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Hey guys, I am starting the intermediate one program, and I have been weight training for two years now. Should I choose the easiest progression that I cannot do, or the hardest progression that I can do? For instance I can do about 13 wall supported headstand pushups, 15 dips full rom, and 6 ring dips full rom, but these progressions are way ahead of pseudo-planche pushups - which I find it challenging to do 10. Thanks, Madhav

Hello, not sure where to start really. I have joined today hoping to find some advice regarding poor squat mobility. I am following a strength training program which included compound lifts such as barbell squat, deadlift & bench press. I have been following this program for 6 months & have increased the weight I can lift on all exercises. But not as much as the programme calls for & I am wondering if it is due to my medical condition. I have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome & this comes with joint hypermobility. When I was young I was extremely flexible but this seems to have lessened a bit as I have aged. The main problems I am facing is on the squat. It just feels unnatural & uncomfortable to do. I experience soreness at the top of my knees at the lower part of the quadricep & pain in my groin. As soon as I take a wide stance & descent my groin feels like it limited in opening & I experience slight pain. I also seem to favour one leg which I think has caused a strain on my outer quad muscle. I have heard that people with hypermobile joints should never stretch but I actually think this is what I need? Any advice or guidance would be appreciated. Thanks, Tony.

I've been using a training program which I like quite a bit. I do it 3 times a week for about 1 hour. Should I keep this up while starting the Fundamental course? Thanks: RM

Hey all. Like many, I was just introduced to coach Sommers by Tim Ferriss' podcast. Being an avid listener to all of his stuff, especially the strength and fitness related things, I am quite intrigued. I knew of the idea of GST before, and had seen the impressive physiques and massive amounts of strength that these gymnasts had, but I had no idea where to begin. Now I want to dive in head first. A bit of background. I'm 28 currently - I was obese and lost 120 pounds about 6 years ago and have been powerlifting and doing olympic lifts since. I have a 3.1x bodyweight deadlift and a 2.45x bodyweight squat. My bench is rather pathetic. I did the four step free GST assessment and could hold the positions for the required three sets - however I was very shaky and without perfect form on the third. And as far as the standing pike I could get my hands flat on the floor with my knees straight, but could not reach behind my ankles and as far as standing on my tip toes...Forget about it! Haha. So yeah, I'll admit I'm basically a zombie when it comes to GST, as coach Sommers would put it. Food lifestyle: All whole food with copious amounts of plant matter. Lots of eggs, lots of fatty fish. One day a week me and my girlfriend go out and I will have some wine, scotch, and/or some processed foods, but every day I still practice portion control and generally hover around maintenance calories or a little below. I do plan on starting with the Fundamentals, but I have a few questions first. First off: Should I stop powerlifting altogether for a while? I struggle with insomnia and my sleep isn't great - thus my recovery capacity suffers and I have learned to live with it and train accordingly. As I start fundamentals, I realize I can probably include powerlifting since it's really just identifying weaknesses and deficiencies, right? As I progress into Foundations, should I begin to phase it out altogether? Secondly: I'm 5' 10", morning dehydrated weight around 174, but training weight with clothes and hydration would be around 184. I'm around 12.5% bodyfat. Should I -focus- on dropping fat first to make these movements much easier, or should I just focus on mastering the program? I have extensive caloric restriction experience and would have no problem getting to <10%; I just know my performance would suffer at first. Third and in the same vein: I currently supplement with 5-7g of creatine a day. When I started doing this, I gained around 6 pounds in 1-2 days. My strength stayed the same, but my work capacity as far as lifting volume goes increased dramatically. Should I continue supplementing with creatine and keep the weight on, or would it be beneficial to stop supplementing to get rid of the extra water weight? Whew, long winded. TL;DR: Should I focus on losing fat or focus on the progressions? Should I stop supplementing with creatine to lose excess water weight or will the performance benefits be good for GST? Should I slowly phase out powerlifting going from the fundamentals to foundations or stop it as soon as I start the fundamentals? Thanks.