Stopping Before Level 4 (Foundation)

[Jules Morgan-Bert]

Hi Everyone, 

This inquiry follows off of the back of a recent post. 

I'm still in the early days of Foundation One (started June 2021). Currently, I have quite a bit of ongoing mobility limitations - and I work in offices so reducing the extent of desk atrophy is a constant battle. I am working through these with the Stretch & Mobility series, so I am prioritising those. In the mean time, however, I am progressing through the various modules and levels of the Foundation series. 

Out of curiosity, I cast my eyes at the higher levels in the foundation series to see what I was being steered towards (over the course of the next several years of course - I am in no rush). Whilst there are some modules I would like to see through to the end (Manna series, for example), there are others where I don't know how far I am interested in progressing - or even how far I will be able to progress due to barriers to accessing the correct equipment (cost, space, location...). 

Can I ask for peoples' thoughts and personal experiences on progressions and stopping at a certain point in a series progression?

For example, in the Foundation Core Side Lever progression series, if I had no access to stall bars or an equivalent that would allow me to start the Side Lever Block exercises (leve 3 /level 4), is there a good place to stop? Is there a particular exercise / set of exercises that you - a fellow practitioner or moderator - would recommend alternating between until such a time as I might have access to stall bars? 

Thank you for your support and insight. 

JMB

[Alessandro Mainente]

8 hours ago, Jules Morgan-Bert said:

Hi Everyone, 

This inquiry follows off of the back of a recent post. 

I'm still in the early days of Foundation One (started June 2021). Currently, I have quite a bit of ongoing mobility limitations - and I work in offices so reducing the extent of desk atrophy is a constant battle. I am working through these with the Stretch & Mobility series, so I am prioritising those. In the mean time, however, I am progressing through the various modules and levels of the Foundation series. 

Out of curiosity, I cast my eyes at the higher levels in the foundation series to see what I was being steered towards (over the course of the next several years of course - I am in no rush). Whilst there are some modules I would like to see through to the end (Manna series, for example), there are others where I don't know how far I am interested in progressing - or even how far I will be able to progress due to barriers to accessing the correct equipment (cost, space, location...). 

Can I ask for peoples' thoughts and personal experiences on progressions and stopping at a certain point in a series progression?

For example, in the Foundation Core Side Lever progression series, if I had no access to stall bars or an equivalent that would allow me to start the Side Lever Block exercises (leve 3 /level 4), is there a good place to stop? Is there a particular exercise / set of exercises that you - a fellow practitioner or moderator - would recommend alternating between until such a time as I might have access to stall bars? 

Thank you for your support and insight. 

JMB

Hey Jules, sometimes logistics plays a big role...so if you can manage a substitution like 2 doorframe bars...ok...if not...i would maintain the core exercises of side lever progression.

[Jules Morgan-Bert]

Thanks Alessandro. Would you recommend increasing sets / reps of the core exercises in side lever progression until I have the equipment to move to next level? 

[Alessandro Mainente]

1 hour ago, Jules Morgan-Bert said:

Thanks Alessandro. Would you recommend increasing sets / reps of the core exercises in side lever progression until I have the equipment to move to next level? 

I would increase the intensity like adding some weight. 

[Joe Chin]

On 11/25/2021 at 7:02 AM, Alessandro Mainente said:

I would increase the intensity like adding some weight. 

Absolutely do this. There are many ways to make the basic progressions perpetually harder. For example, adding weight makes it harder, and adding weight plus slowing down makes it harder than that. Before you know it, your logistics situation would already improve because it takes such a long time to make meaningful progress.

[Alessandro Mainente]

13 hours ago, Joe Chin said:

Absolutely do this. There are many ways to make the basic progressions perpetually harder. For example, adding weight makes it harder, and adding weight plus slowing down makes it harder than that. Before you know it, your logistics situation would already improve because it takes such a long time to make meaningful progress.

Well, adding weight better than slowing down....

[Joe Chin]

On 12/7/2021 at 4:04 PM, Alessandro Mainente said:

Well, adding weight better than slowing down....

Why is that?

[Alessandro Mainente]

On 1/9/2022 at 9:31 PM, Joe Chin said:

Why is that?

Because the ability to increase strength is strongly related to the increase of intensity rather than with the density (is more related to hypertrophy).