Exercise Routine

My exercise routine is going well.  As I mentioned in an earlier post I am doing a program called gymnasticbodies which recommends you do all your exercises barefoot.  I last posted a video on my failed attempt to that weeks handstand exercise.  I have since improved and can now stand on my head, supported by my hands, for 12 seconds. There are 15 different exercises I need to master before I will be doing any type of free standing handstand.  Each exercise, if all goes perfect, it takes 12 weeks to master before you move onto the next exercise in the progression. Though in theory you can skip steps if you can complete the mastery for that exercise sooner.  That comes out to almost 4 years before I get the strength, balance, and mobility needed to progress through all these stages to do a handstand, but I am making progress.

This week I performed the Mastery on one of the exercises designed to help you perform the Side Lever.  I passed so I now move on to the next level.  I can now test again on the new exercise to see where I am at so we will know where I am to start on my reps.  This was first Mastery test I've taken, but I have moved up on several other items, just wasn't aware of the whole system worked. 

One of the things I like about this plan, is that it is a progressive plan that starts where you are at. They make no promises of abs in 30 days or handstands in 12 weeks.  You measure your progress through small victories when you attain mastery in a given exercise and mobility set.   Then when you reach the mastery level for that step you move on.  For me it will be a long process, for others they may be able to obtain mastery in many steps right away, so they can wiz right up to the top.  That is fine with me, too often programs assume you are at a certain level or can complete a certain routine in x amount of time. Here you move along at your own bodies pace and that you are required to work on your mobility as your progress (or skip at your own peril later in the program).  I also like the fact that your end goal is long term.