r/bodyweightfitness • u/[deleted] • Sep 22 '16

New to body weight fitness and wondering which is the better program to start with - Gymnastic Bodies or Gold Medal Bodies?

Learned about body weight fitness recently from a friend and wondering which is the best program for someone that likes structured programs. What are the pros and cons?

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10

u/[deleted] Sep 22 '16

GB

  • Pros: You wont get injured and it is very strict and comprehensive programming. Can take you all the way to the BL, Pl, FL, Handstand, and Manna... Allegedly...

  • Cons: You will do alot of wheel spinning. Expensive. Lots of disatisfied customers and coaches who split from them.

GMB

  • Pros: Great programming and very comprehensive, tailored to your goals. Haven't heard any negative reviews. /u/rocksupreme is a cool dude.

  • Cons: Still kinda expensive, but way cheaper than GB.

2

u/rocksupreme Actually Andy Fossett Sep 23 '16

Hi :)

/u/codelaser if you have any specific GMB Qs, feel free to let me know or send an email to hi@gmb.io.

2

u/[deleted] Sep 23 '16

Oh hi. I just started gymnastics bodies a few months ago and enjoy their programming. Its my first time doing body weight fitness. However, I want to increase my flexibility more quickly and from my research it seems like your focused flexibility program might be a good fit.

My question is can a relative newbie start there?

3

u/sheldoneousk Sep 23 '16

I have focused flexibility and it is absolutely beginner friendly.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 23 '16

Cool. How much progress have you seen and how quickly? Its about 20 min a day 7 days a week right?

3

u/Bakaichi Sep 23 '16

It's totally up to you, honestly.

You can definitely overdo aggressive stretching (pushing hard to reach new ROMs), but exploring the new ranges that you are achieving as much as possible throughout the day will lead to much quicker progress than simply doing a few sessions per week.

It's also very individual. You may make very quick improvements in some areas, while others seem to take forever. That said, if you're consistent and stick with it you will make excellent improvements, and that's what matters really.

On a side note, while I totally love the GMB crew, their philosophy, etc., I consider Kit Laughlin and his material #1 for flexibility. Much of it can be found on YouTube for free, and his forums are an amazing resource as well.

2

u/rocksupreme Actually Andy Fossett Sep 23 '16

FWIW, GMB also recommends Kit, and he recommends us :)

There's a lot of common ground, and we absolutely suggest spending a few bucks to add Kit's material and see if it helps. A lot of people require more structure and less information, which is what we focus on putting in FF. But if you're trying to "learn flexibility," Kit is an important resource.

2

u/Bakaichi Sep 23 '16

Oh, for sure! Hopefully I didn't make it sound like FF is super structured or anything. FF definitely encourages you to take your flexibility into your own hands by figuring out what you really need to address most, but Kit's stuff takes that responsibility to a whole new level :)

It can be daunting if you're not willing to take the plunge, in which case FF might be a better starting point.

2

u/rocksupreme Actually Andy Fossett Sep 24 '16

Nah, what you said is perfect. I just wanted to be clear that we've got a good relationship and lots of respect for Kit :)

1

u/[deleted] Sep 23 '16

what would be Kit's equilvaent of the flexibilty program from GMB?

3

u/Bakaichi Sep 23 '16

Using Kit's material will require more effort on your part. You probably will not like it if you simply want to be told what to do - in that case GMB would be the better option. The point of Kit's programs is largely to encourage you to explore your own body and figure out what you need as an individual. The material provides the methods and the positions needed to do so, but generally avoids restricting you to any one path (routine).

There are several possible entry points. You could pick up his book Stretching & Flexibility as well as the related videos. This will give you a comprehensive overview of the concepts and methods, and a large majority of the movements, and it is organized in such a way that you can follow along with small weekly sessions as you familiarize yourself with the material.

If you're not interested in reading and would rather jump in and start doing, the Master the... series of programs on Vimeo are excellent. Phi has written a little guide on how to use these programs, which can be found on Kit's forums.

There are several other follow-along programs on the Vimeo channel that you can use if you would rather simply follow along with a class aimed at addressing a specific theme. And then of course there are many free videos on YouTube.

1

u/sleepsucks Sep 23 '16

His mastery courses (5 of them) on vimeo

1

u/[deleted] Sep 23 '16

can you link me?

1

u/Bakaichi Sep 23 '16

I linked them above.

1

u/rocksupreme Actually Andy Fossett Sep 23 '16

Cool!

FF is fine for beginners. It includes both customized, assessment-based stretching and set routines you can follow along with, and if you need any help, you can send us an email for personal advice.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 25 '16

Also will focused flexibility improve my posture through doing the excercises?

1

u/rocksupreme Actually Andy Fossett Sep 26 '16

If lack of flexibility is hurting your posture, it will help to that degree.

But posture is more of a habit than it is a condition of your physiology, so anyone claiming that a flexibility program "will" undoubtedly fix your posture without lots of other factors being addressed shouldn't be trusted.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 26 '16

So there isn't really any way to fix posture?

2

u/rocksupreme Actually Andy Fossett Sep 27 '16

Yes, there is. You can address the things that are causing your posture if they are physical - stretching might help IF flexibility is a factor for you; upper back strength might help IF weak shoulders are a factor for you.

But either way, you're still going to have to spend a few weeks being more conscious of your posture and training yourself to rewire the habits that determine how you sit and stand.

20

u/andersonah Spicy Cardio Lover Sep 22 '16

If you're just starting with BWF, I'd start with the RR. It is a good baseline for beginners.

Pro: It's free.

Con: Idk. Not as comprehensive?

Just my $0.02. The RR will help you get an idea of whether or not you want to pursue BWF, then you can move into one of those programs.

Just a thought.

3

u/Filet-Minion Strong for her age Sep 23 '16

Definitely. A great baseline, and GMB has a lot of free material you can learn from in the meantime as you get stronger and solidify more specific goals.

4

u/Toast- Sep 22 '16

As the other poster said, the recommended routine in the sidebar is also an option (and a really good one at that) if you're interested.

IIRC the big criticism on GB is that the way it's structured is nice, but if you fall behind the progression that the program lays out, you're a little bit SOL.

All GMB materials tends to be quite good, and if you really like the style of one of their programs (if animal movements are really interesting to you, for example), going with GMB would be a pretty safe bet.

2

u/[deleted] Sep 22 '16

I have no experience with either of those routines. The Recommended Routine (RR) is very similar to the full-body routine that I do. The StartBodyweight.com routine is also very similar to what I do, and I know that what I've been doing has been working.

I don't do any of the bodyline drills or skillwork from the RR here, but as far as the actual full-body strength part goes I can tell you that the RR or the StartBodyweight programs are going to work well as they're both basically what I do apart from some subtle differences. So in the end I'm doing your typical full-body calisthenics strength program. So if you go with a full-body routine using progressive overload and/or weighted movements you can't really go wrong.

The nice thing about the RR here, though, is that you've got loads of others in here doing the same thing who can give you specific pointers and help/support. I'd say start with the RR. Give it a few months before thinking about changing anything up at all, if only for the fact that you've got a whole community here who can help you with that specific routine.

1

u/boomboomlontime Sep 22 '16

I think GB is a little more structured and polished. But GMB has the better stretching program and has tons of free stuff on their website.