I wanted to DEEP DIVE with you today, Warrior,
I wanted to DEEP DIVE with you today, Warrior,
I'll show you specific strengths, flexibility, and skill protocols and how to implement them.
We covered the exact timelines for progress yesterday, and I included them below for your reference.
It generalizes to every aspect of training: gymnastics, track & field, acrobatics, playing the piano, engineering...
And of course "Powerbatics" Bodyweight Strength & Skill.
For all ages and all levels, we have three-year-olds up to 83 years young.
The main point from yesterday is that we DO NOT want to train in a way that sets up a "plateau" or slides back down the S-curve.
Here's where we'll talk about how.
First, let's DEEP DIVE on the 90-day cycles for muscular transformation again.
For children/teens, we do NOT want to do anything that only lasts for a semester in school or enroll in a month-to-month program (like most are). They NEED consistency throughout the year, like cleaning their rooms, brushing their teeth, or eating healthy. And we don't want to provide a "way out." They need commitment. Strength & skills development should be daily...3-5 days a week works very well.
We do NOT want cookie-cutter programs, classes, or instruction for adults. You need tailored training that keeps moving you forward in strength and flexibility.
And for BOTH, the graph of your progress should NOT look like a single S-curve or reverse S-curve (shown below). It should look like a constant S-curve going upwards.
This is where REST comes in.
I'll tell you EXACTLY how to rest.
One day a week of no training. One week a month of light exercise. And one month a year (divided up) of travel, vacations, or holidays & feasts.
You NEED that deload time.
And here's EXACTLY how we train STRENGTH.
We use a variety of methods... here are 3 to think about for now:
1. Couplets (two complimentary exercises put back to back, no rest in between).
2. 7, 5, 3, 1 (reverse pyramids where the level goes up but the reps go down)
3. 10 singles (going for your record)
And we'll first build a foundation of static and active strength, plyometric, and then ballistic.
Now, let's talk about the biggest KILLER of your training: Flexibility.
Remember, it takes 200+ days of CYCLES for flexibility.
And here's EXACTLY how we train FLEXIBILITY.
I'll show you 3 of our methods:
1. Static Passive...just letting gravity do the work.
2. Static Active...holds in certain positions using flexibility + strength while defying gravity
3. Dynamic...using momentum to increase the stretch, like swings and circles
Ballistic and partner/group stretching is dangerous for the inexperienced and uninitiated so that I won't dive into those waters here.
But here's a concrete implementation example: imagine a person is at about a 120-degree angle in their splits. This would be about 16 inches off the floor. Pretty TIGHT. We would typically see that they make about a 4-inch drop in their splits every six months using our methods. So after about 6x4=24 months of implementing our training, they go from pretty TIGHT to complete breaks. That's FAST.
The same will work for your back, hamstrings, spine, etc.
This is why it's best when people get started ASAP because although we can help you streamline your training and make it 7-10x faster than DIY, it still takes time. So you don't want to be six months or six years down the line. Friend, I'm sure you can think of plenty of people in your life who put things off and now don't have the best situation.
Ok, so let's DEEP DIVE into everyone's favorite: SKILLS!
This timeline is ALL OVER THE PLACE.
Friend, And I'm going to tell you a secret I've never heard anywhere else.
Take a personality profile assessment and apply it to your training.
A Meyers Briggs is good. You can easily see what you might be designed for after taking that.
Think about which Elements connect with which Meyers Briggs.
You may be more inclined to Handstand or Ninja Strength than something more acrobatic.
I just had a conversation with a student, as a matter of fact...here, I'll tell you about it.
Friend, I worked with him for simplly a few weeks here and there on a particular movement.
After a while, I noticed that the angst that usually goes away with time, coaching, and support was not going away for him.
So I asked him three questions:
1. "Do you WANT to learn this?"
2. "What do you feel is the problem?"
3. "Hey, what's your favorite subject in school?"
He said he did want to learn, but that the momentum was throwing him off...he wanted more "control."
And if it was math or science, then I knew EXACTLY what to do.
And what did he say? "Math and science."
So I said, "Ahhhh, you're an analytical thinker. You want to know the mechanics of it and be able to control it mentally. That's great that we know that...I've seen that before. You need to start with skills like this by breaking them down into organized parts. And think about what you can do as intermediate steps toward the skill that help you feel comfortable."
And then there was another student who was at double back flips within minutes of coaching him for the first time.
You see, some people have no problem chucking stuff.
And others want control over the details.
Each has pros and cons (risk, injury, speed, understanding, potential for mastery, etc.).
And some people may tend toward more action-type movement, whereas others EXCEL at Handbalancing or Strength.
There's no right or wrong.
The same goes for NUTRITION & FOUNDATION.
It may be easy for some to "eat healthy" because they're more intuitively designed.
Others might need calculations, spreadsheets, and full-on customization.
So this is where SKILL's Timeline (and overall progress) is not so precise.
But it should look like an upward-stepping S-Curve.
Let's look at an example...a static 30-second Handstand.
It will be different for different people, like a teenage boy, a ten-year-old girl, a 50-year-old man, or a 37-year-old woman.
But here's the process:
1. We need a solid frog stand...60 seconds. This takes about 2-3 months to build.
2. A bridge for shoulder and spine flexibility, likewise 60 seconds. This might be quick if you're already flexible, or we might have to break through some layers of concrete.
3. Then kickups, walking, semi-static, and finally static.
Here's something COOL.
It's that in building a Handstand, you will have almost CERTAINLY made new friends, had fun, learned to laugh at yourself, and gained all sorts of positive things mentally.
You will have GROWN.
So hopefully, this DEEP DIVE helped you to see that.
And I look forward to seeing you in training!!!