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Hey, I'm currently using the Handstand program twice a week while I continue to lift. I've actually seen better gains from the Handstand progressions than my lifting, and was thinking about starting Foundation 1, but don't feel like investing in a power rack or any extra equipment at the moment. How far can I get in Foundation 1 without purchasing any extra equipment beyond a dowel, an adjustable beach, a mat, and some weights?

Hi there! This is my first post although I joined in the beginning of the year from fundamentals, foundation, stretching series, handstand 1, etc and built from there. I did this for 3-4 months but for one reason or another I gave up because...I dont know, perhaps impatience. I just went back to weights and then gave up after that. Now haven't been doing much anything since summer. Just I don't know really. Life got the best of me and I lost motivation. Thinking about upgrading so I have all of the programs. I figured maybe the invesment will help motivate me to really committ. Long term! I think I also got a little overwhelmed last time. I found the stretch series to be far too advanced for me. So this time i'm thinking of taking that lighter (maybe doing half the workout or half the time and reps). Or maybe just replacing them with movement course or just more mobility. I'd also like to combine it with weights somehow maybe a few times a week. I do want to put on muscle. Would appreciate if you have any suggestions so I get my head and body back in the game. Maybe you can point me in the right direction with resources, forum posts, books, videos. Anything that can help me figure this out. I think my weakness is the mental aspects of training. Stop hoping for short term results and commit to this properly. I just want starting training again. November 1st is when I begin. Anyways, good to get my first post out there. It only took me 10 months! Maybe this will also help keep me on track. To connect with likeminded people and contribute to the community. So yeah. I'm Markus, 34, from Finland, musician. I'm here to train and kick ass and be a positive force! Huge respect and love for y'all

Hi all, I am intending to start doing gymnastics in the near future, ideally towards the end of this year. I have recently begun doing calisthenics and trampolining (emphasis on the word "recent"; I have actually only attended trampoling once), and wonder if you think this combination will enable me to develop the necessary muscular strength and flexibility to start gymnastics with a lower risk of injury and a faster rate of advancement. My intention for doing gymnastics is to develop muscular size, strength, flexibility, endurance, and maximise overall physical health. I have a weight target and some strength targets. I currently weigh about 10 stone 11 pounds, and am an 18 year old male of perhaps 6 feet in height, with fairly big bones (wrists, elbows, knees etc.); aside from the bone weight, most of this weight is lean muscle. Evaluation of this body: my calves are strong, but my thighs are relatively weak (something I imagine will need to be altered for gymnastics performance); my upper body is relatively weak (I cannot perform a single unassisted pullup yet, though I am close; I cannot perform a planche, though I am able to balance all of my weight upon my hands with them placed on the floor behind my back; I can perform bodyweight dips, also). My ideal weight target is 13 stone; or else, 12 stone - whichever weight is the best for the balance of qualities described (I myself am not concerned with aesthetics, though since I am sure my future partner is, it is of course relevant! If you have even seen "American Psycho" with Christian Bale, or Brad Pitt in "Fight Club", this is the sort of size range I would be aiming for...). That sums up the weight targets; as for strength targets, I would like to be able to perform unassisted flips (e.g. backflips), handstand pushups, one legged jumps (leaping to a significant height) etc. Any advice you can offer to me, whether general, or specifically aimed at the targets I have expressed, would be appreciated. Thanks, Chanti.

Dear folks at GB, I am writing because i need some advice. I am used to working out a lot but am troubled with an injury and i dont know what the best way is to start working out again. Around a year ago i started getting hip pains following an ankle sprain. After long sessions at the fysiotherapist i was referred to the hospital to get an mri done and they discovered a tiny tear in my labrum. So tiny that i do not think they will want to operate. The advice i was given in relation to working out was that i had to improve my flexibility and strength in the hip region (im very tight in my lower body). Right now i have pain with sit ups with my legs locked, leg raises, etc. Also, my hip mobility is terrible. You hear a lot of clicking noises from shifting tendons i believe. Do you think i could follow this program to improve these issues or you not recommend it? I just bought the fundamentals package and intend to follow it fo a week to find out if my hip can take it. Do you have any tips or experience/advice you could give on gaining hip flexibility with an injury like this? In the long run i intend to add swim training so i can work on my cardio too. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Hi community, I'll introduce myself because I'm looking for some specifig advice . Im from Buenos Aires, Argentina. I'm 24 and been training movement for some years. I have hipermobility in my shoulders and cervical problems since I was very young. Now, happily, thanks to hard work and been kind of an autodidact-research-nerd, I got stable and pretty strong shoulders but a little imbalance in the one that has sufered a complete dislocation (right one). My back is strong too. So gymnastics are a big challenge for me...but I have no rush. I enjoy been a newbie in everything I do. Now I'm geting the free standing handstand slowly, I can also hold a straddle BL and a tucked FL, and discovered that I couldn't do a ring muscle up because of my poor technique training, with no coaching...but I'm getting there too. I've got good overall body control because since I started moving seriously I did a lot of things and learned from different disciplines and people, and I aim to be a well-rounded mover. Since I focused a lot on movement the past years, I need to improve my strenght. I'm in a place where I've learned to control my body and incorporated a lot of theory to be able to progress alone. So the point is, been my own coach is probably not the best choice but the only I can actually afford. Here in Argentina buying anything in dolar price is a pain in the ass and I can't really afford the onlie coaching programs as I'd really like to do. In mid-terms I'd like to be able to hold a freestanding HS for 20-30secs, doing a clean B&F Lever, keep progressing in general body control, and for example, install a ring setup at home and knowing what to do with it (muscle ups in short term) What's your advice? Is there any free program (or some pretty cheap one to start with) that I can follow? I never used weights, do you recomend getting into a weighted program (at least 1 or 2 times a week) to gain more strenght? Or I should stick to bodyweight training as I been doing? Thanks a lot if you read/answer, time is priceless . Good training you all.

Hello, I have been following this forum for quite some time and yet this is my first post. I know it's a little bit silly to ask for help in the first post, but now I am really looking for any kind of help. I am really sorry if this kind of posts are wrong. PROBLEM: Left scapula doesn't upwardly rotate correctly and thus, humerus only goes to 170°. Deltoid doesn't touch the ear. Also, I have a tight "something" between the upper trapezius and the clavicle, in the region closer to the humerus. I thought it was the levator scapulae, but it doesn't seem like it. That restriction makes my arm snap and crack every time I move it. There is no pain at all. The scapula is as well, lower than the right. BACKGROUND: Long time scoliosis and hipermobility but never really affected my strenght training. Had a head contusion (left side) a year ago. Had fully open shoulders before injury. Trying to "get rid of the tight muscle" to "train through the injury" made it worse and cause me pain in the rotator cuff muscles. Thus, I haven't done anything with my upper body in the last months. THINGS I TRIED I tried to fix it myself but I just made it worse. Went to a manual therapist who help me with the rotator cuff issues, but didn't do anything to the scapular faulty movement. I am going to a chiropractor 3 times per week. The scoliosis "may" what is causing my restrictions. So yes, my parents are spending a lot of money in something we don't really trust. Anyway, so far it has helped a bit. It feels really awkard, but I am feeling "better". My shoulder is still not "better". I should be doing "rehab work", but it feels weird to move my shoulder when the scapula is apparently out of place. I am uploading pictures of my back. Let me know if there's anything more I can provide. I have my x-rays as well. Please consider that I live in a third world country. It's not the USA, I can't simply "find a better PT". I am really glad that this kind of places exist in the internet. Looking forward for any help. Thanks you. Kinshiro.

Hello GB community, I'm starting this topic because I want to ask you a few questions. First of all, I want to say that in the last six months I've made an incredible weight loss. I lost 30 lbs (I went from over 200 lbs to 168 lbs) in the last six months by doing cardio. From around 15.7 till last week, I did some bodyweight (4 x 20 push-ups, squats - I added them around August; I didn't do them first two weeks, crunches, cobras and supermans). I was also running for 45 minutes with that bw training. So, I want to ask you, would Foundation One benefit me? Here are some pictures taken two weeks ago, but you need to know that before I took them I didn't do bw for 3 days, just ran for 45 minutes the night before. I was planning on starting it next Monday (16.9) and doing it for 3 months, till 16.12. I would do it 4 times a week, and right after it I would go running for 30 mins. So, 3 days rest, 4 days work (Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri). I have a friend that's been doing F1 for a lot and he advises me to do it like that, but that I don't have to do HIIT running, that I just lightly run for that 30 mins. I am also going to change my eating habits, eat whole grains (black bread), not eat sweets (but fruit) and drinking only water and a glass or two of milk (and one cup of green tea when I remember to drink it). And one more thing : I have a pull-up bar, 5 kg dumbells and a bar made for push-ups/situps/dips (like this one : http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-EpLeF2W5fc/STwFcm1F0OI/AAAAAAAAADM/ZzMesPg-R1E/s400/Iron+Gym+Pull+Up+Bar.jpg). Since I have robust pull-up bar mounted in my doors, I just keep this one on the floor for things like push-ups and dips. So, I am trying to get in the best shape possible, health is my goal, since I want to become airline pilot. But, just to ask, could I get ripped in that 3 month period (Tyler Durden style), if I apply my regimen of workout and healthy eating? Here are the pics taken 2 weeks ago (before they were taken, I didn't exercise for 3 days, just ran the night before for 45 mins) : http://s1279.photobucket.com/user/user18188/media/7_zps1ee5dee3.jpg.html http://s1279.photobucket.com/user/user18188/media/8_zpsaff59956.jpg.html http://s1279.photobucket.com/user/user18188/media/9_zps99edbfd9.jpg.html http://s1279.photobucket.com/user/user18188/media/10_zps369d337c.jpg.html http://s1279.photobucket.com/user/user18188/media/11_zpsa983bd79.jpg.html So, what do you advise? If you need any more information, just ask.

Hi! Today my shoulder dislocated during training for the second time since starting F1. My routine is as laid out in the book. 4-5 days a week. I'm on Pe1 on most movements. The first time was this Thursday (less then three days ago) which I also followed up with 20 minutes of handstand and 40 minutes of weightlifting focusing on the shoulder area. The focus if the weightlifting is to a some mass to my shoulders, especially the back and around the scapulae to improve my posture and add some cushioning to rolls on hard ground (Parkour). After I was done, stretching and all, I thought I´d be a good boy and do some wall stretches (back flat against wall, arms perpendicular to the floor, 90 degree bend in the elbows, back of hands against wall and move hands up and down.) I barely placed my elbows on the wall and rotated my arms up against the wall before my shoulder popped with some crunching sounds in the shoulder socket. It popped back after a few seconds. The second time was today, Sunday. Again my F1/Pe1 workout done. Followed it up with some rehab exercises from Dieselcrew (search on youtube of interested) Cuban rotations 2x 12-15 Band external rotation 2x 12-15 Band pullapart 2x 12-15 Band pulldown behind neck 2 x 12-15 Band dislocations 2 x 12-15 After that I started practising handstands. After one 30 sec hold I dropped back. Felt good. Rested a minute or so, and just stretched my hands down out my sides, feeling a little tight in chest. POP! There went my shoulder for a trip once again! This is SO FRUSTRATING! Especially since I'm actually doing rehab-exercises reguarly! I have a history of shoulder dislocations, I've probably had over 30 incidents during the last 12 years. Thats why my shoulder can pop back again after a few second, but believe me, these are full luxations. Since december 2012 I´ve been really good at doing my oh so boring rehab exercises, and above all, I´ve started implementing Bent-over side laterals with 2-5 kg dumbells for 15-20 repetitions for 2-4 sets every weightlifting session and my shoulders have felt amazingly stable! I've been dislocationfree since august 2012. Before starting training with gymnastics. I like gymnastic training, I love handstand training. But obviously this programming doesn´t cut it for my unstable right-shoulder. I need advice on what to do. I believe that my chest and front of my body is much stronger than my rear delts and scapulae muscle and therefore, need a different kind of ratio of pressing (SpL, HbP) to pulling (RC) exercises. Also, any advice on how to implement handstand practise? Now I'm doing face to wall-handstands.

Hello GB community, I am brand new here and have always been interested in strength training. After reading many of the forum posts about F1, H1, and BtGB and hearing about the results that accompany the training/workouts, I decided I am definitely going to begin here. I have decent strength and a weight lifting background. That being said, I have no experience at all with gymnastics or any of the movements involved (I'm sure no flexibility either) and was wondering which of the three guides (F1, H1, or BtGB) I should begin with. Also, what equipment is essential to progressing in the program? Any advice on the matter is welcome and greatly appreciated as well as any other general tips. Thanks!