GymnasticWOD & Crossfit Gymnastics

[Troy Kerr]

GymnasticWOD by Carl Paoli ( i think) and Crossfitgymnastics by Jeff Tucker have been launched recently. Both aim at providing skill training before or after a WOD. Both seem just as random as mainsite. However I do like visiting gymnasticwod a couple times a week simply because they tend to use press-to handstands and lever work, where as Tucker seems to program lots of high rep bodyweight work. Any thoughts on either of these? I have been training with bodyweight for a year now and find it hard to make progress with either of these websites, but hey I could be wrong. Thoughts, comments?

[Garrett Smith]

Well, the strongest gymnasts in the world (and the kids who are training to get there) do progressions and (sometimes) focused training, so a pseudo-random approach combined with pseudo-random GPP would be the opposite of that. Your results would seem to demonstrate the lack of effectiveness of this approach.

[Troy Kerr]

Yeah I honestly don't see how someone could make progress of 5-5-5-5-5 front & back lever. Simply lowering into a front lever, holding a sloppy progression, and pulling back up seems like such a waste of time. Would probably be better not even to train the movements at all if this is the route ppl prefer to take.

[Garrett Smith]

Wow, that's a workout? Somebody who can do that many full front & back levers (I'm assuming they mean "tick-tocks"?) sure doesn't need the GymnasticsWOD, and I'd guess most CFers would have a long way to go to even do that workout in a full tuck position.

I find it amazing that elite athletes from other sports come into CF and seemingly forget all of the programming knowledge that it took to get them to the top of their game in a SINGLE sport, much less the impossible idea of training everything at once.

I know soon I'll get some person who had destroyed themselves saying, "Well, I would do the CFWU, then the MobilityWOD to prep, then I'd do the GymnasticsWOD as "skill" work, then the CFFB strength WOD, then the CF.com metcon o' the day. I should be able to handle all this, right?"

They will get a strong no.

[Troy Kerr]

I remember reading a post on here from a long time ago where Robb wolf said he trained the movements as "reps". Say a set of 5 for a lever was lowering to the movement, holding for 2-3 seconds, coming up, the repeating. That would turn out to about 15 seconds of total work in that position. Possibly letting someone with some exp. to use a heavier progression.

Yeah I agree. My affiliate is in the same town as a d1 college, and we get a few of their athletes. Anytime I have asked them what their programming was like, the majority of them don't pay attention to sets or reps, and sometimes can't recall the order of the movements they did. However most athletes expect all coaches to know, like their strength levels are as common as a sickness, and that telling the coach they played 4 years of college ball as a wider receiver is all the info we need to make a diagnosis.
Combine that with the fact that hq preaches they are the "end all be all" of any athletic attribute, and thats all it would take for an average athlete to fall into the trap.

[Steven Low]

This is why I need to get this programming ebook out because there is not very good stuff out on this subject.

Gymnastics is about 30 years behind the times in S&C, so there's not exactly any high quality stuff coming out from the sport as sad as it is to say

[Troy Kerr]

Roger that Steven. Sommers book got me interested in the subject, but the majority of my training info has came from chatting with you and blair lowe, as well as your article, which I constantly refer back to. Any idea on a completion date?

[Steven Low]

Hoping by summer... but we'll see.

[Troy Kerr]

Looking forward to it. I know the popular training method is to train movements at their static position for best results. Steven I know your article states the training the statics will lead to faster gains, but you prefer to be stronger in all planes of movement. Some movements I fell I respond better to training just the statics, like the back lever, and l-sit. But for the front lever I feel a lot stronger doing negatives 1x a week, statics 1x, and front lever pulls 1x. I feel rotating between a PPPU and statics help me feel a lot stronger in the planche development as well.
I feel like that could be a mix of staying on a strict steady state cycle for the past year, so possible changing up movements adding a new stimulus. Or altering the movements changes up the amount of force put on the body. Almost like rotating between a " heavy, light, and medium" training schedule.

[Patrick Donnelly]

Originally Posted by Steven Low

Hoping by summer... but we'll see.

Of which year?