(Sorry about the sound… Japanese insects just do not shut up in July.)
OK, now it’s your turn. Go!
No? Not so simple?
It’s never easy in the beginning, but you can definitely get this with practice. Begin by working on the tripod and go from there.
- Practice 3-5 sets of 5-8 repetitions of the technique with one minute rest in between
- You can practice this every day
- Begin with the bent-knee version and progress to the pike and straddle variations when you are ready
- If you need work on your handstand, grab our tutorial here
Once you can get the straddle version of the tripod extension, it’s really just a short jump to the full straddle press to handstand.
This Will Take Some Work
Don’t worry. We’re starting with this movement because it’s one of the more-difficult ones. Most people reading this will not be able to perform this at first – that’s why we include the progression from basic to advanced – so you can see that there are a lot of steps on the way from where you might be starting to where you’d like to be.
In the next tutorial, we’ll show you the rest of the movements in this sequence, and you’ll see more progressions for breaking down advanced skills.
Let Us Know What You Think
In the meantime, practice those tripod extensions, and leave a comment below to let us know how you plan to make use of your new skills.
We’ll answer any questions you have and guide you in the right direction to move forward one step at a time.
Hi guys,
How much of this workout program involves jumping?
Just the jumping parts…
I’m half kidding. Not really sure of a better answer though. There are jumps. There are things that aren’t jumps.
Percentage? 5% jumping, 95% non jumping?
I’m really not trying to be unhelpful Leon, but this is really hard to answer. Percentage by time, reps, or number of exercises? On which level? Which phase? “How much jumping” is a really complicated question to answer because F1 isn’t a “workout video” – it’s complete training program that will ask you to do different things at different times according to your level.
There are jumps. There are also things besides jumps, like handblancing and tumbling. It’s not a jump program, but there are jumps in the program because jumping is a fundamental athletic skill.
Hi Ryan,
Thanks for the video. Awesome. I would love to do this. Improve my ninja skills. I do not have a lean gymnast body though. I’m 5 10, 210 lbs. I’m strong but not very flexible. Def. can’t do a split. All 3 of your programs interest me but I don’t feel I would be able to do any of it unless I lose 25 lbs and can already do a ton of pull ups and push ups. Is my thinking incorrect? Where would you recommend I start?
Thanks
Hey Michael. First of all, I just want to say that we did not create F1 for people who can already do all this stuff. That would be kind of silly. If you can do it, you don’t need to practice it…
That said, F1 is not a weight-loss program. It will improve body composition, but I can’t promise you will lose a lot of fat, because that’s not what it’s designed for. Here’s a link to an old video of Ryan’s that will help you get started.
Another thing is that splits are not a prerequisite. Most people cannot do splits.
That said, flexibility is important, so F1 includes a giant stretching module from Jarlo. This is actually a 30-minute tutorial on developing real flexibility that goes deeper than many complete stretching products (I can say this, because I’ve purchased all of them). As always, if you do the work, you will get more flexible.
Thanks Andy,
I absolutely agree. All new skills have to be practiced no matter what they are and I didn’t mean to ask if this was going to help me lose weight. Since I am over 200 lbs I wasn’t sure if I should start with a program like this or is it safter to lose some weight first?
Because I have good upper body strength I thought it might be better to start with P1 first and continue losing weight by supplementing other training methods. Then try F1. Or does it not really matter?
That sounds like a solid plan. You can accelerate fat loss on P1 by using the workout I linked above after your regular P1 session once or twice a week.
The same would be true for F1 when you finish your parallette cycle.
Hi Guys,
I have just started the P1 primer and am enjoying it, so am likely to purchase a program in a few weeks. As a raw beginner (I am actually starting with kneeling pushups to develop proper form without damaging my out-of-shape body), would you suggest P1 or F1 first, and why?
Thanks,
Michael
I originally created the “1″ series to start with Rings, transition to Pbars, and finish up with Floor. This is the progression that I suggest if you are wanted to jump head first into GMB. However, because of the way we have created our products, you can start with any of the “1″ series (R1, P1, F1) as a beginner and still get great results.
R1 will have more focus on pulling strength movements.
P1 will have more focus on pushing strength movements.
F1 will have more focus on whole body movements.
So, with that being said, my answer to you will be in the form of a question,
Which one looks like more fun to you right now?
Just choose one that you think would be cool to start with and get to work. They’ll all help you get into shape.
Hi Ryan,
Thanks for your quick reply. Good to know each can be used as a standalone program. I look forward to learning more about F1 since that probably best suits my goals at the moment.
Cheers,
Michael
GMB rocks!!!
If you’re interested in learning how to effectively use gymnastic / bodyweight movements to improve yourself, then you need to invest in the GMB programs. The programs have a clear progression (Ryan calls them baby steps) to take you from zero experience to performing the basic movements with proper form & skill.
Just because the current programs are only level 1 doesn’t make them easy. They’re challenging but not impossible as long as you invest the time into doing the work that’s required. The programs will also teach you to flow seamlessly from one movement to the next. You’ll also become stronger in the process.
Using Rings 1 as an example, you may or may not be able to perform a muscle-up after completing the full program. It all depends on your level of conditioning when you started and how much effort you put into learning the movement. It wouldn’t have taken me a year to achieve a muscle-up on rings if I had access to Rings 1 when I first started training specifically for the muscle-up.
If you’ve already achieved a muscle-up on your own, that’s great. But what else can you do besides more reps? Can you perform a muscle-up without a kip/seizure? Rings 1 will teach you more than how to move from below the rings to above the rings.
Back to Floor 1, I fully expect to be able to achieve a freestanding handstand and other skills if I follow the progressions and do the work that’s required.
Could not have said it better myself…
Thanks, Kevin!
Looking forward to the F1 release! (Hopefully before I head out of the country mid-month so I can take materials with me.)
I’ve started the routine described above, and found as with most training programs, you need to start at the beginning. Although I could do a tripod-pike and a tripod-straddle, I couldn’t do 5 of them in a row. So, back to the extension I go.
And, an announcement from the department of Duh, “Yes, you need to incorporate the hollow-body position to do these successfully.” My first couple of extensions were sort of tentative. I started to lose one, flattened my lower back, pulled my navel in, tucked my hips, and there I was rock-solid…. Now I just have to do that every time…
Yep. It’s all about form and making it look pretty.
Just like the handstand, hollow body is a key component. And doing it every time.
You provide great products. I’ve been incorporating things in my fitness activities by watching and learning from your fantastic video database. I’ve yet to purchase R1 or P1… just dabbling with some of the movements. However, I’m ready to take the plunge and get more serious (in a fun way!). Rather than purchase them separately, I’m hoping you’ll have package deal of R1/P1/F1. If so, when might it be available?
Stephen there is a package for R1 and P1, but I’m not sure we’ll add F1 to packages any time soon. It will at least be a few months.
The main reason is focus. With rings and parallettes, you can get a lot of strength benefits by practicing both together. But you give up the technical progress by doing that – in other words, if you don’t focus on one style of training at a time, you still get strong, but your skill development is very slow.
The skills in F1 are much more demanding, and we don’t recommend trying to combine this routine with any other training. You simply won’t make the progress you want.
Ryan;
On the floor press to handstand how much lower back/ab strength is required? Or is it only the product of finding the proper balance point that allows you to bring your legs off of the ground (please don’t say both)? I have the stength to perform the tripod exercises but it feels as though I am wearing lead shoes when I attempt the press, even against a wall. I would assume that this answer also applies to any planche work going forward. So, any lower back execrises we should be aware of (i.e., superman, GHR, etc.)?
Not Ryan, but have you experimented at all with the ‘hollow body’ position Ryan demonstrates in the initial tutorial video on this site?
Scott;
Yes. My problem lies with bringing my legs up to the handstand position. I get my feet off of the ground using my abs but no farther. If I lean farther forward I move into a forward roll. Any insights?
I can only speak for my own experience, but I went straight back to the basic tripod extension Ryan shows on this page. I think there are skills involved in getting your body inverted that are different from the strength and skill issues involved in pressing up from the floor.
Being a barbarian with a tiny brain, I like separating the two, and solving the inversion part of the problem with the tripod/headstand. Even with just a couple days of practice, I can tell you that going back and forth from tuck to extension 5 times without ‘resetting’ your tripod teaches you a lot about what is stability and what is raw strength.
Just my opinion. Smarter people will know better.
Scott, you nailed it. I am a stickler for strengthening the basics and believe that we should always be going back to them.
There is a bit of a jump from doing tripod straddle presses to then doing them on the wall. Yes, proper strength is needed in the lower back/abs.
But the key is taking smaller steps to get there.
At first just rolling your back against the wall. Then after the roll bringing your toes just slightly off of the floor. Then a little higher. Then even a bit higher.
This is not something that you might be able to get in one, two, or even three sessions. For some people these progressions could take you weeks or months! It is all about taking baby steps and making sure you are doing the work at the proper level you should be at. Not just trying to jump to the next level.
Take baby steps. Do the work. Get the skills.
I just wanted to warn anybody that will buy this great program that gymnastic stunts take a some time (i.e couple of weeks or even months) to achieve.
Absolutely.
Yes, of course, this takes time. F1 doesn’t instantly download new abilities into your body. We don’t have the technology for that (yet). It’s a “training program,” which means you’ll have to practice, and that will require both time and effort.
Man, I want to slap Ryan. He makes this stuff look too easy.
Ha! People will say the same thing of you after you get this I’m sure.
When will the F1 product be avaible ?
Hi from Paris France
http://floorskills.com/floor-one/