Sommer Christopher. - Mastering Gymnastic Strength Training. Foundation One

Published by Olympic Bodies, LLC
42420 N Stonemark DriveAnthem, Arizona 85206
Copyright 2013 by Christopher Sommer
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Library of Congress Control Number:
ISBN 978-0-9821253-1-1
First Edition February 2013
DISCLAIMER
The author and publisher of this material are not responsible in any manner whatsoever for any injury
that may occur through following the instructions contained in this material. The activities, physical and
otherwise, described herein for informational purposes only, may be too strenuous or dangerous for some
people and the reader(s) should consult a physician before engaging in them.

Simplicity. Clarity. Ease of use.
The primary purpose of the GB Foundation Level 1-4 Courses is to simplify, clarify and
quantify the complexities of fundamental gymnastics strength training (GST) while
simultaneously providing a clear blueprint for mastering the seven basic exercises of
fundamental GST:
Front Lever (FL)
Straddle Planche (sPL)
Side Lever (SL)
Manna (MN)
Single Leg Squat (SLS)
Hollowback Press (HBP)
Rope Climb (RC)
Literally all that is needed to achieve success with Foundation One is for you to work your
way step by step through the course. To aid you in this journey a set of highly specific
tools has been provided to you in an easy to use format that has never before been
available anywhere in the fitness world.

No Brain No Gain
Gymnastics Strength Training (GST) is very potent and the proper progressions should
always be approached with patience and care as they strengthen and stretch the body
in ways that in all likelihood you have never been exposed to before.
The biggest mistake you can make is to not understand and respect the fact that just
because you are starting off strong at other athletic endeavors doesn't mean that you
don't need to start at the beginning in GST. The very beginning.
In the vast majority of cases, attempting to skip steps, or ignoring the assigned
integrated mobility, will eventually lead to unnecessary injuries. Nothing kills
progress faster than having your training continually derailed due to impatience and
the subsequent injuries that go along with it. Used wisely, time is the most potent of
training supplements. So do yourself a favor, check your ego at the door and follow
the progressions as written.
In the short term it might be a little frustrating and humbling, but in the long term it
will get you right where you want to go.

Why These Exercises in This Order?
In order to enjoy long term success with GST, increasing strength alone is not enough;
you must also strive to increase your bodys ability to handle ever more neuromuscularly
complex movements.
To this end, one of the primary focuses of the GB Foundation Courses is to engage in a
constant evolution regarding your current exercises degree of neuromuscular activation
or the constant evolution of your strength levels in terms of neuromuscular coordination.
It is important to remember that during these fundamental GST progressions we will
always be moving forward to ever more neurologically complex exercises. For example
note that the progression of pushup variations to dip variations to Handstand Pushup (HSPU)
variations to Multi plane pressing (MPPr) variations not only represents increases in
strength but also increases in the degree of neuromuscular activation needed to correctly
execute these exercises.
A long time GB student perhaps best described GB GST training as ... a method of
progressing from simple to complex exercises with ever increasing degrees
of neuromuscular activation ...

FSAS, FBAS and FLS
Fundamental GST is divided into three categories; fundamental straight arm strength
(FSAS), fundamental bent arm strength (FBAS) and fundamental leg strength (FLS).
In the GB Foundation Courses, you are going to focus your FSAS efforts exclusively on
the mastery of four FSAS elements; front lever (FL), straddle planche (sPL), side lever (SL)
and manna (MN). Note that I said mastery; not introduced, not merely acquainted with,
but completely and totally mastered as measured by my requiring you to perform each
targeted exercise for a specific required number sets and reps or sets of holds for time.
During the GB Foundation Courses your FBAS work will focus on mastering rope climb
(RC) and hollow back press handstand (HBP) and your FLS will focus on the acquisition of
the single leg squat (SLS). Once again, mastery is the only acceptable standard prior to
moving on to the next exercise in each progression.
Each of these seven fundamental exercises will be achieved by following an explicit and
concise developmental series that is in turn divided into preparatory elements (PE) and
specific elements (SE) unique to that particular exercise.

Preparatory and Specific Elements
Way back in 2004 when I wrote my very first GST article, I greatly over-estimated the
strength levels of the average fitness enthusiast while at the same time greatly under
estimating the inherent difficulties of beginning GST for the non-gymnast. The main
difficulty arose from the fact that the majority of the initial preparation that I used with
my youngest athletes was so basic and undemanding for actual gymnasts that I literally failed
to even qualify it as training.
Now however, after many years of working with thousands of non-gymnast GST enthusiasts
from around the world, I have learned that these first or preparatory steps are essential for
adult fitness enthusiasts to successfully progress through and master the more demanding
exercise specific steps that come later.
For example, there are now 17 preparatory elements that must be mastered prior to
beginning the specific element work relevant to FL! What impact will these preparatory
steps have on your own training? The impact, as well as the results, will be dramatic
indeed.

Exercise Notation
As you work your way thru this GB Foundation One Course you will notice that each and
every exercise has its own individual notation (e.g. FL/PE1). These notations are very
important as they instantly inform you which of the fundamental GST elements and
where in that progression this particular exercise belongs. In addition this notation easily
fits into training templates and also allows you to exactly match integrated mobility
exercises with their preparatory element partner.
For example, the notation FL/PE1 means that this is preparatory element 1 of the front
lever series, while FL/PE1>iM means that this is the integrated mobility exercise that is to
be performed in between the working sets of FL/PE1.

Integrated Mobility
The most prevalent issue that I have discovered in teaching GST to the adult fitness