing the back exercises) and a set of wall bars would solve all your equipment needs.

It should be noted that this book is purely a strength training book and does not cover conditioning or stretching. There will be a volume on joint preparation, ‘Liquid Steel’, but I have no idea when this will be coming out. What this book is not however, is a structured analysis of the scientific principles of gymnastics training There is very little theory in the book, so if you’re expecting something along the lines of Thomas Kurz’s ‘Stretching Scientifically’, or even Ross Enamait’s work, you will be disappointed. However, if you want a comprehensive list of gymnastic techniques for building basic strength and a brief description of how to implement this training this is the book for you.

I would advise anybody thinking of buying ‘Building the Gymnastic Body’ to invest in the accompanying 5 DVDs. These are split into the same categories as the book chapters (legs, upper body pressing and pulling, core and static strength) and provide an invaluable visual reference to the exercises listed. The DVDs are well produced, but suffer due a lack of ease of accessibility of the exercises. It is not possible to ‘play all’ on them and therefore each exercise must be selected and played separately, which makes watching the progressions all the way through a pain in the neck. I have heard some complaints from people who would like to leave the DVDs running in their gyms and, because of this feature, can’t. However, for a home user I feel this lack of ‘play all’ will become less of an issue after the first viewing, as the DVDs will probably be used as reference point when tackling a new exercise progression and so only that exercise will need to be accessed. The DVDs do not contain any descriptions or theory, only short clips of each exercise in the book.

There is another issue that any prospective buyer should be aware of and that is on some of the DVDs, although certain exercises can be accessed and watched, there is no visual text on the menu to let you know they are present. However if the on screen curser disappears between the last named exercise and the ‘back’ arrow, then there is another exercise on the menu and the viewer only has to select ‘play’ and it will come up.

My main criticism of the book is that the author makes constant references to the unpublished volumes in the series, which makes it very frustrating. Hence my noncommittal ‘Was it worth the wait, well, yes and no…’ at the start of this article. Hopefully, once the other volumes are released, it will have been!

I would recommend this book (and DVDs) without hesitation to anybody interested in bodyweight training. I believe that all martial artists can benefit from the exercises covered, but it is particularly relevant to the more acrobatic styles, such as Capoeira, Wu Shu and XMA.

[blanker]

good i have been waiting for aboutv 4 years or so for this book to come out.

[Ad McG]

It's finally out! This has been a LONG time in the making. It really annoys me though when something takes so long to come out yet still has obvious faults. Still sounds good though. Madness that it doesn't appear to be on amazon.

[Frodocious]

It's finally out! This has been a LONG time in the making. It really annoys me though when something takes so long to come out yet still has obvious faults. Still sounds good though. Madness that it doesn't appear to be on amazon.

Tell me about it. I can't believe how long it took for them to release this book! That's why I find the constant references to the other books in the series really frustrating. In particular, the fact that Coach Sommer states something along the lines that 'joint preparation work should begin from day 1', but the book 'Liquid Steel' has no release date yet. :bang:

I don't know whether the book will be on general release to Amazon. I think it was a special order/limited print run. I had to buy my copy from his website.

It is a really good book though - despite a few faults.

[Frodocious]

For anyone who is interested, the 'Workouts of the Day' are now being posted on Coach Sommer's forum.

http://gymnasticbodies.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=12

[kombatmaster777]

Lovedd the book but I still have questions on the program design.

Coach said he will release liquid steel and the handstand cronicles simmultaneously.
It's probably a bussiness thing that he didn't release hs cronicles and liquid steel tho.

[Frodocious]

From what he says on his website, I think that he is still doing the photography for 'Liquid Steel'. I'm really hoping it doesn't take as long to come out as 'Building the Gymnastic Body'!

I thought I had sussed out the program design but looking at the workouts that are being published, I'm confused again! :(

[kombatmaster777]

I'm confused too frodicious.
I actually have no idea of what the purpose is for the WODs.

Is.it suspose to apply to beginners?
R they random workouts or do they eventually lead to something?
Everyone seems so excited about them, but I still really don't understand the WODs.

[Frodocious]

I find Coach Sommer and his information really frustrating at times. :bang: He gives one set of instructions in his books and then different workouts on his website. :bang:

The WODs seem to be aimed at slightly more advanced athletes with access to more equipment than is listed in the books. I have figured out most of what I need to create my own program. The only thing I'm still a little confused over is how to include the static sets in the workout.

I'm not going to bother with the WODs at the moment!

[kombatmaster777]

:bang::bang::bang::bang::bang::bang::bang::bang::b ang::bang::bang::bang:

I know how you feel man. The WOD's make no sense to me (a total beginner) and some of the exercises he puts in the WOD's aren't even in the book just random stuff that already been posted being put together.

The thing that threw me off was when he started to say giant sets...I was like WTF that wasn't in the book.

The way I see the static sets (from what I've gathered with asking many questions) is that it should be performed before any FBE's. After you are done with you statics a 45-60 second break is acceptable.
But no one on that site seems to know how to answer my questions on the somewhat vague Programming chapter in Coach Sommer's book.

Idk if you can answer this but Coach Sommer (in his book) said to pick 4 FBEs from each of the 4 categories (leg, press, ect) and stick with it throughout the whole cycle without changing the exercises, but now I am getting people telling me that each day I should do different leg, core, press, pull exercises each day. Doesn't that screw up the whole constant idea of the SSC?

[Frodocious]

The thing that confuses me about the static exercises is how many sets to do. I've placed them in my workout before the FBEs but I'm wondering if I just do 1 set of holds (totalling 60secs) and then do 3x5 of the FBE or, if I'm doing 3x5 of the FBE, do I do 3 sets of static holds as well and if so, do I do 3 sets of 60 secs or split them into say 3 sets of up to 20 secs? :bang:

From the book I worked out that each day you do a different push, pull, leg and core exercise

So for example, if doing a 3 day cycle for leg exercises you would do one day each of deck squats, 1 leg squats and glute ham raises but you would stick with these variations for 8-12 weeks then change exercises to the next progression. The same with pushing, each day do 1 of pushups, dips or ring rows.

I'll dig my plan out when I get home and post it up for you to take a look. I'm going to be doing a 3 day a week gymnastics session and 1 day conventional lifting.

[kombatmaster777]

Wow, thanks Frodicious that really clears things up for me.

My schedule will be 4 days a week because a lot of ppl don't know why, but it seems like the magic number coach sommer likes using and plus I have extra time in the week to do it.

Not sure if I can help with your question but I'll try.

If you are wondering about how many sets to do all you do is, for example:

Lets say your max hold for a planche tuck is 12 seconds. You would divide that by half (6 seconds) and then divide the quocient (6) into 60 and you would get 10 sets of 6 seconds for that particular static hold.
From looking at ur schedule you would do your 10 sets each training day before you do your FBE sets.

The amount of sets in your static holds is totally dependent on your maximum hold time. Thats for sure.

I got this info. from the book and GB members that were nice enough to answer my questions, but they to were also unsure about some programming things left unexplained in the book.

Will doing 1 day of lifting screw up your SSC or did you find a way to keep the lifting aspect of your program from being detrimental to your FBE and FSE?

[Frodocious]

If you are wondering about how many sets to do all you do is, for example:

Lets say your max hold for a planche tuck is 12 seconds. You would divide that by half (6 seconds) and then divide the quocient (6) into 60 and you would get 10 sets of 6 seconds for that particular static hold.
From looking at ur schedule you would do your 10 sets each training day before you do your FBE sets.

The amount of sets in your static holds is totally dependent on your maximum hold time. Thats for sure.

I figured that much out from the book. My main query is whether to do 1 set of static holds (60 secs in total) before the FBEs or whether to split the statics into 3 sets and do one before each set of FBEs. So far, I'm planning to do 1 set of 60 secs total, then rest, then do the relevant FBE exercise at 3 x 5.



Will doing 1 day of lifting screw up your SSC or did you find a way to keep the lifting aspect of your program from being detrimental to your FBE and FSE?

I'm planning on doing a 3 day gymnastic/1 day conventional lifting program because I enjoy deadlifting etc and want to keep progressing with the lifts. I decided to drop the gymnastic multiplane day from my routine and replace it with conventional lifts because the multiplane exercises are too advanced for me at the moment. I haven't yet figured out the order in which I'm going to do the 4 day cycle. It will depend on what other training (MA) I'm going to be doing.

[Frodocious]

OK, this is the workout plan I have come up with:

Day 1:

Press: Planche variation (Frog Stand), Pushup variation (ring push up)
Pull: Back lever (lower to tuck back lever), Ring Row (feet on ground)
Legs: Front Lever variation (tuck front lever), Deck Squat
Core: L-sit variation (tuck L-sit), v-ups, russian twist, good mornings

Day 2:

Press: Planche variation (Frog Stand), Dip variation (dips)
Pull: Back lever (lower to tuck back lever), Curl variation (inverted ring curl)
Legs: Front Lever variation (tuck front lever), Glute Ham raise
Core: L-sit variation (tuck L-sit), hanging leg lifts, Windshield wipers, arch ups

Day 3:

Press: Planche variation (Frog Stand), Handstand Pushup variation (Box HSPU)
Pull: Back lever (lower to tuck back lever), Pullup variation (jumping)
Legs: Front Lever variation (tuck front lever), 1 leg squat negatives
Core: L-sit variation (tuck L-sit), side to side arch ups, v-ups

Plus 1 day of conventional lifting: deadlifts, squats, benching, overhead pressing, rowing.

Coach Sommer also suggests combining pushing and pulling sets and core and leg sets. So you'd do the press set and go straight to the pull set and repeat for the total number of sets required, then do the leg set and go straight to the core set and repeat for the number of sets required.

I may end up doing 4 days a week or, possibly, 2 days a week and using a 2 week cycle. I'll see how things go and what else I'm doing.

Hope this helps!

[kombatmaster777]

Nice routine frodicious the only thing that confuses me is that in ur last post u say you are doing one set of 60 seconds total. R u saying that you can hold a particular static position for 60 seconds? If so y don't you just nov on to a harder variation?

I'm also confused about the Same thing you are confused about.

Idk but I was under the impression that u had to do one static hold a training day and could only Per two per training cycle.

[Frodocious]

Nice routine frodicious the only thing that confuses me is that in ur last post u say you are doing one set of 60 seconds total. R u saying that you can hold a particular static position for 60 seconds? If so y don't you just nov on to a harder variation?

Nope my static holds total 60secs, but that 60secs is made up of several shorter sets.


Idk but I was under the impression that u had to do one static hold a training day and could only Per two per training cycle.

I didn't read it that way, but I'll go back and check.

[kombatmaster777]

Ok total 60 seconds my bad.

Yea, 4 static holds a day plus FBE's seem very strenuous for people that do other sports and martial arts as well, but maybe coach intended the integrated sets to be an adequate workout for the average fitness enthusiast who has nothing else on his plate.

My main question now is probably your question as well which is:

"My main query is whether to do 1 set of static holds (60 secs in total) before the FBEs or whether to split the statics into 3 sets and do one before each set of FBEs. So far, I'm planning to do 1 set of 60 secs total, then rest, then do the relevant FBE exercise at 3 x 5."

[Frodocious]

I checked on the Gymnastic bodies website, and folk there don't seem to have a problem doing 3 or 4 static holds per session. I guess it depends on what you want to accomplish and what else you're doing. I'll be starting my routine at the end of January and once I've done it for a couple of weeks I'll make a decision on whether to keep it as above or modify it.

[kombatmaster777]

Good luck with that man, tell me how it goes and I will do the same.

pce

-kombat

[Frodocious]

Will do!

Oh, and it's 'woman' not 'man'! :D

[kombatmaster777]

wow lol

I would have never in a 100 years guessed that lol

Damn, what kinda name is Frodicious anyways?

[Frodocious]

It's a play on the word 'ferocious'. It was given to me by friends a few years ago because; I'm small - like a hobbit, I eat a huge amount - like a hobbit, I do lots of scary 'ferocious' sports and I'm a Lord of the Rings fan! I don't have hairy feet though! :)

[kombatmaster777]

Wow lol. I thought you were a 35 tear old hermit that works out sometimes and enjoys the Trilogy.
I guess I was right about one part lol.

A 16 year old teenager talking to a middle aged female hobbit about gymnastic strength training LOLz

Thanks Frodicious you just made my day lol.

I'm off to the Crocodiliario next to the golf course I live on ttyl

-kombat

[Frodocious]

Wow lol. I thought you were a 35 tear old hermit that works out sometimes and enjoys the Trilogy.
I guess I was right about one part lol.

A 16 year old teenager talking to a middle aged female hobbit about gymnastic strength training LOLz

Thanks Frodicious you just made my day lol.

I'm off to the Crocodiliario next to the golf course I live on ttyl

-kombat

You know what...

It never occurred to me that I was middle aged till you mentioned it! :woo: :cry: ;) :D

[dormindo]

You know what...

It never occurred to me that I was middle aged till you mentioned it! :woo: :cry: ;) :D

You needn't worry, Frodocious--I'm a year older than you! I just started the Gymnastics Bodies training last week. I'm sticking to one static posture per day because the training is tough--in ways I hadn't expected! Mostly I find I get exhausted--downright wasted by the end of things. Granted, I am training my capoeira right before. I am enjoying all of the challenges. What is so humbling is that I thought I had at least decent upper body strength, but I'm learning that I have a way to go in that arena. The book specifies preparing the wrists, but thankfully I haven't had any issue with my wrists (could be the years of capoeira and being on my hands). It's enjoyable.

You'll have to tell me what it is like for you to do the workout when you get to it. Good luck to you when you do.

paz,

dormindo

[Frodocious]

You'll have to tell me what it is like for you to do the workout when you get to it. Good luck to you when you do.

paz,

dormindo

Will do! :) I won't be starting till the end of January as I have a major report due in then and am really busy writing it at the moment.

I'm currently trying to kep things ticking over by doing a couple of exercises a night including: push ups, frog stands, pull ups, deck squats, handstand pushups, 1 leg bridging, 1 leg squat negatives, v-ups and l-sits.

If the schedule I've planned above is too much, I may do it as a 2 session per week, 2 week alternating cycle. I'm thinking about restarting Capoeira as well, so a lot will depend on how many classes (including BJJ, Judo and, hopefully, Ninjutsu) I end up doing.

[dormindo]

Will do! :) I won't be starting till the end of January as I have a major report due in then and am really busy writing it at the moment.

I'm currently trying to kep things ticking over by doing a couple of exercises a night including: push ups, frog stands, pull ups, deck squats, handstand pushups, 1 leg bridging, 1 leg squat negatives, v-ups and l-sits.

If the schedule I've planned above is too much, I may do it as a 2 session per week, 2 week alternating cycle. I'm thinking about restarting Capoeira as well, so a lot will depend on how many classes (including BJJ, Judo and, hopefully, Ninjutsu) I end up doing.

Oh, you're a capoeirista as well? And you're training three other arts? Wow. What grupo do you/did you train with in capoeira?

paz,

dormindo

[Frodocious]

Oh, you're a capoeirista as well? And you're training three other arts? Wow. What grupo do you/did you train with in capoeira?

paz,

dormindo

I know, I'm mad! I just enjoy different aspects of each style. Trying to fit everything in is a bit of a nightmare, though!

Actually, Capoeira is the one I've done the least of, I went regularly for about a year and then over the last couple of years I've made several classes per year and tried to keep up the basics at home - not the best way of doing it, I know, but real life got in the way of my fun! :bang:

The group I trained with is: http://www.manchesterliverpoolcapoeira.co.uk/

[Late for dinner]

You know what...

It never occurred to me that I was middle aged till you mentioned it! :woo: :cry: ;) :D

middle-aged???? :eek:

wait a second... those of us 50 plus are middle aged!!! :mad:

frodicious is still in the prime of life (unless you are a professional athlete):)

:star:don't pay any attention fro, its just jealousy at your committment:star:

powchoy

[Knight_Errant]

You know what really annoys me? People who write good books and then for some reason best known to themselves choose not to sell them through amazon. Presumably they think that they can get away with charging more through their crappy self-owned vendor, cheerfully ignoring the fact that due to less people buying it they'll make less money. But what really pisses me off about it is that I have to use my credit card to get them. Which means I either pay it off instantly or lose track of my finances completely. Amazon are fine with debit cards, so what's so special about these people?

[Ad McG]

It usually puts me off completely to be honest. If it was on amazon I would probably own it right now but simply because it is a nuisance and I don't use credit cards I refuse to buy it. His customer service is pretty crap anyway, I sent him multiple emails about it a while back and never got a reply or acknowledgement. Seems very in-crowd to me, especially when you go on the forums.

[Frodocious]

Whilst I can understand the frustration of not being unable to buy these books on Amazon, I think it's to do with them being small print runs and not on general release. I think that in order to put something on Amazon the writer and/or publisher has to go through the process of getting an ISBN number and other hassles and if they're only doing a small print run it may not be worth their while. That being said, if it was easier to get hold of some of these publications then it would be worth their while as more people would buy them and they'd make more money.

I can't comment on the customer service, folks on the forum who've emailed him seem to have got replies ok. I've never noticed a problem with the 'in-crowd' thing.

My real frustration is with (a) the continual references to the unreleased texts, (b) the lack of clarity with the program design chapter, and (c) the fact that the 'Workouts of the Day' are aimed a lot higher than beginners and require access to more equipment than the book suggests is necessary.

[Strafio]

I don't think that they're great at responding to emails.
When I ordered the book, there was an error on the page so even though my purchase had gone through on paypal, it wasn't acknowledged by the online shop.
I sent a couple of emails askig for confirmation that my order had gone through okay but no reply.
The book arrived fairly quickly so that put my fears to rest but it would have been better customer service to reply and re-assure me that the order had gone through.

[madknight]

There is another email you can contact him from and he replies to that one quite well I've heard. For some reason the one on his site isn't monitored very well or something.

The bad thing is I can't remember where I found it right now. I'll keep looking though and post it when I find it.

edit: Found it: olympicbodies@aol.com

Try that one

[mahantesh]

Hello Frodocious
its already been quite a few months since you started with these basic strength exercises so how are the progress coming along?? update us please :)

[Knight_Errant]

Oh, it's finally bloody well out, is it?

[Frodocious]

Hello Frodocious
its already been quite a few months since you started with these basic strength exercises so how are the progress coming along?? update us please :)

Unfortunately I haven't got round to starting the program yet. I had to change jobs and was really busy tying up loose ends in my previous job and now I'm in Poland, working weird hours, with no equipment. I'm planning on starting some basic bodyweight stuff this week to prepare myself for when I get home in July, at which point I will make a proper start on a more comprehensive program. Sorry to disappoint you on this one, but real life (and the need to be paid) got in the way of the fun stuff again!

[mahantesh]

oh its alright Frodocious
i know what u mean :D happens to me as well.. after all real life is important

hope u get time to do it soon :)

[dormindo]

Unfortunately I haven't got round to starting the program yet. I had to change jobs and was really busy tying up loose ends in my previous job and now I'm in Poland, working weird hours, with no equipment. I'm planning on starting some basic bodyweight stuff this week to prepare myself for when I get home in July, at which point I will make a proper start on a more comprehensive program. Sorry to disappoint you on this one, but real life (and the need to be paid) got in the way of the fun stuff again!

Understood on that, Frodocious. I started in January and found myself modifying workouts at times and sometimes even skipping workouts due to school related time restraints. Even with all that I made some slight gains in strength. Now that I've graduated, I've just started back (one day in) and looking forward to the summer's training.

paz,

dormindo

[SB1970]

do you need equipment for this???or would I be better off with Never gymless?

[kombatmaster777]

The only equipment you would need are gymnastic rings at the very least. You can do a lot with just that.

You can buy those at gymnasticbodies.com

If you have access to stall bars that would be awesome, parallel bars won't hurt either, but like I said you can do a lot with just the rings.

I actually started doing his workout on Feb. 14th or 17th 2009 and kept it strong till this very day.

You can see my workout log at:

http://gymnasticbodies.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1996



feel free to ask more questions


-kombat

[Frodocious]

oh its alright Frodocious
i know what u mean :D happens to me as well.. after all real life is important

hope u get time to do it soon :)

Understood on that, Frodocious. I started in January and found myself modifying workouts at times and sometimes even skipping workouts due to school related time restraints. Even with all that I made some slight gains in strength. Now that I've graduated, I've just started back (one day in) and looking forward to the summer's training.

paz,

dormindo

Thanks guys. :) It's really frustrating because I had my routine planned out and was really looking forward to getting started. As I said above, I'm going to start working basic bodyweight stuff (pushups, handstands, frog stands, pistols etc) this week, so I can jump into my program when I get home in July.

do you need equipment for this???or would I be better off with Never gymless?


As Kombatmaster says, you only need rings for this (but you could get away, initially, with using a pullups bar for some of the stuff). The program is strength based rather than all round fight conditioning based. If you want a more all round book, I would go with 'Never Gymless'.

[mahantesh]

hello again..
so any ideas about when the other books by Coach Sommer r going to be published? i had expected them to be published by now.
All Muscle, No Iron
Liquid Steel
The Handstand Chronicles
The Dynamic Physique

[Frodocious]

If the next books follow the same pattern as this one, then I think we're in for a long wait!

The latest report is that they're still doing principal photography on 'Liquid Steel', I don't know about the other books.

[mahantesh]

I sure hope they are finished with the other books soon..
waiting is soo boring lol

[Frodocious]

Just a quick update for those of you who care...

I'm back in the UK now and have started on my gymnastics program. I'll probably be doing 8 week cycles and at the moment I'm just testing and fine tuning my routine. For the forseeable future (due to work and real life commitments) I'll be strength training twice a week using a modified version of what I posted a few pages back. I've been training for just under a month now and some of my pre-hab stuff seems to have paid off. My grip is stronger, which means I can work holds on the rings and bars better. As for gymnastic movements, I think my tuck back lever is getting better. Once I finalise the routine I'll post it (if anybody is interested).

[dormindo]

Just a quick update for those of you who care...

I'm back in the UK now and have started on my gymnastics program. I'll probably be doing 8 week cycles and at the moment I'm just testing and fine tuning my routine. For the forseeable future (due to work and real life commitments) I'll be strength training twice a week using a modified version of what I posted a few pages back. I've been training for just under a month now and some of my pre-hab stuff seems to have paid off. My grip is stronger, which means I can work holds on the rings and bars better. As for gymnastic movements, I think my tuck back lever is getting better. Once I finalise the routine I'll post it (if anybody is interested).

Glad to hear that you're back at it! I'm more on track with my own training this summer (school got in the way quite often in the spring). I've seen improvements, however small, in my static holds--including the back tuck lever. I've seen more improvement in terms of rings pushups, pullups, dips, etc. I'm even seeing the slightest bit of improvement in leg lifts (always so hard for me, I suppose because my legs are so long).

Of course, I do this training on top of my own capoeira training, running, biking, etc. so having so many physical activities make for the slower (though steady) progress. I'll post my routine later. All the best to you on your path.

paz,

dormindo

[Frodocious]

Thanks for the support Dormindo. I have to fit my training in round Judo and BJJ training, as well as work and studying. It also looks like I'm going to be unable to restart Capoeira for the forseeable future, due to the timing of classes. :(

I would love to see your routine if you get the chance to post it!

[dormindo]

Here goes. Now, mind you, I am not holding any of the static holds for sixty seconds straight. I'm doing four sets of fifteen seconds each on most of the holds.

Monday

Static Hold: L-sit, PB, p. 27-28 (4x15 secs) My legs are not totally straight yet (almost)

Upper Body Pulling: Pullups, p. 97-98 from a low hang (non-jumping or kipping) (3x4)
Upper Body Pressing: Pushups, XR Bulgarian, p. 62-63 (3x4) I'm about to move on to pseudo planche pushups

Core: L-sit lift, p. 124-125 (3x2) Just started these and finding difficult--I blame my long legs instead of my (apparently) weak core.
Legs: Deck Squats, p. 157 (3x3) About to switch these out for another hamstring exercise as I don't have a weighted vest for the jumps, which are easy unweighted, and the fact that the hamstring exercises are consistently the toughest for me and therefore the easiest for me to skimp out on.

Tuesday

Static Holds: Straddle L Partial Roll, p. 32 (4x8-10secs) Okay, by the 4th one its more like 2 secs
Back Lever Flat Tuck, p. 42 (4x15secs)

Upper Body Pulling: Front Lever Rows Tuck, p. 92-93 (3x4) In truth, I do these assisted with one foot lightly resting on the bar.
Upper Body Pressing: Dips PB, p. 69 (3x4) About to move on to the Russians.

Core:Hanging Leg Lift Half, p. 128 (3x3) Again, I blame my legs for only doing halves.
Archups, p. 132 Truth is, I often skip this one and am thinking of moving on to Reverse Leg Lifts on the stall bar, p. 134-135. Hope I'm not being too ambitious.
Legs:Single Leg Squats, p. 161 (3x2) Been real squeamish about doing these since injuring my leg last November. The 3x2 feels easy, though, so I'll shoot for four reps next week and the following week go for the jumping ones (okay, more like hopping at first)

Thursday

Static Hold: Manna MSH Horizontal, p. 37-38 (3x8secs) Yeah, I punk out here.

Upper Body Pulling: Chin Ups Inverted, p. 103-104 (3x3) About to go to Yewkis.
Upper Body Pressing: Headstand Pushup, p. 78 (3x5)

Core: Hanging Leg Lifts Circular, p. 140 (3x3) I do these tucked now--the legs again ;)
Legs: Single Leg Squats again (3x2)

Friday

Static Hold: Front Lever Tuck, p. 46 (4x15secs)
Planche Frog Stand, p. 50 (3x20secs) Time to move on to the advanced stand.

Core: German Hang Pulls, p. 144-145 (3x4) These are fun.
Legs: Natural Leg Curls, p. 165 (3x4)


Well, that's my weekly GB routine. It should be noted that I do not do any of the mutiplane pulling/pressing exercises as of yet, nor do I do muscleups. I have definitely had increases in strength due to GB training and will continue with it for the near future in addition to all of my capoeira training. Good luck to you on your path.

paz,

dormindo

[Frodocious]

Nice routine! You're more advanced than I am with all of your exercises! I really struggle with even the basic tuck front lever - I can hardly raise my hips at all. I really want to move on to the advanced frog stand but can't get my legs to balance on my straight arms - probably due to a weak upper body.

[dormindo]

Oh, don't get me wrong--I don't want to give the impression that I'm the unshaken man of steel whilst doing these exercises. I find most of them challenging and only a couple of them easy. Also, I've gotten to this point over the many months since February (I'd been more sporadic in the spring but have held to the routine quite well since mid May).

Hang in there, progress is coming!

As for the advanced frog stand, I think I will have problems with that as well, seeing as how my arms are long and thin. I may get myself into the position and modify the weight on my arms by using props initially. At any rate, I'll reply here once I've tried it to let you know how it went.

One final thing: as I was repeatedly getting my (rear) kicked by the various exercises in the GB program, I kept telling myself that the incremental progress--a second or two gain in a static hold, or the ability to do at least a rep or two of a particular exercise (and sometimes I would quit right after that, satisfied to have gotten at least that out)--added incrementally to my overall conditioning. Drops in the ocean sometimes, no doubt, but building towards the ocean nevertheless. All the best to you in your path.

paz,

dormindo

[dormindo]

Tried the advanced frog stand this morning (it wasn't part of my normal Thur. routine, but I wanted to see if I could do it). I couldn't do it unaided. It felt like quite a bit of pressure on my elbows, so I tried it with my feet lightly resting on a prop and that helped tremendously. Guess I'll work my way into it a little at a time. Dazzle gradually as Lynn Margulis says.

paz,

dormindo

[Frodocious]

I agree with you, that with static holds (and other gymnastic moves) another second or so, or 1 more rep is often an indicator of significant progress.

Coach Sommer said that lack of ability to do the advanced frog stand is often due to weak upper body strength and that one way of improving this is to really concentrate on pressing exercises. I'm going to try to mix in props with my attempts as well, either with resistance bands or using a swiss ball.

[Frodocious]

OK, I've finalised my routine for the next 8 week microcycle (starting on Saturday). I'll be doing 4 workouts, 2 each week alternating each week.

Saturday A:
Handstand wall holds 35sec on/45sec rest x 10
Advanced Frog stand 3 secs x 10
Handstand pushup negatives 3x5
Back lever 15 secs x 4
Ring row (straight legs) 3x5
Front lever negative lowers/ 360 bent arm pulls 3x5
Deadlift 1x5 (plus warm up sets)
L-sit low
Hanging leg lift 3x10
Squat 3x5 (plus warm up sets)
Headstand leg lift partials 3x5
Supine windshield wipers 3x10

Tuesday A:
Handstand wall holds 35sec on/45sec rest x 10
Advanced Frog stand 3 secs x 10
Dips 3x5
Back lever 15 secs x 4
Chin ups 3x5
Front lever negative lowers/ 360 bent arm pulls 3x5
Natural leg curls 3x5
Straddle L Low 10x 6 secs
Ab wheel rollouts (on knees)
Weighted deck squat 3x5
Headstand leg lift partials 3x5
Russian twists 3X10

Saturday B:
Handstand wall holds 35sec on/45sec rest x 10
Advanced Frog stand 3 secs x 10
Overhead press 3x5 (plus warm up sets)
360 bent arm pulls 3x5
Deadlift 1x5 (plus warm up sets)
Bench press 3x5 (plus warm up sets)
Squat 3x5 (plus warm up sets)
Row 3x5 (plus warm up sets)
L-sit low
Hanging leg lift 3x10
Headstand leg lift (partials) 3x5
Supine windshield wipers 3x10

Tuesday B:
Handstand wall holds 35sec on/45sec rest x 10
Advanced Frog stand 3 secs x 10
Ring push up 3x5
Back lever 15 secs x 4
Inverted chin ups 3x5
Front lever negative lowers/ 360 bent arm pulls 3x5
Natural leg curls 3x5
Straddle L Low 10x 6 secs
Ab wheel rollouts (on knees)
Graduated pistols 3x5
Headstand leg lift partials 3x5
Russian twists 3X10

On non-strength days I'll be doing static ring holds, advanced frog stands and 2 days a week of wrist/knuckle push ups, hip extensions and, once my bad back is feeling better, I'll add some bridge wall walks.

I'm also starting to add a few sessions of mobility work into my week.

[dormindo]

OK, I've finalised my routine for the next 8 week microcycle (starting on Saturday). I'll be doing 4 workouts, 2 each week alternating each week.

Saturday A:
Handstand wall holds 35sec on/45sec rest x 10
Advanced Frog stand 3 secs x 10
Handstand pushup negatives 3x5
Back lever 15 secs x 4
Ring row (straight legs) 3x5
Front lever negative lowers/ 360 bent arm pulls 3x5
Deadlift 1x5 (plus warm up sets)
L-sit low
Hanging leg lift 3x10
Squat 3x5 (plus warm up sets)
Headstand leg lift partials 3x5
Supine windshield wipers 3x10

Tuesday A:
Handstand wall holds 35sec on/45sec rest x 10
Advanced Frog stand 3 secs x 10
Dips 3x5
Back lever 15 secs x 4
Chin ups 3x5
Front lever negative lowers/ 360 bent arm pulls 3x5
Natural leg curls 3x5
Straddle L Low 10x 6 secs
Ab wheel rollouts (on knees)
Weighted deck squat 3x5
Headstand leg lift partials 3x5
Russian twists 3X10

Saturday B:
Handstand wall holds 35sec on/45sec rest x 10
Advanced Frog stand 3 secs x 10
Overhead press 3x5 (plus warm up sets)
360 bent arm pulls 3x5
Deadlift 1x5 (plus warm up sets)
Bench press 3x5 (plus warm up sets)
Squat 3x5 (plus warm up sets)
Row 3x5 (plus warm up sets)
L-sit low
Hanging leg lift 3x10
Headstand leg lift (partials) 3x5
Supine windshield wipers 3x10

Tuesday B:
Handstand wall holds 35sec on/45sec rest x 10
Advanced Frog stand 3 secs x 10
Ring push up 3x5
Back lever 15 secs x 4
Inverted chin ups 3x5
Front lever negative lowers/ 360 bent arm pulls 3x5
Natural leg curls 3x5
Straddle L Low 10x 6 secs
Ab wheel rollouts (on knees)
Graduated pistols 3x5
Headstand leg lift partials 3x5
Russian twists 3X10

On non-strength days I'll be doing static ring holds, advanced frog stands and 2 days a week of wrist/knuckle push ups, hip extensions and, once my bad back is feeling better, I'll add some bridge wall walks.

I'm also starting to add a few sessions of mobility work into my week.

So cool! Best of luck to you on the new routine! Remember, you've got at least a one man cheering section here in Texas. Keep us updated.

As for me, I'm continuing to progress, slowly (but surely). I can feel the strength gains from GB (and capoeira training) carrying over into the rest of my life. Nice. Good news: On the static holds I'm starting to look totally awkward instead of impossibly hopeless--progress!

paz,

dormindo

[Frodocious]

So cool! Best of luck to you on the new routine! Remember, you've got at least a one man cheering section here in Texas. Keep us updated.

As for me, I'm continuing to progress, slowly (but surely). I can feel the strength gains from GB (and capoeira training) carrying over into the rest of my life. Nice. Good news: On the static holds I'm starting to look totally awkward instead of impossibly hopeless--progress!

paz,

dormindo

Thank you for the support and same to you from the one woman cheering section here in Liverpool! :D

Nice to hear that you're making progress with your holds.

[GaryT85]

gonna jump in with a quick question for you two..

what is the benefit/difference in working on holds as opposed to the equivalent moving reps? (handstand hold - handstand pushups for example..)

cheers

[Frodocious]

Handstand holds are training for handstands (including endurance training for longer holds) and also help to condition wrists, arms and shoulders for more advanced stuff like ring work. Handstand pushups are a strength exercise, similar to overhead pressing with a barbell.

[dormindo]

For me, I've noticed the holds giving me core strength and stabilization--eventually. I start off wobbly as anything. My wrists were pretty good already thanks to capoeira, but the GB training has helped there, too, I think.

paz,

dormindo

[Frodocious]

Yes, I forgot to mention core strength (and my wrists were feeble, but are getting better now).

[Frodocious]

I should just point out that the back levers I'm doing are tucked, not full!

[gj5940]

Hows the back lever coming along I found that beast skills.com is good for helping hints!:)

[Frodocious]

Beastskills is an excellent site. His tutorials are great. My back lever is stuck at tucked at present, mainly because I've not really had time, recently, to dedicate to training.

[gj5940]

I found that once i could hold the tucked back lever for at least 20 secs i had no problems stretching out one leg at a time, then I attempted a straddle lever and voila kept it solid for at least 15secs before from went! Front levers on the other hand are very difficult and so is the advanced frog stand:)

[Frodocious]

Just bumping this thread up in case anybody is thinking about buying the book soon. Apparently, there is a second edition coming out at some point which will have more information in it, such as prerequisites for each exercise progression. I'm a little annnoyed with this fact, as there are certain things I would have done differently/concentrated more on if I'd know about the prerequisite exercises.

For those who have the book, there is a thread on the website that gives information about the prerequisite exercises...

http://www.gymnasticbodies.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=4313

There is still no sign of any of the other books that are in the pipeline, just the same old 'currently working on principal photography' stuff.

[gohei_]

What about the rest periods in between each set of the static holds, how long?

[Frodocious]

Rest periods should be around 1 minute