rings one manual ebook

7/25/2019 Rings One Manual eBook

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Ready to Rock the Rings?

Cool . We know you r e exci t ed and ready t o get movi ng ASAP. Here show you can get t he most out of t hi s course:

Fi r st l y, pl ease read t he manual . We i ncl uded i t f or a

r eason: you need i t ! Ski m over i t t he f i r st t i me as you

wat ch t hrough t he DVDs and t hen make sur e t o r ead t he de-

t ai l s bef or e you begi n the wor kout s.

We ve t r i ed onl y t o i ncl ude the theor y you absol ut el y

need i n t hi s book, so i t s not near l y as l ong as i t coul d

have been. Under st andi ng t hi s mater i al wi l l mean t he di f -

f erence bet ween j ust seei ng t he demonst r at i ons on t he DVD

and r eal l y under st andi ng how t o pr act i ce t he exer ci ses.

Si mpl y: gr okki ng t hi s smal l amount of r i ng t r ai ni ng t he-or y wi l l ensur e that you get t he resul t s you want .

Di sk 1 i ncl udes exer ci se demonst r at i ons and i nst r uct i on.

Di sk 2 has t he wor kout s and f l ow r out i nes. You l l al so

f i nd a pr ogr am out l i ne i n t hi s manual and f ul l char t s of

t he ent i r e pr ogr am i n t he appendi x compr i si ng t he l ast 40

pages or so.

I f you have quest i ons or concerns, READ THE MANUAL! The

answers t o most quest i ons are i ncl uded i n t he t ext , so

pl ease make sur e t o read i t agai n ( you mi ght even l ear n

somet hi ng! ) bef ore sendi ng us an emai l . We al so r ecommend

r e- r eadi ng the manual and watchi ng t he Di sk 1 exer ci se

i nst r uct i on at l east once per t r ai ni ng phase ( r oughl y

once or t wi ce a mont h) t o r ef r esh your memory; you l l

al so underst and t he per f ormance poi nt s bet t er wi t h each

r et ur n t o t he t ext .

I f you f ol l ow t hese gui del i nes, we r e sur e you l l be pl eased wi t h

your progr ess on Ri ngs One.

So go ahead and grab your sel f a col d beverage, f i r e up your DVDpl ayer , and si t back t o r ead over t he i nf or mat i on her ei n. Her e st o ski l l and st r engt h!

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Rings One Training Manual and DVD Set

2010 Gol d Medal Bodi es, Super 301, I ncRyan C. Hur st , CST Facul t y Coach

J ar l o L. I l ano, MPT, CST Head CoachAndy Fosset t , CST I nst r uct or

Al l r i ght s r eser ved. Br i ef excer pt s may be r epr oduced f or r evi ewpur poses, but ot her r epr oduct i on r equi r es wr i t t en per mi ssi on f r omSuper 301. Pl ease cont act us at Gol dMedal Bodi es. comf or more i n-f or mat i on.

The i nf or mat i on i n t hi s book i s present ed i n good f ai t h, but nowarr ant y i s gi ven, nor r esul t s guar ant eed. Si nce we have no con-t r ol over physi cal condi t i ons sur r oundi ng t he appl i cat i on of i n-f or mat i on i n t hi s book t he aut hor and publ i sher di scl ai m any l i -abi l i t y f or unt owar d r esul t s i ncl udi ng ( but not l i mi t ed) any i n-

j ur i es or damages ar i si ng out of any person' s at t empt t o r el yupon any i nf ormat i on her ei n cont ai ned. The exerci ses descr i bed i n

t hi s book are f or i nf ormat i on pur poses, and may be t oo st r enuousor even dangerous f or some peopl e. The reader shoul d consul t aphysi ci an bef or e st ar t i ng t hi s or any ot her exer ci se pr ogr am.

When pur chasi ng pr oduct s f r om Gol d Medal Bodi es / Super 301, t hepur chaser under st ands t he ri sk associ at ed wi t h usi ng t hi s t ype ofpr oduct , and t he pur chaser under st ands t he r i sk associ ated wi t hf ol l owi ng i nst r uct i ons f r om r el at ed pr oduct s, and agr ees not t ohol d Super 301, i t s agent s and/ or r epr esent at i ves r esponsi bl e f ori nj ur i es or damages r esul t i ng f r om use wi t hout pr oper super vi -s i on.

Thi s cour se and i t s authors accept no r esponsi bi l i t y f or any l i -

abi l i t y, i nj ur i es or damages ar i si ng out of any per son' s at t emptt o rel y upon any i nf ormat i on cont ai ned herei n. Consul t your doc-t or bef or e begi nni ng r i ng t r ai ni ng. Be sur e t o f ol l ow al l saf et yand i nst al l at i on i nst r uct i ons i ncl uded wi t h your equi pment car e-f ul l y. The aut hor s and publ i sher of t hi s cour se ar e not r esponsi -bl e f or pr obl ems r el ated to t he equi pment you use t o perf ormt hese exer ci ses.

Pl ease be sur e t o t hor oughl y read t he i nst r uct i ons f or al l exer -ci ses i n t hi s cour se, payi ng par t i cul ar at t ent i on t o al l caut i onsand warni ngs shown to ensur e saf et y.

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Contents

........................The Gold Medal Bodies Curriculum 11

...........................................Five Training Truths 11

......................................Introduction to Rings One 15

............................................Course Expectations 15

......................................Using the Manual and DVDs 16

.......After School Special: The Ryan Hurst Story 19

............A long, long time ago, on a planet far, far away... 19

.........................Discovering Circular Strength Training 20

......................................Gold Medal Bodies Genesis 22

...........................The Intentions of the GMB Curriculum 23

.........................Chapter One: Ring Training Theory 25

...........................Working Above versus Below the Rings 25

.........................................Ring Training Protocol 28

...................Our Rings One Protocol for Practical Fitness 29

Chapter Two: Balancing Preparation, Work, and

....................................................................Recovery 33

..............................................Joint Preparation 33

.........................................Compensatory Movements 35

.................................Chapter Three: The Exercises 37

...............................Seven Key Components of Exercise 37

...................................Correct Breathing Principles 41

..........................Rings One Exercise and Flow List 43

...................................................Fundamentals 43

................................................Above The Rings 43

................................................Below The Rings 45

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......................................................Low Rings 48

...........................................................Legs 49

.....................................Chapter Four: The Program 51

.......................................................Program Outline 53

................................................Training Phases 53

.................................................Daily Schedule 54

..................................Level A: Novice Rings Athlete 55

............................Level B: Intermediate Rings Athlete 56

............................................................Outroduction 57

...................................Appendix A: Bonus Exercises 59

...................................Appendix B: Program Charts 61

....................................................Progression 61

.............................................Making Adjustments 62

................Daily Program Charts - Level A (Novice) Phase 1 63












......................Daily Program Charts - Level B (Intermediate) Phase 1 75


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The Gold Medal Bodies Curriculum

Wel come t o t he Ri ngs One cour se. Thi s progr am i s par t of

t he Gol d Medal Bodi es ( GMB) cur r i cul um, wher e our goal i s

t o pr ovi de accessi bl e gymnast i c st yl e t r ai ni ng t o ever yone

f r om t he per son j ust st ar t i ng t o wor k out , t o t he seasoned

athl et e who want s t o get t hat ext r a edge i n per f ormance.

What makes our syst em uni que compar ed t o t he var i ous

ot her pr ogr ams out t her e? Fi r st i s t he backgr ound of t he

aut hor s. Wi t h a di ver se and det ai l ed l aundr y l i st of gym-

nast i c, mar t i al - ar t , r ehabi l i t at i ve, per f or mance-

enhancement , and heal t h qual i f i cat i ons, our exper i encel ends i t sel f t o a di f f er ent appr oach t o t r ai ni ng f r om your

average pr ogram.

As such, we have di f f er ent goal s and expect at i ons f or

r esul t s when we devel op our cur r i cul um.

Five Training Truths

1. Fi t ness i s a ski l l .

2. Si ze wi t hout st r engt h i s a shame.

3. St r engt h wi t hout ski l l i s a wast e.

4. Bei ng t ough i sn' t al ways enough.

5. Tr ai ni ng i s goal - speci f i c .

GMB pr ogr ams are organi zed around pr ogr essi vel y chal -

l engi ng t echni ques and r out i nes ( what we l i ke t o cal l

" f l ows" ) . These t r ai ni ng sessi ons wer e desi gned t o hel p

you devel op hi gh l evel s of pr act i cal st r engt h. By "pract i -

cal , " we mean the f ul l body st r engt h we can use i n everyday

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and r ecreat i onal acti vi t i es, not j ust i n l i f t i ng a heavy

wei ght up and down several t i mes, or r epeat i ng t he same

movement over and over agai n.

Our def i ni t i on of f i t ness i s t he capabi l i t y t o per f or m

wel l i n your chosen act i vi t i es. What do you l i ke t o do?

Shoot hoops a coupl e t i mes a week? Get out si de and go hi k-

i ng on the weekends? Or si mpl y pl ay wi t h your ki ds wi t hout

t i r i ng out or pul l i ng somet hi ng? Whatever way you choose t o

spend your f r ee t i me, you want your body t o be abl e t o keep

up wi t h you. You' ve hear d t he l i ne t hat "t he spi r i t i s

wi l l i ng, but t he f l esh i s weak"? Wel l , we' r e her e t o get

your body movi ng t o wherever your spi r i t want s t o go. Why?

Because t hat i s exact l y what we want f or our sel ves and what

we l i ke t o t r ai n f or and we bel i eve t hat i s what you

want , t oo.

I n our GMB Manifesto ( whi ch you can downl oad f r om

www. gol dmedal bodi es. com) , we pr esent ed our overr i di ng phi -

l osophy of t r ai ni ng, and we al so made a f ew pr omi ses. Two

of t hose pr omi ses ar e di r ect l y appl i cabl e her e:

Promise Number One: You wi l l i mprove your f i t ness

l evel f or doi ng t he t hi ngs you l ove t o do. You' l l

devel op ski l l s and st r engt h t hat seemed near l y i m-

possi bl e when you f i r st st ar t ed. You' l l devel op con-

t r ol and pr eci si on. You' l l devel op a gr eat er sense

of your body and what i t ' s capabl e of and appl y

t hese ski l l s i n ever yt hi ng you do.

Promise Number Two: You wi l l l ove your body. Whet her

or not you ever actual l y wi n a gol d medal i n any-

t hi ng, you' l l know t hat your body i s wor t hy of t he

di st i nct i on. You may never have a si x pack or bul g-

i ng pecs, but you' l l most def i ni t el y have t he conf i -

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dence t hat comes f r om knowi ng your abi l i t i es and

your l i mi t s. Li mi t s ar e okay when you know you' r e

expandi ng t hem. They' r e okay when you know t hat your

body i s wor ki ng f or and not agai nst you.

When your ski l l s i mprove wi t h ever y workout , how much

you can l i f t wi l l become i r r el evant . You' l l soon st op com-

par i ng your " scores" and "number s" wi t h ot her s; i nst ead,

you wi l l t r ul y be pr oud of what you can do wi t h your body.

We ar e so happy you' ve chosen t o accompany us on t hi s

j ourney, and we bel i eve you wi l l gai n so much f r om i t be-

cause we ve f ound so much benef i t f r om t hi s t ype of t r ai n-

i ng our sel ves. We are exci t ed t o shar e our concept s wi t h as

many peopl e as possi bl e.

Thank you f or j oi ni ng t he Gold Medal Bodies posse!

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Introduction to Rings One

Congr at ul at i ons and wel come t o Gold Medal Bodies Rings One!

You ar e about t o enter a new r egi men of pract i ce t hat wi l l

change t he way you t hi nk about worki ng out f orever . Youhave no doubt wat ched Ol ympi c gymnast s on t el evi si on make

cer t ai n movement s seem ef f or t l ess. Of cour se, as you ve

pr obabl y f i gur ed out , t hose ski l l s and t he t r ai ni ng l eadi ng

up t o them i s anyt hi ng but easy. But t hat doesn t mean you

can t wor k up t o some i mpr essi ve ski l l s your sel f .

I n t hi s cour se, we wi l l l ead you st ep by st ep and show

you a st r enuous, but f un, met hod of l earni ng some ser i ous

gymnast i c ski l l s. Wi t h cor r ect pr act i ce and due di l i gence,

you wi l l move your body thr ough a var i ety of cal cul at ed mo-

t i ons, and i n t he pr ocess devel op hi gh l evel s of st r engt h,

gr ace, and poi se.

These detai l ed programs wer e desi gned t o t ake you f r om

t he most basi c st ar t i ng poi nt t o i mpr essi ve ski l l s t hat you

wi l l har dl y bel i eve you can do i n j ust t hr ee shor t mont hs.

From war mup, t o the mai n pr ogr am exer ci ses, t o t he cool -down, you wi l l be engagi ng i n ser i ous t r ai ni ng f or ser i ous

r esul t s!

Course Expectations

I n al l of our GMB cour ses, we emphasi ze t he devel opment of

par t i cul ar gymnast i c ski l l s. You wi l l st ar t wi t h f undamen-

t al exer ci ses t hat bui l d a base l evel of st r engt h, t henmove on t o component l evel movement s t hat i ncorporat e a va-

r i et y of angl es and t orques t o use t hose new base st r engt hs

i n di f f er ent movement pat t er ns, t hen f i nal l y on t o the cho-

sen gymnast i c ski l l s t hemsel ves.

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Thi s i s most l i kel y ver y di f f er ent f r om your cur r ent

t r ai ni ng r egi men, whet her i t be pr i mar i l y f or car di ovascu-

l ar or muscl e endur ance ( r unni ng, r owi ng, ci r cui t t ype

wor k, et c. ) , or st r engt h t r ai ni ng wi t h di f f er ent t ool s

( bar bel l s, dumbbel l s, ket t l ebel l s, cl ubbel l s, et c. ) . Wi t h

t hese met hods, you general l y wor k a f ew movement s and pr o-

gr ess vi a wei ght , vol ume ( r eps, set s) , or densi t y ( amount

of wor k i n a gi ven t i me) , and t hese ar e al l ver y val i d

met hods of t r ai ni ng. However , our met hods have been pr oven

t o wor k f or us and our cl i ent s as wel l , so we ask t hat you

gi ve our t r ai ni ng pr ot ocol s a f ai r t r i al and f ol l ow t he

pr ogr ams i n the cour se f or t hei r dur at i on. We pr omi se

you l l be gl ad you di d!

As wi t h any new exer ci se movement , you l l most l i kel y

f eel a per i od of awkwar dness when you f i r st st ar t , and

t hat s okay. I t j ust means t hat your body i s exper i enci ng a

ver y new st i mul us, and t hat i s j ust what you need t o i n-

vi gor at e your mi nd, body, and spi r i t . Thi s wi l l t ake you

f or war d t o r emar kabl e gai ns i n st r engt h and at hl et i c per -

f or mance.

Using the Manual and DVDs

Thi s manual out l i nes t he cour se programmi ng wi t h al l of t he

det ai l s f or i mpl ement i ng a t r ai ni ng schedul e, how t o pr o-

gr ess t hr ough the exer ci ses, and key poi nt s i n per f or mance.

We al so out l i ne the gener al t heor y behi nd t he cour se and

how i t al l f i t s t oget her t o meet your goal s of pr act i cal

st r engt h and mobi l i t y.

We ve desi gned t he manual t o ant i ci pat e as many of

your quest i ons as possi bl e wi t h as st r ai ght f or war d i nst r uc-

t i on and det ai l as possi bl e. We hope t hat you wi l l be abl e

t o t ur n t o t he manual t hr oughout your t r ai ni ng and obt ai n

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key poi nt s about t he workout st r uct ur e and pr ogr essi on. We

advi se r eadi ng t hr ough t he ent i r e manual f i r st t o get an

good over vi ew of t he pr ogr am. However , i f you d j ust l i ke

t o ski m t hr ough i t f i r st and get t o t he good st uf f , you l l

f i nd t hat i t s l ai d out i n or der t o get you movi ng as soon

as possi bl e! The chapt er wi t h t he f ul l exer ci se l i st

mat ches t he vi deo order on t he DVDs t o pr ovi de an easy r ef -

erence.

The DVDs of f er det ai l ed i nst r uct i on f or ever y exer ci se

and movement sequence i n t he progr am and provi de t he vi sual

benchmark f or pr oper t echni que and execut i on of t he exer -

ci ses. The voi ceover i nst r uct i on, al ong wi t h onscr een t ext

and di f f er ent vi ewi ng angl es of t he movement s, wi l l pr ovi de

t he best i nst r uct i on out si de of havi ng Coach Hur st r i ght

besi de you. Pl ease r evi ew t he DVD chapt er s f or t he exer -

ci ses a f ew t i mes bef ore you at t empt t hem i n your workout .

You l l al so f i nd i t usef ul t o r evi ew t he DVDs af t er your

t r ai ni ng sessi on t o compar e your f or m t o t he cor r ect per -

f or mance by Coach Hurst .

And speaki ng of t hat guy. . .

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After School Special: The Ryan

Hurst Story

by Coach Ryan Hurst

A long, long time ago, on a planet far, faraway...

When I was i n t he f our t h gr ade, I met a man who woul d

change my l i f e. Mark Fol ger was a physi cal educat i on

t eacher who was empl oyed t empor ar i l y at my el ement ar y

school . Dur i ng our P. E. cl ass, Mar k woul d al ways i ncl ude

r ope cl i mbi ng, Chi n- Ups, Pul l - Ups, t umbl i ng, and bal ance

wor k. I di dn t r eal i ze i t at t he t i me, but he was scout i ng

our school t o cr eat e a boys' gymnast i cs t eam. Mark was a

f or mer Ol ympi c at hl et e, r epr esent i ng t he Uni t ed St at es as

an al t ernat e f or t he 1984 Los Angel es Ol ympi c Men s Gymnas-

t i cs t eam. At Okl ahoma Uni ver si t y, he r oomed wi t h Bar t Con-

ner and was ver y wel l known f or hi s hi gh l evel of ski l l on

t he par al l el bar s.

Mark had r ecent l y moved back t o Wi chi t a, KS, wi t h hi s

wi f e Penny and was t r ai ni ng out of a gymnast i cs cent er i ndowntown Wi chi t a. He must have t hought I had somet hi ng i n

me, because he convi nced my par ent s t o si gn me up! I

st ar t ed t r ai ni ng wi t h hi m whi l e i n el ement ar y school and

cont i nued al l t he way i nt o my hi gh school year s. By t hat

t i me Mark had hi s own successf ul gymnast i cs gym, Fol ger s

Gymnast i cs. I was a member of t he boys' t eam and compet i ng

under hi s gui dance at t he st at e and nat i onal l evel . Our

t eam di d ver y wel l at al l t he meet s and we racked up on the

medal s. Dur i ng our of f season, I al so compet ed i n hi gh

school gymnast i cs. Si nce my hi gh school t eam was al so made

up of Fol ger s t eam, we won st at e and r egi onal s ever y year .

Mark at t ended al l of our hi gh school meet s and I r emember

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hi m al ways bei ng ner vous about us get t i ng i nj ur ed and not

bei ng abl e t o ret ur n t o the r eal compet i t i on.

I al so r emember count l ess ear l y Sat urday morni ngs when

my dad woul d dr i ve me al l over Kansas, Okl ahoma, Texas, Ne-

br aska, Col orado, and anywhere el se we had a compet i t i on

t hat weekend. I put i n a gr eat many hour s of compet i t i on

al ong wi t h t he dai l y hour s of pr act i ce t hat i t t ook to com-

pet e at t hat l evel , and I di d t hi s al l wi t hout a si ngl e ma-

j or i nj ury.

Whi l e I di dn t f ul l y appr eci at e i t at t he t i me, thanks

t o Coach Fol ger s i ncr edi bl e coachi ng, I was abl e t o go

i nt o pr act i ce and compet i t i on wi t h t he conf i dence of bei ngcompl et el y pr epar ed and i nj ur y f r ee. Mar k was, and st i l l

r emai ns, amazi ng at cr eat i ng i ncr edi bl e gymnast s. He not

onl y val ues t he i mpor t ance of gar ner i ng medal s, but al so of

keepi ng hi s at hl et es heal t hy. I t r ul y bel i eve t hat i t i s

because of Coach Fol ger t hat I am wher e I am t oday i n my

physi cal pr act i ce. He was t he f i r st coach t hat i nst i l l ed

t he concept s and pr act i ces t hat have al l owed me t o excel at

bei ng a movement ar t i st . I consi der mysel f l ucky t o have

hi m as a coach, f r i end, and ment or even t o t hi s day.

Discovering Circular Strength Training

The summer af t er my seni or year I had an unf or t unat e i nj ury

t o my knee t hat ended my gymnast i cs car eer f or good. And i t

wasn t an i nj ur y f r om gymnast i cs t r ai ni ng or compet i t i on. I

i nj ur ed my l eg whi l e I was pr act i ci ng mar t i al ar t s. Mar t i alar t s, al ong wi t h gymnast i cs, was an i mport ant par t of my

l i f e. Whi l e I di dn t negl ect school , my pr i or i t y was def i -

ni t el y t o become t he best movement ar t i st possi bl e.

Though my knee i nj ury kept me f r om compet i ng i n gym-

nast i cs, I di d cont i nue my t r ai ni ng as much as I coul d and

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went even deeper i nt o my mart i al ar t s pract i ce. Af t er my

knee sur gery, I went t o col l ege and event ual l y compl eted my

uni ver si t y st udi es i n J apan. I t was t hr ough a f r i end of

mi ne that I met Scot t Sonnon. At t hat t i me Circular

Strength Training ( CST) wasn t of f i ci al l y ar ound, but I

knew t hat Scot t was goi ng t o be my next coach.

I r emai ned di l i gent i n t r ai ni ng i n mar t i al ar t s f or

qui t e a l ong t i me, but i t seemed l i ke I was al so sear chi ng

f or somet hi ng el se. And I f ound t hat i n CST; t he uni que

body movement s and emphasi s on mobi l i t y, coordi nat i on, and

body cont r ol r emi nded me so much of bot h my gymnast i c

t r ai ni ng and t he cor e of what I r eal l y l oved about mar t i al

ar t s. I sl owl y changed my t r ai ni ng t o t he CST method and,

and I was bl own away by my pr ogress i n st r engt h and per -

f or mance! Event ual l y I t r avel l ed al l t he way f r om J apan t o

t he Uni t ed St at es t o t r ai n wi t h Coach Sonnon, and I worked

my way t hr ough t he year s t o event ual l y at t ai n the st at us of

Facul t y Head Coach i n the syst em.

For t hose unf ami l i ar wi t h t he syst em, CST has an em-

phasi s on heal t h- f i r st t r ai ni ng, wi t h t he seaml ess i nt egr a-

t i on of j oi nt mobi l i t y, i nnovat i ve st r engt h t r ai ni ng met h-

ods, and compensat or y/ r ecover y t hr ough act i vi t y- speci f i c

yoga post ur es. Thi s syst em r esonated wi t h my al l of my pr e-

vi ous t r ai ni ng i n gymnast i cs, mar t i al ar t s, and hat ha yoga

( whi ch I had al r eady st udi ed and t aught f or many year s) . I

was amazed t o f i nd one syst em t hat had br ought i t al l t o-

get her i n one pl ace!

As I t r ai ned and consul t ed wi t h Coach Sonnon over t he

years, I r eal i zed t hat CST had so much i n common wi t h t he

par t i cul ar t r ai ni ng st yl e I had under gone f or gymnast i cs.

Though ver y f ocused on per f or mance, we al so val ued heal t h

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and wel l ness , as we knew t hat an i nj ured and over worked

gymnast wasn t goi ng t o benef i t t he t eam!

I t wasn t l ong bef or e I r eal i zed t hat t he benef i t s I

had gai ned f r om my gymnast i c t r ai ni ng coul d al so benef i t

anyone who want ed a st r ong and heal t hy body. I coul d al so

i ncorporat e CST t r ai ni ng and t eachi ng methods t o hel p make

t he most ef f i ci ent and r esul t - pr oduci ng pr ogr ams avai l abl e

f or gymnast i c- st yl e t r ai ni ng.

Gold Medal Bodies Genesis

Over t he years I cont i nued my own personal pr act i ce wi t h a

var i et y of gymnast i c movement s t hat I had chosen f or t hei r

ef f ect s and ef f i ci ency. You see, as a compet i t i ve gymnast

you have t o pr act i ce an i ncr edi bl e var i et y of moves i n or -

der t o meet cer t ai n qual i f i cat i ons at cont est s. Thi s i s why

hi gh l evel gymnast s spend many hour s i n t he gym, up t o si x

days a week! As I was no l onger a compet i ng gymnast , I

di dn t have to pr act i ce so many di f f er ent moves, so I f o-

cused on t he exer ci ses t hat gave me t he best r esul t s spe-

ci f i cal l y f or my t r ai ni ng goal s. Thr ough my cont i nued

t r ai ni ng i n CST and anal yzi ng what I had done t hroughout my

t r ai ni ng l i f et i me, I al so came up wi t h var i ous met hods t o

t each peopl e how t o per f or m movement s even t hough t hey had

no pr i or gymnast i cs backgr ound.

I woul d of t en pl ay ar ound wi t h t hese ski l l s dur i ng our

f r ee t i me at var i ous semi nars wi t h my col l eagues and st u-

dent s, and t hey woul d be amazed at t he var i ous t r i cks andmoves I coul d per f or m on t he r i ngs, par al l et t es, and f l oor .

They woul d pest er me t o t each t hem how t o do, or wor k up

t o, t he exer ci ses. I t was f un t o wat ch t hem shake and

st r uggl e to per f orm moves t hat I had been doi ng near l y my

ent i r e l i f e! And i t was even bet t er t o see t hem pr ogr ess

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qui ckl y t hr ough t he var i at i ons and see t hei r r esul t i ng ex-

ci t ement . I t was l i ke wat chi ng ki ds get t i ng on a j ungl e gym

f or t he f i r st t i me, and I knew t hi s i s what t r ai ni ng shoul d

be about !

Everyone was soon get t i ng on me t o t each my met hods

publ i cl y and not j ust t o t hose at t endi ng our semi nar s. Thus

Gol d Medal Bodi es was bor n!

The Intentions of the GMB Curriculum

When I was a compet i t i ve gymnast , I woul d t r ai n Monday

t hr ough Satur day up t o f our hour s a day. Ther e are si x

event s i n men s gymnast i cs, and we woul d spl i t our pr ac-

t i ces t o avoi d worki ng t he same apparat us every day. We

woul d do r i ng work, pommel horse, and f l oor on one day,

t hen per f or m par al l el bar s, hor i zont al bar , and vaul t t he

next . We woul d al ways have f ul l sessi ons of warmup st r etch-

i ng, war mup t ur ns on t he event s, condi t i oni ng af t er pr ac-

t i ce, and t hen f i nal l y a cool down. Thi nki ng back, I am

amazed that we engaged i n that i ncr edi bl y hi gh vol ume of

wor k.

Nowadays, t her e i s no way t hat I coul d t r ai n on such

an i nt ensi ve schedul e. Nor i s t her e any reason t o. I am no

l onger a compet i t i ve gymnast , and al t hough I do cont i nue t o

pr act i ce gymnast i c ski l l s, I no l onger consi der mysel f a

gymnast . I si mpl y t r ai n wi t h gymnast i c movement s.

To me t he di f f er ence between bei ng a gymnast and

t r ai ni ng wi t h gymnast i c movement s i s qui t e obvi ous. What

you wi l l l ear n i n t hi s manual wi l l hel p you i n l ear ni ng

par t i cul ar gymnast i c moves on t he r i ngs, but t hi s i s NOT a

manual on how t o become an Ol ympi c gymnast ! I f you ar e i n-

t er est ed i n compet i ng i n gymnast i cs, I suggest t hat you

j oi n a gymnast i cs compl ex and l earn f r om a qual i f i ed coach.

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Ther e i s no subst i t ut e f or proper i nst r uct i on f r om a coach.

They wi l l be abl e t o gui de and t each you how t o per f or m as

a compet i t i ve gymnast and keep you f r om hur t i ng your sel f ,

whi ch of t en happens when you go at i t al one.

Wi t h al l t hat asi de, I know t hat you ar e i nt er est ed i n

obt ai ni ng t he st r engt h, f l exi bi l i t y, physi que, and r emar k-

abl e movement ski l l of a t r ai ned gymnast , and we ar e here

t o hel p you!

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Chapter One: Ring Training Theory

Working Above versus Below the Rings

I n r i ng t r ai ni ng t her e ar e t wo basi c pl anes: above t he

r i ngs, and bel ow t he r i ngs. Or t o si mpl i f y a bi t , you ar e

ei t her pushi ng or pul l i ng. Whi l e t here are some movement s

t hat can i ncl ude bot h a push and pul l , f or t he most par t

t hese t wo movement s are separat e, and t hat i s how you wi l l

wor k t hem i n t he begi nni ng.

A t r ansi t i on move i s a movement t hat al l ows us t o go

f r om bel ow t o above t he r i ngs or f r om above t o bel ow t he

r i ngs. A f ami l i ar exampl e of a t r ansi t i on movement i s t he

Muscl e- Up. I n some popul ar at hl et i c t r ai ni ng st yl es, t he

Muscl e- Up i s hel d as a pr i mary exer ci se and per f ormed wi t h

t he goal of as many repet i t i ons you can must er . We don t

agr ee wi t h thi s, and see t he Muscl e- Up as merel y one move-

ment i n our t ool box al l owi ng us t o t r ansi t i on f r om bel ow t o

above t he r i ngs. When you go t hrough the exer ci se progr es-

si ons out l i ned i n t hi s cour se, you wi l l soon r eal i ze t hat

t he Muscl e- Up shoul dn t t ake al l t hat l ong t o l ear n, and i s

a r el at i vel y easy movement when compar ed t o t he other move-

ment s pr esent ed. I n thi s cour se we ar e l ooki ng beyond the

normal t hi nki ng about worki ng wi t h t he r i ngs and headi ng

t owar ds a sophi st i cat ed, yet st i l l f un, appr oach t o

st r engt h devel opment wi t h t he gymnast i cs r i ngs.

The Muscl e- Up and ot her t r ansi t i on movement s are j ust

a way t o get you movi ng f r om bet ween above and bel ow t her i ngs. They ar e a maj or pi ece of l ear ni ng how t o per f or m

f l ows on t he r i ngs, and doi ng so smoot hl y and st r ongl y.

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Working Below the Rings

Worki ng bel ow t he r i ngs means t hat you wi l l be usi ng pul l -

i ng movement s such as Pul l - Ups, Chi n- Ups, r ows, and l eg

pul l s. When we see t hese amazi ng Ol ympi c gymnast s on the

r i ngs, pul l i ng t hemsel ves up wi t h ease, i t i s easy to no-

t i ce t hei r ver y muscul ar ar m and back muscl es. Yet most

peopl e don' t r eal i ze t hat t hese pul l i ng movement s ar e some

of t he best abdomi nal t r ai ni ng movement s around. Yes, when

you engage i n r i ng t r ai ni ng, your abs wi l l get a t er r i f i c

workout !

Let ' s t ake a br i ef l ook at what muscul at ur e i s pr i mar i l y

i nvol ved i n some of t he basi c pul l i ng movement s.

Pull-Ups: Bi ceps, r ear del t oi d, r homboi d, l at i ssi mus

dor si , r ect us abdomi nus

Tuck-Ups: Lat i ssi mus dor si , r ect us abdomi nus,

obl i ques

Pul l i ng act i vi t i es ar e gener al l y over l ooked or under -

wor ked i n a l ot of exer ci se pr ogr ams ( especi al l y i n cal i s-

t heni c t ype r egi mens) , and t hi s not onl y a shame but al so

can be a si gni f i cant i mpedi ment t o f unct i onal st r engt h de-

vel opment . The muscl es of t he back, shoul der s, and t r unk

ar e meant t o be st r ong, suppor t i ng st r uct ur es t hat pr ot ect

our bodi es dur i ng t he wi de var i et y of dai l y physi calst r esses. When these ar eas ar e negl ect ed i n f avor of t he

more f ami l i ar pr essi ng and pushi ng mot i ons, we r i sk i mbal -

ances t hat can l ead not j ust t o decr eased per f ormance but

t o i nj ur i es as wel l .

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Thi s i s why wor ki ng wi t h r i ngs can gr eat l y i mpr ove

your physi cal condi t i on and an ar r ay of speci f i c pul l i ng

exer ci ses i s i ncor por at ed i nt o t he Ri ngs One cour se.

Working Above the Rings

I n t hese ser i es of movement s, you l l not i ce t hat your en-

t i r e upper body wi l l be wor ki ng har d j ust t r yi ng t o hol d

your sel f upr i ght ! Your cor e t r unk muscl es ar e needed to

hel p you st ay i n posi t i on above t he r i ngs. I f your cor e i s

r el at i vel y weak, you wi l l pr obabl y be wor ki ng ext r emel y

har d at t he begi nni ng of t hi s progr am, but at t he end of

your t r ai ni ng cycl e usi ng Ri ngs One, you wi l l have cor est r engt h to spar e!

Di ps ar e a very common exer ci se per f or med above t he

r i ngs. Yet sadl y, di ps ar e wher e most peopl e st op when per -

f ormi ng i n t he t op pl ane. Movement s such as t he L- Si t , bent

arm shoul der st and, pr ess t o handst and, and many ot her s ar e

i ncredi bl e exer ci ses t hat not onl y bui l d a f abul ous phy-

si que but al so ar e a si gni f i cant ment al chal l enge. Ther e i s

of t en qui t e a bi t of f ear when you f i r st st ar t t o be upsi de

down above t he r i ngs. Worki ng t hr ough t hat f ear and r eal i z-

i ng how st abl e and st r ong you can be i n these cr azy posi -

t i ons wi l l benef i t you i n so many ot her ar eas of at hl et i cs.

Her e are some exer ci ses per f ormed above t he r i ngs l i st i ng

t he pr i mary muscl es i nvol ved.

Dips: Pector al s, l ower t r apezi us, t r i ceps, ser r at us,

r ect us abdomi nus, er ect or spi nae

L-Sit: Pect or al s, t r i ceps, psoas maj or , r ect us ab-

domi nus, obl i ques

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Bent Arm Shoulder Stand: Pect or al s, ant er i or del -

t oi ds, t r i ceps, er ector spi nae, gl ut eal s, hamst r i ngs

Above- t he- r i ng wor k has i t s chal l enges, but i t al socomes al ong wi t h gr eat benef i t s i n t r unk and ext r emi t y

st r engt h gai ns.

The combi nat i on of t he proper bal ance of pul l i ng ac-

t i vi t i es i n bel ow- t he- r i ng wor k and t he st r ong pushi ng

f or ces devel oped i n above- t he- r i ng wor k wi l l super char ge

your st r engt h i n al l t hat you do!

Ring Training Protocol

Two common met hods f or exerci si ng wi t h t he r i ngs ar e r epe-

t i t i ons f or t i me and pur e ski l l t r ai ni ng.

The Rep for Time Protocols

Thi s prot ocol t akes one movement and per f or ms i t ei t her f or

a set amount of r eps or f or a set amount of t i me wi t hi n a

wor kout . The goal i s not necessar i l y mast er y of t he ski l l

but r at her usi ng i t as a t ool t o i mpr ove your muscul ar con-

di t i oni ng. Thi s t r ai ni ng usual l y i ncl udes ot her i mpl ement s

( hi gh bar s, var i ous wei ght ed obj ect s, et c. ) t o i mpr ove

st r engt h endur ance and car di ovascul ar condi t i oni ng. Thi s

t ype of t r ai ni ng can i ncr ease work capaci t y and muscl e hy-

per t r ophy; however , hi gh pr of i ci ency wi t h t he r i ngs and i m-

pr oved movement ski l l are not t he pr i mary goal s.

Trick Training

At t he ot her end of t he spect r um i s a pur e ski l l t r ai ni ng

pr ot ocol wi t h t he pr i mar y goal of per f or mi ng var i ous

t r i cks, such as l ever age hol ds and pr esses. Thi s met hod

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i s of t en i mbal anced as peopl e gr avi t at e t owar ds t hei r par -

t i cul ar f avor i t e t echni ques and negl ect ot her mot i ons.

We do not bel i eve t he above met hods ar e wr ong, nor ar e

we sayi ng t hat t hese ar e bad pr otocol s. We f eel t hat both

of t hese met hods ar e ver y val i d pr ot ocol s f or achi evi ng

t hei r par t i cul ar goal s. However , we f eel t hat t her e i s an-

ot her method t hat can hel p you achi eve t he r esul t s you de-

s i re.

Our Rings One Protocol for Practical Fitness

Base Training

Whet her i t be on t he r i ngs, wi t h a bar bel l , or j ust usi ngbody wei ght , we must f i r st st ar t wi t h bui l di ng st r engt h.

Thi s makes sense because we can t expect t o j ump i nt o a

pr ogr am and i mmedi atel y l i f t a massi ve amount of wei ght or

per f or m an I r on Cr oss! That i s why we must f i r st f ocus on

devel opi ng a cer t ai n base l evel of st r engt h wi t h a Gener al

Preparedness Pr ogr am ( GPP) . Now, even t hough GPP i s t ermed

general , proper GPP i s more t han j ust some r andom exer-

ci ses put t oget her t o make you sweat and st r ai n. The chosen

GPP exer ci ses ar e t he f oundat i on f or your ent i r e pr ogr am

pr ogr essi on and shoul d be speci f i c wor k l eadi ng t o your ac-

compl i shment of t he f i nal ski l l s.

Skill Work

The GPP f ul l y prepar es you f or t he next phase of t r ai ni ng,

Ski l l Acqui si t i on Tr ai ni ng ( SAT) . Wi t h SAT, we br eak down

speci f i c compl ex ski l l s i nt o thei r pr oper component par t s.You t hen wor k on i mprovi ng your f or m and abi l i t y i n t hese

component s. Last l y, you l i nk t he component s back t oget her

i nt o t he pol i shed ski l l . Ther e ar e a var i et y of opt i ons t o

t r ai n i n t hi s phase, but t he over r i di ng concer n i s i dent i -

f yi ng t he cor r ect component s of a par t i cul ar ski l l .

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SAT i s a necessar y component f or t hi s t ype of t r ai ni ng

r egi men; however , i t i s al l t oo common t hat once a gi ven

ski l l i s l ear ned, peopl e si mpl y keep r epeat i ng t he ski l l

over , and over , and over , and over . . .

However , i t doesn' t ( and shoul dn t ) have t o st op

t her e.

Learning Flow

I f we coul d choose onl y one aspect t hat separates our br and

f r om most ot her t r ai ni ng appr oaches, i t i s our emphasi s on

f l ow wor k. The abi l i t y t o seaml essl y t r ansi t i on f r om one

movement t o another t akes hi gh l evel s of st r engt h, body

awar eness, and concent r at i on. These ar e al l qual i t i es t hat

we want t o devel op and enhance here at Gol d Medal Bodi es.

The ski l l s acqui r ed i n t he SAT por t i on of t he pr ogr am

are now mer ged toget her t o f orm a r i ng f l ow. The per f orm-

ance of t he ski l l s i n sequence creat es a gr eat er t r ai ni ng

ef f ect t han per f ormi ng t hose same moves separat el y. The

t r ansi t i oni ng bet ween t he moves i nvol ves a hi gher l evel of

concent r at i on and coor di nat i on, and t hi s f eeds di r ect l yi nt o gr eat er st r engt h gai ns.

I t wi l l not onl y si gni f i cant l y i mpr ove your chest ,

back, shoul der , st omach and ar m st r engt h, but al so i ncr ease

t he i ncr edi bl y i mpor t ant at t r i but e of bei ng connect ed be-

t ween your t r unk/ core and your l i mbs.

What do we mean by connect ed? Wel l , many t i mes when

you see peopl e i n t he gym worki ng on var i ous machi nes and

cabl es and dumbbel l s, t hey separ at e thei r t r ai ni ng i nt o one

body part or another . These peopl e of t en l ook very good,

especi al l y i f t hei r r egi men i s bal anced wi t h equal t i me

spent on each segment of t hei r bodi es. However , t hough they

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may be ver y muscul ar , t hey may not necessar i l y be very at h-

l et i c.

Now, t hi s doesn t mean t hey ar e weak; i n f act , t hey

may be ver y st r ong at cer t ai n l i f t s. Yet , t hi s t ype of

t r ai ni ng f ocuses on pl aci ng st r ess on i ndi vi dual muscl es,

and ver y of t en the exer ci ses t hey per f or m don t have var i -

ous par t s of t he body worki ng t oget her t o accompl i sh a

movement .

On t he other hand, t hat s exact l y what we are doi ng.

We are f ocused on t he movement s, not muscl e approach, and

t hi s emphasi s i s what t r ansl at es t he st r engt h we gai n f r om

t r ai ni ng t he r i ng f l ows i nt o usabl e, pr acti cal st r engt h f oral l our ever yday and r ecreat i onal act i vi t i es. Rat her t han

j ust bei ng a col l ect i on of body par t s, we have a whol e- body

f eel i ng of st r engt h and power .

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Chapter Two: Balancing Preparation,

Work, and Recovery

Joint Preparation

One of t he hal l mar ks of i nt el l i gent t r ai ni ng i s a pr oper

war mup r out i ne. Our j oi nt s and muscl es move much mor e

smoot hl y when t hey are l oosened up and pr i med f or exerci se.

Opt i mal l y, you shoul d have a warmup speci f i c t o t he mai n

exer ci ses i n your wor kout sessi on, r at her t han a random

st r et ch what ever f eel s t i ght r out i ne.

A pr oper set of war mup exer ci ses i s speci f i c t o t he

movement s you wi l l be per f ormi ng i n your t r ai ni ng. The

var i ous r anges of mot i on, al ong wi t h what part of t he body

wi l l bear t he most st r ai n i n t he act i vi t y, shoul d be t aken

i nt o consi der at i on. Thi s t ype of speci f i ci t y i s not onl y

t he most benef i ci al , i t i s al so ver y ef f i ci ent . You won t

be wast i ng t i me on warmup act i vi t i es t hat don t mat ch what

you wi l l be doi ng i n your wor kout .

Your warmup i n t hi s pr ogr am emphasi zes t he shoul ders

and t or so, as t hey bear t he br unt of t he tensi on and t or que

f or ces t hat ar e a f eat ur e of r i ngs wor k. Your shoul der s and

spi ne shoul d be wel l pr epared f or t he t r ai ni ng or you may

i nj ur e your sel f .

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Rings Warm-Up

The f ol l owi ng ar e cur sor y descr i pt i ons of t he exerci ses,

pl ease ref er t o t he DVD f or t horough expl anat i ons.

1. Vi br at i ons ( 30 seconds)

1. Whol e body

2. Hands open, r ai sed t o head hei ght

3. Twi st i ng

2. Swi mmi ng

3. Runni ng

4. Dog paddl e

5. Ar m scr ews

6. Gunsl i nger

7. Ful l body wave

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Compensatory Movements

Whi l e many progr ams out t her e now r ecogni ze t he need f or a

speci f i c war mup bef or e a vi gor ous t r ai ni ng sessi on, t her e

ar e st i l l qui t e a f ew t hat ei t her negl ect a cool - down or

j ust t oss i n a f ew ar bi t r ar y st r et ches f or a coupl e of mi n-

ut es here and there.

Thi s negl ect can l ead t o i ncr eased r est i ng muscul ar

t ensi on, of t en f el t as t he sensat i on of bei ng t i ght af t er

a hard workout . Thi s i ncr eased t ensi on can accumul at e and

cause chr oni c muscl e shor t eni ng and post ur al changes.

A si mpl e way t o t hi nk of t he pr oper speci f i c compensa-

t or y movement s af t er a t r ai ni ng sessi on i s t o work t he

r anges of mot i on and dr i vi ng f orces t hat ar e opposi t e of

t he di r ect i on you appl i ed f or ce t o i n your wor kout pr ogr am.

For exampl e, i f your workout consi st ed mai nl y of push- ups

( hands i n f r ont pushi ng away) , t he pr oper compensat ory pos-

t ure woul d have your hands behi nd you and pushi ng back away

f r om you. Thi s i s t he movement per f ormed i n t he Tabl e pose.

Thi s cool - down f l ow sequence hi t s al l of t he pr oper

compensat or y posi t i ons f or t he var i ous r i ng exer ci ses i n

our pr ogr am. The f l ow doesn t change af t er every workout

because each t r ai ni ng sessi on cont ai ns t he same bal ance of

push and pul l act i vi t i es f or t he same ranges of mot i on and

angl es of f or ce. The exer ci se sel ect i ons and pr ogr essi ons

uni f orml y emphasi ze di f f er ent aspect s of t hese mot i ons and

f or ces. Thi s speci f i c wor k af t er t he i nt ense t r ai ni ng i s an-

ot her di st i nct f eat ur e of t he GMB pr ogr ams, and i t i s a ma-

j or par t of our phi l osophy of t r ai ni ng proper l y t o not onl y

have opt i mal per f or mance but al so decr ease our r i sk of i n-

j ury. We can' t progress when we ar e i nj ured!

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Rings Cool-Down Flow

1. St andi ng backbends

2. El bow behi nd head

3. Hands cl asped behi nd, f orwar d bend

4. Chai r pose wi th hands f orward

5. For war d bend, j ump back t o Seal

6. Sl eepi ng War r i or

7. Ar m t hr ead Sl eepi ng War r i or

8. Tabl e

9. Hand behi nd shoul der st r et ch

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Chapter Three: The Exercises

Seven Key Components of Exercise

Bef or e we begi n our descr i pt i on of t he var i ous exer ci ses,

l et ' s st ar t wi t h t he key poi nt s of pr oper per f or mance

you' l l need t o be aware of f or ever y exer ci se i n t he GMB

programs.

The seven key component s wer e devel oped as a measur e

of t he qual i t y of a per son s movement . Di l i gent adher ence

t o t hese concept s ensur es bodi l y saf et y and al l ows f or t he

f ul l physi ol ogi cal benef i t of ever y exer ci se.

The seven key components ar e:

1. Crown to coccyx alignment: t he pr oper posi t i oni ng

of t he spi ne i n r el at i on t o i t s own sect i ons and

t he r est of t he body i n gener al .

2. Core activation: t he pr oper r ecr ui t ment of t he deep

t or so muscul at ur e f or st abi l i t y i n mobi l i t y.

3. Hip recruitment: t he pr oper r ecr ui t ment of t he hi p/

pel vi c gi r dl e.

4. Shoulder pack: t he pr oper al i gnment of t he shoul der

gi r dl e f or f or ce t r ansf er f r om t he t or so t o t he up-

per ext r emi t i es.

5. Arm lock: t he pr oper el bow posi t i oni ng f or f or ce

t r ansf er f r om t he shoul der gi r dl e t o t he hand.

6. Grip confirmation: t he pr oper t ensi oni ng and posi -

t i oni ng of t he hand/ f i nger s.

7. Leg drive: t he pr oper r ecr ui t ment of t he l ower ex-

t r emi t i es.

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By t hemsel ves, t hese component s are r emi nders f or t he

pr oper f or m and execut i on of ever y exer ci se. I n t he DVDs,

Coach Hur st wi l l descr i be t he pr oper execut i on of t he exer -

ci se and wi l l of t en r el at e sever al of t hese key poi nt s t o

each ot her i n hi s i nst r uct i on. The manual wi l l al so empha-

si ze cer t ai n component s, and soon, wi t h enough repet i t i on

under your bel t , you wi l l be abl e t o cr i t i que your sel f as

you per f or m t he exer ci ses i n t hi s cour se. And r at her t han

at t empt i ng t o memor i ze a coupl e dozen l i t t l e det ai l s about

each exer ci se, we can i nst ead r ef er t o our per f ormance i n

r egar d t o t hese seven key component s.

I n addi t i on, as i n any good hol i st i c syst em, i t i s t he

t otal i t y and i nt er connect edness of t he seven key component s

t hat unl ock t he gr eat est benef i t ; t he whol e i s gr eat er t han

t he sum of i t s par t s. The pr oper per f or mance of one key

component of t en l eads t o the pr oper appl i cat i on of t he

ot her component s.

For exampl e, l et s l ook at t he r el at i onshi p of shoul -

der pack t o cor e act i vat i on. When we car ef ul l y al i gn our

shoul der s down and back, and keep t hem st eady i n thi s posi -

t i on f or ever y act i vi t y, our shoul der gi r dl e si t s upon our

t or so cor r ect l y. Thi s post ur e al l ows f or a st abl e pl at f or m

f or t he opt i mal use of our upper ext r emi t i es. I f we don' t

and we al l ow t he shoul der gi r dl e up and away f r om t he body,

t he f or ce t r ansf er r ed wi l l " l eak" at t he weaker connec-

t i ons. I n addi t i on, havi ng our shoul der gi r dl e i mpr oper l y

r ai sed i s of t en accompani ed by a l i f t i ng of t he r i bs, i m-

pl yi ng a l ack of pr oper core act i vat i on. When our core i s

cor r ect l y engaged, t he r i bs shoul d be dr awn down and i n. I f

not , t her e i s l ess t han opt i mal st abi l i t y i n your t r unk.

Now i magi ne l i f t i ng a wei ght over head wi t h poor shoul der

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pack; i t i s not j ust your shoul der s t hat may suf f er , but

al so your l ow back, as t he decr eased cor e act i vat i on can

cause undue st r ai n at your l umbar spi ne and pel vi s.

Let s t ake detai l ed l ook at how t he seven key compo-

nent s wor k i n one of t he basi c exer ci ses you l l be per f or m-

i ng i n t hi s progr am.

Pull-Ups

1. Crown to coccyx alignment: I n t hi s exer ci se, many

peopl e t end to over ar ch t hei r back and neck. Thi s

act ual l y pl aces t he muscl es i n a l ess t han opt i mal

posi t i on t o exer t f or ce, and i t al so can creat e t oo

much st r ai n. You shoul d be l ooki ng st r ai ght ahead,

or j ust sl i ght l y upwar d. Li f t t he chest up, so as

not t o sl ump, but don t over do i t or you wi l l bend

your upper and l ower back t oo f ar backwards and

l ose t he cor r ect posi t i oni ng f or pr oper cor e act i -

vat i on.

2. Core activation: As t hi s i s st r ongl y r el at ed t o t he

proper spi nal al i gnment we ment i oned above, make

sur e t o keep your r i bs drawn down and i n toward

your hi ps. Thi s wi l l assi st i n keepi ng your body i n

one pi ece. You l l t hen be abl e t o maxi mi ze t he

f or ce t r ansf er f r om your ar ms t o your t or so and not

l ose any power f r om bei ng t oo l oose.

3. Hip recruitment: Once more we see the rel at i onshi pbetween one component and anot her . Though i t seems

t hat you ar en t usi ng your l ower body at al l i n a

Pul l - Up, pr oper l ower body r ecrui t ment i s cruci al .

St r ong cor e act i vat i on, al ong wi t h squeezi ng your

hi ps and but t ocks, pr ovi des st abi l i t y f r om bel ow

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your r i bs al l t he way down t o your f eet . Thi s st a-

bi l i t y makes t he Pul l - Up easi er t o per f or m.

4. Shoulder pack: Keepi ng your shoul der s pul l ed down

and back i s a chal l enge f or t he begi nner , but i s a

def i ni t e key t o good Pul l - Up per f or mance. I f t he

shoul der s are al l owed t o r i se out of pack, i t can

be bot h i nj ur i ous and al so pr event t he per son f r om

even pul l i ng up at al l . Shoul der pack i s an i mpor -

t ant adj unct t o cor e act i vat i on i n t hi s exer ci se.

5. Arm lock: Keep your el bows f r om movi ng si de to

si de. Ei t her your ar ms st ay cl ose t o your si des or

f l ar ed out t o t he si de i n l i ne wi t h your t or so.Pr oper el bow posi t i oni ng wi l l pr event t he var i ous

t endi ni t i s i nj ur i es associ at ed wi t h i mpr oper f r om

i n Pul l - Ups.

6. Grip confirmation: Your gr i p on t he r i ngs i s ver y

i mpor t ant ( see DVDs f or exact per f ormance of t he

gr i p var i at i ons) . And r at her t han mai nt ai ni ng a

deat h gr i p, you shoul d act i vel y change t he posi -

t i on and st r engt h of your gr i p. Thi s wi l l hel p pr e-

vent your gr i p f r om bei ng t he weakest l i nk i n t he

chai n, wi t h your gr i p f ai l i ng bef or e your ot her

muscl es are f at i gued.

7. Leg Drive: As wi t h hi p r ecrui t ment , l eg dr i ve i s

of t en negl ect ed as a component of upper body ex-

er ci ses. However , pr oper l eg dr i ve can cer t ai nl y

cont r i but e t o bet t er r esul t s when pr act i ci ng Pul l -Ups. By t i ght eni ng t he upper and l ower l egs, you l l

i ncrease st abi l i t y f r om your cor e t o your f eet .

Thi s makes i t much easi er t o pul l yoursel f up.

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We won t be di scuss i ng t he seven key component s i n de-

t ai l f or t he 60+ exer ci ses i n t he pr ogr am. Because f r ankl y,

t hat woul d make t hi s manual i ncr edi bl y l ong! However , we do

pr ovi de key cues f or ever y exer ci se, and t hese cues al ong

wi t h t he det ai l ed i nst r uct i ons i n t he DVD wi l l keep you i n

proper adher ence t o t he seven key component s.

Wi t h t hese si mpl e exampl es, you can under st and t he

connect ed nat ur e of t he seven key components and how a good

awar eness of t hem l eads t o an i mpr oved physi cal pr act i ce.

Correct Breathing Principles

Anot her i mpor t ant aspect of opt i mal t r ai ni ng i s t he pr ac-

t i ce of cor r ect br eat hi ng dur i ng al l of t he movement s.

Fi r st and f or emost , dont hold your breath!

Thi s shoul d go wi t hout sayi ng, but breat h- hol di ng i s

ver y common, especi al l y when we st ar t per f ormi ng new exer -

ci ses. Hol di ng your br eat h and br aci ng i n a post ur e or a

di f f i cul t acti vi t y i s, f or many, a nat ur al r esponse. Unf or -

t unat el y, i t s al so one of t he wor st t hi ngs you can do. Ex-hal e when you ar e exer t i ng ef f or t and never hol d your

br eath.

Second, our br eat hi ng pat t er n shoul d mat ch i nhal at i on

wi t h expansi on and exhal at i on wi t h compr essi on. Thi s al l ows

us t o f ol l ow t he natur al movement of our l ungs and coor di -

nat e our body s posi t i on wi t h t he cor r ect br eat hi ng, r at her

t han f i ght i ng agai nst .

For an exampl e, st and up t al l , l i f t up your hands as

f ar as possi bl e and br eat he i n deepl y. You shoul d f eel as

i f you ar e br eat hi ng i n as much ai r as possi bl e, f i l l i ng up

your l ungs t o thei r capaci t y. Exhal e and r el ax, and r emem-

ber t he sensat i on of t he f ul l i nhal at i on. Now, si t down on

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t he f l oor and cr unch up i nt o a bal l , hug your knees i nt o

your chest and make your sel f as smal l as possi bl e. Tr y t o

i nhal e deepl y i n t hi s posi t i on. Compar e t hi s f eel i ng wi t h

t he one ear l i er , when you wer e st andi ng t al l and f ul l y

open. Doesn t i t f eel as i f you ar e st r ai ni ng t o i nhal e,

and t hat t her e s no r oom f or you t o t ake i n any ai r ?

When you r egul at e your br eat hi ng t o never hol d your

br eat h, exhal e on exer t i on, and coor di nat e your br eat hi ng

wi t h your body posi t i on, you wi l l make t he most out of your

ef f or t and f i nd your sel f per f or mi ng t o your best abi l i t y.

As you cont i nue t o pr act i ce pr oper br eat hi ng i n al l

your exer ci se act i vi t i es, you wi l l gr adual l y pr ogr ess f r omt he need t o be act i vel y cont r ol l i ng your br eat h t o wher e

you ar e br eat hi ng cor r ect l y wi t hout t hi nki ng about i t . Thi s

i s t he begi nni ng of br eat h mast er y, and i t s a beaut i f ul

t hi ng.

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Rings One Exercise and Flow List

The f ol l owi ng i s a compl et e l i st of t he exerci ses sel ect ed

f or t he Ri ngs One pr ogr am. Pl ease ref er t o t he DVDs f or de-

t ai l ed i nst r uct i ons on exer ci se per f or mance.

Fundamentals

Grips

St andar d gr i p: r i ng i n mi ddl eof pal m

Fal se gr i p: up on t he r i ng,pl ace cr ook of wr i st bel owbl ade of t he hand, hand i s atan angl e on t he ri ng. Pl aywi t h t hi s gr i p on assi st edchi ns

Dead Hang Pulling Prep

Keep ar m st r ai ght

Pul l shoul der bl ades down

Lock down cor e, l i f t chest up

Core act i vat i on emphasi s

Above The Rings

Top Position

Ar ms cl ose t o t he body

Chest up, st r ai ght body

Focus on pul l i ng r i ngs i n t o-ward t he body, pushi ngt hr ough t he r i ngs, squeezebut t ocks and core

Top Position Tuck-Up



Pul l knees t o chest

Don t bend over when pul l i ngknees up

Focus on pul l i ng r i ngs i n t o-ward t he body, pushi ngt hr ough t he r i ngs, squeezecore

Top Position Pike-Ups (to L-

Sit)



Pul l f r om t he hi p f l exor s

Don t bend over

Focus on pul l i ng r i ngs i n t o-ward t he body, pushi ngt hr ough t he r i ngs, squeezecore

Top Position Straddle Hold (Bo-

nus Exercise)

Hi gh pi ke t o begi n

Turn t he r i ngs out

Dr i ve your l egs up

El bows f aci ng out ward

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Assisted Dip

Hei ght of bel l y but t on

Feet t oget her on f l oor di -r ect l y bel ow r i ngs

Keep el bows i n, t ucked i n atyour si de

Keep chest up

Shoul ders don t di p bel owr i ngs

Push exhal e, i nhal e as youl ower

Dips

St andar d gr i p


Keep chest upDon t l et shoul der s go past

t he r i ngs

Focus on l ower i ng i nt o thedi p


L-Sit to Dip

St art i n L- Si t

Chest up


Don t l et shoul der s go pastt he r i ngs

Focus on l ower i ng i nt o thedi p


Tuck to Tuck Shoulder Stand

Cor e act i vat i on key poi nt

Fr om t op posi t i onBr i ng shoul der s t o hands,

t hen l i f t but t ocks up i n t heai r

Ri ngs st ay cl ose t oget her i nf r ont of your chest , pal msf aci ng you

Ret ur n t o st ar t i ng posi t i on

L-Sit to Tuck Shoulder Stand


Fr om t op posi t i on

Br i ng shoul ders t o hands,t hen l i f t but t ocks up i n t heai r


Ret ur n t o st ar t i ng posi t i on

Tuck to Straight Leg Shoulder

Stand


Fr om t op posi t i on



Then st r ai ght en l egs wi t hf eet poi nt i ng t o t he sky

Tuck agai n t o r et urn t ostar t i ng posi t i on

Tuck to Tuck Bent Arm Stand

Ri ngs at wai st l evel

El bows bent at a l i t t l e mor et han 90 degr ees

St ar t at t op posi t i on

Ti ght t uck t o l i f t but t ocksup

Keep hands f aci ng each ot her

Br i ng shoul ders down and f or -ward and hi ps l i f t back andup

El bows st ay i n same posi t i on,not goi ng out t o the si de.

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L-Sit to Tuck Bent Arm Stand


El bows bent at a l i t t l e mor et han 90 degrees


L- Si t t o t uck t o l i f t but -t ocks up


Br i ng shoul ders down and f or -war d and hi ps l i f t back andup

El bows st ay i n same posi t i on,not goi ng out t o t he si de

L-Sit to Bent Arm Stand to

Shoulder Stand


El bows bent at a l i t t l e mor et han 90 degr ees


L- Si t t o t uck t o l i f t but t up




Below The Rings

Jump Tuck to Inverted Hang

Bel ow t he r i ngs

Pul l wi t h ar ms

Turn r i ngs i n

Pul l down on t he r i ngs

Dr i ve knees up toward ar mpi t s

Pul l shoul der s down and backsl i ght l y

Then move t owar d l i f t i ng hi ps

up and over headEl bows cl ose i n and st r ai ght .

Tuck To Inverted Hang

Bel ow t he r i ngs

Keep arms st r ai ght

Turn r i ngs i n

Pul l down on t he r i ngs

Dr i ve knees up toward ar mpi t s


Then move t owar d l i f t i ng hi psup and over head

El bows cl ose i n and st r ai ght .

Pike to Inverted Hang

Bel ow t he r i ngs

Keep arms st r ai ght

Turn r i ngs I n

Pul l down on the r i ngs

Dr i ve t oes up t oward armpi t s


Then move t owar d l i f t i ng hi ps

up and over headEl bows cl ose i n and st r ai ght .

Reverse Chin-Up

Focus on t he l ower i ng

Pal ms f aci ng t oward you

J ump t o chi n l evel

Exhal e when l ower your sel f


As you l ower , bend knees soyou can f ul l y st r ai ght en ar m

Core act i vat i on emphasi s

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Reverse Pull-Up

Pal ms f aci ng out away f r omyou

J ump t o chi n l evel

Exhal e when l ower your sel f

El bows f l are out and down,shoul der s packi ng down andback


Cor e act i vat i on emphasi s

Assisted Pull-Up/ Chin-Up (bothare on the same video clip)

Pal ms f aci ng away f r om you

Chi n l evel

Go on knees

Pul l el bows down, shoul derspacki ng down and back

El bows f l are out as you goupwar d

Use t oes t o hel p l i f t up

Don t ar ch back, act ual l ycr unch your r i bs down towardyour hi ps

Narrow Pull-Up

Pal ms f aci ng i n t oward each

otherPul l r i ngs t o shoul der l evel


El bows as cl ose t o body aspossi bl e

Don t ar ch back, act ual l ycr unch your r i bs down towardyour hi p.

Wide Pull-Up

Pal ms f aci ng away f r om youPul l as hi gh you as can


El bows f l are out as you go up


Chin-Up

Pal ms t ur ned i n

Chi n l evel

Pul l el bows down, shoul der spacki ng down and back


Tuck Pull-Up

St ar t wi t h r i ngs f aci ng out -war d

Turn r i ngs i n

Squeeze your cor e

Dr i ve el bows down, shoul derspacki ng down and back

Keep chest upDon t ar ch back, act ual l y

cr unch your r i bs down towardyour hi ps

L-Sit Chin-Up

St ar t wi t h r i ngs f aci ng out -war d

Turn r i ngs i n

Squeeze your cor e

Dr i ve el bows down, shoul ders

packi ng down and backKeep chest up


Skin the Cat

St ar t wi t h r i ngs at chi nl evel

Lower your sel f sl owl y

Turn t he r i ngs out i n t he

movementPul l down on the r i ngs when

r et ur ni ng t o st ar t posi t i on

Fi rst pul l as you l i f t hi psup, t hen as you i nver t ,st r ai ght en ar ms. To r et ur nback, pul l up agai n t o bendel bows and r ol l f or war d t ot he st ar t i ng posi t i on

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Inverted Tuck Roll Chin-Up

Keep t i ght t uck

Dr i ve el bows down

Rot ate pal ms f aci ng I n

Tuck, r ol l f or war d and pul l

up

Inverted Pike Roll Chin-Up

St ar t wi t h deep pi ke

Dr i ve el bows down

Rot ate pal ms f aci ng I n

Chest up

Pi ke, r ol l f or war d and pul lup

L-Sit Chin Skins

Ski n t he cat wi t h pi ke r ol lChi n- Up

St ar t sl ow wi t h cont r ol

Keep a deep pi ke

Turn t he r i ngs t owar d you

Inverted Row (Straight Body)

St ar t f r om i nver t ed hang

Dr i ve l egs up t oward t he sky

Pul l el bows i n and down as

you pul l upKeep chi n t ucked

Inverted Tuck Row

St ar t f r om i nvent ed hang

Keep t i ght t uck

Pul l el bows i n and down asyou pul l up

Keep chi n t ucked

Inverted Pike Row

St ar t f r om i nver t ed hang

Lower i nt o t he pi ke posi t i on

Push but t ocks up t o the sky

Pul l el bows i n and down asyou pul l up

Keep chi n t ucked

El bows cl ose to body

Chin Half Cross (bonus exer-

cise)

St ar t wi t h pal ms t ur ned i n

Suppor t ar m pal m t o your chi n

Pl ace wei ght on one ar m andext end ot her ar m

Keep support el bow f i r ml yt ucked

Single Arm Chin-Up (bonus exer-

cise)

Dr i ve up wi t h non- chi nni ngar m

Chest up

Pl ace pal m t o chi n

Ice Cream MakersFr ont l ever and Chi n- Up com-

bi nat i on.

St ar t i n Chi n- Up posi t i on,l ean back and st r ai ght enar ms.

Br i ng hi p and st r ai ght l egsf orward as you st r ai ght enarms t o l ower t he body

Jump to Dip (Assisted Muscle

Up)

Ri ngs at shoul der l evel

Fal se gr i p


Keep chest up and expl odei nt o di p

Focus on l oweri ng i nt o t hedi p


Baby Muscle-Up

Ri ngs at chest l evel

Feet out i n f r ont and on t hegr ound t o assi st you i n t hepul l and pr ess t o Muscl e- Up

Pul l up st r ongl y, and whenshoul der s go above t he hands,push up

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Muscle-Up

Ri ngs at shoul der hei ght

Fal se gr i p

Feet out i n f r ont , si t back,pul l wi t h arms

Keep el bows as cl ose i n f r ontof you as possi bl e, and pul l

The t r ansi t i on t o go abovet he r i ngs happens when shoul -der s go above your hands,pul l backwards and push up

Low Rings

Plank Hold

Don t t ur n hands whi l e hol d-i ng t he posi t i on

Keep t humbs f or war d

Keep f or ear m agai nst r i ng

Push t hr ough the par t of yourhand bet ween your t humb andyour wr i st

Mai nt ai n t hi s posi t i ont hr oughout t he hol d

Assisted Push-Up

St ar t on knees

Ri ngs di r ect l y under shoul -ders

Pal ms f aci ng each ot her ,t humbs f orward

El bows wi l l poi nt backwar d

To progress , br i ng knees f ur -t her back. Lower t he r i ngs asneeded

El bows i n, shoul der s don t godown past t he r i ngs

Push-Up

St r ai ght body


Pal ms f aci ng each ot her ,t humbs f orward

El bows wi l l poi nt backwar d

Turn r i ngs out f or Bul gar i anpush- ups. Lower t he r i ngs asneeded


Front Push-Up


Pal ms f aci ng each other t ostart

Turn r i ngs t o t he f r ont att he t op

El bow pi t s f or war d


Extreme Push-Up

Ri ngs t o bel l y

Pal ms f aci ng each other ,t humbs f orwar d

El bows wi l l poi nt backward

Keep body st r ai ght


Mountain Climber

St r ai ght body

Push t hr ough t he r i ngs

Keep but t ocks down dur i ngmovement

But don t l et hi ps sag

Keep shoul ders over r i ngs

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Reverse Row

Ri ng set up, hei ght shoul d bet he st ar t posi t i on wher e yourback i s of f t he f l oor

Pul l hi ps up f i r st and t hendr i ve chest up and f aci ng t he

cei l i ng

Pul l hands t oward your hi ps,el bows i n, t humbs r emai n f ac-i ng toward your head

Inverted Push-Up

Keep wei ght f orward

But t ocks hi gh

I nhal e on l ower , exhal e onreturn

Br i ng l egs cl oser as you pr o-gr ess i n l evel

Legs

Double Grind

Essent i al l y a squat

Bot t om of t he r i ngs at shoul -

der hei ghtSi t back, shi ns st ay per pen-

di cul ar t o gr ound

Ri ngs as support t o al l owsi t t i ng back f ur t her

Don t use r i ngs t o hel p youl i f t up

Single Leg Grind

One- l egged squat

Si t back i nt o the squat

Expl ode back upTr y not t o pul l on r i ngs

Chest up

Side Grind

Si de squat t o t he r ear

Bot t om of t he ri ngs at shoul -

der hei ghtSi t back, shi ns st ay per pen-

di cul ar t o gr ound

Ri ngs as suppor t t o al l owsi t t i ng back f ur t her

Don t use r i ngs t o hel p youl i f t up

4 Corner Balance Drill Beginner

and Intermediate

Hi ps r ol l ed under yousl i ght l y

Chest up

Head l ooki ng st r ai ght ahead

Hands gr i ppi ng as l i ght l y aspossi bl e f or bal ance

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Chapter Four: The Program

One of t he uni que di st i nct i ons of our t r ai ni ng syst em i s

how we det ermi ne when t o pr ogr ess i n our exer ci ses. When do

we t r y t o add anot her r epet i t i on or set ? When can we reduce

t he t i me i n bet ween set s? Some t r ai ni ng syst ems ar e vague

on t hi s, of t en st at i ng wor k as har d as you can ever y t i me

or you shoul d al ways be t r yi ng t o add anot her r epet i t i on!

Thi s i s al l wel l and good, as i ncr easi ng i nt ensi t y i s one

of t he ways t o pr ogr ess. However , doesn t i t seem l i ke

t her e shoul d be a bet t er way t o go about i t ?

I n GMB t r ai ni ng, we want t o be aware of ever y aspectof our t r ai ni ng and use t hi s mi ndf ul ness t o di r ect our wor k

i n the best way possi bl e. We shoul d eval uate our per f orm-

ance i n ever y sessi on and use t hese eval uat i ons t o anal yze

what shoul d happen at t he next sessi on.

Our eval uat i on t ool s ar e; Rat i ng of Per cei ved Tech-

ni que ( RPT) Rat i ng of Per cei ved Exer t i on ( RPE) , and Rat i ng

of Per cei ved Di scomf or t ( RPD) . The rat i ngs ar e made on a

scal e of 110, 1 bei ng t he l owest and 10 t he hi ghest on t he

scal e.

Rate of Perceived Technique: RPT i s our sel f eval ua-

t i on of t he l evel of pr of i ci ency we have i n t he par -

t i cul ar exer ci se. How does our f orm compar e wi t h t he

per f ect f orm demonst r ated i n t he DVDs? Bef ore we at -

t empt t o add r epet i t i ons or set s t o t he exer ci se, wewant t o make sur e our RPT i s at l east an 8.

Rate of Perceived Effort: RPE i s how much we j udge

our l evel of ef f or t i s i n t he gi ven exer ci se. We

shoul d onl y add work when our RPE i s at a 6 or be-

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l ow. I f i t i s hi gher t han a 6, t hen you ar e at t he

r i ght l evel of i nt ensi t y and don t need t o add mor e.

Rate of Perceived Discomfort: RPD r el at es t o t he

l evel of pai n we have dur i ng an exer ci se. Now, t hi s

shoul d be di st i nct f r om t he unease we f eel when we

expend ef f or t and our muscl es ar e bur ni ng. I nst ead,

RPD shoul d ref er t o any pai n t hat seems unr easonabl e

f or t he exer ci se. Thi s shoul d al ways be at a l evel

l ess t han 3. I f i t creeps hi gher t han 3, t hen t he

exer ci se needs t o be modi f i ed or scal ed f ur t her

back.

So, t o use an exampl e, you are per f ormi ng t wo set s of

ei ght L- Si t di ps wi t h an RPT of 8, RPE of 5, and RPD of 1.

I t i s t i me t o ei t her add mor e r epet i t i ons t o your set s or

decr ease t he rest per i od bet ween t he set s.

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Program Outline

Thi s sect i on out l i nes t he basi c components of t he Ri ngs One

pr ogr am - ki nd of a bi r d s eye vi ew so you can see wher e

t hi ngs ar e goi ng and how you l l pr ogr ess over t he cour se of

your pr act i ce. We ve al so i ncl uded det ai l ed dai l y char t s i n

Appendi x B.

Training Phases

Bot h l evel s of Ri ngs One i ncl ude f our phases, ar r anged as

f ol l ows:

Phase Focus Reps Rest Sets

14 Weeks

Strength Building - pr ac-t i ce basi c movement s

8 - 12 60 - 90s 3 - 5

24 Weeks

SkillAcquisition - bui l dcombi nat i ons Phase 1 move-ment s

5 - 13 60 - 120s 3 - 5

3

2 Weeks

FlowAcquisition - group

Phase 2 combi nat i ons i nt oa r out i ne 3 - 5 60 - 120s 3

42 Weeks

Flow - pr act i ce t he f l owi n i t s ent i ret y

Ful lf l ow

60 - 120sUp t o

6

As you can see, we begi n wi t h basi c ski l l s t o bui l d

t he necessar y st r engt h f or ser i ous r i ng t r ai ni ng. As t hat

st r engt h becomes avai l abl e, you l l gr adual l y begi n t o chai n

t he movement s t ogether i n l onger and more sophi st i cat ed

r out i nes, cul mi nat i ng i n a mast er r out i ne t hat cont ai ns

ever yt hi ng you ve pr act i ced up to t hat poi nt .

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Daily Schedule

The wor kout days wi l l al t er nat e between t r ai ni ng and r ecov-

ery ever y ot her day, but you wi l l al ways have t he weekend

as t wo days of f i n a r ow. For exampl e:

Week 1

Monday Tuesday Wednes-

day

Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

Day 1Wor kout

Acti veRecov-

ery

Day 2Wor kout

Act i veRecov-

ery

Day 1Wor kout

Act i veRecov-

er y

Act i veRecov-

er y

Week 2

Monday Tuesday Wednes-

day

Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

Day 2Wor kout

Acti veRecov-

ery

Day 1Wor kout

Acti veRecov-

ery

Day 2Wor kout

Acti veRecov-

er y

Acti veRecov-

er y

And so on f or t he dur at i on of t he pr ogr am. On t he ac-t i ve r ecover y days you wi l l si mpl y per f orm t he warmup se-

quence and cool - down f l ow one t i me, al ong wi t h what ever

r ecreat i onal act i vi t i es i n whi ch you nor mal l y par t i ci pat e.

We al so suggest per f ormi ng a l onger yoga sessi on on Sat ur -

days. A f l ow f r om t he Pr asar a Pr i mer woul d be ni ce. . .

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Level A: Novice Rings Athlete

Phase 1 - 4 Wee s

Day 1Above t he

Ri ngs

Top Posi t i on Hol ds ( w/r i ngs out )

Assi st ed Di psAssi st ed Push- Ups

Pl ank Posi t i on Hol dsMountai n Cl i mber s

Day 2Bel ow t he

Ri ngs

Rever se RowsAssi st ed Pul l - UpsRever se Chi n- Ups

J ump t o I nvert ed HangDoubl e- Leg Gr i nds

Phase 2 - 4 Wee s

Day 1Above t he

Ri ngs

Di psTuck- Up t o Shoul der -StandJ ump Di ps

L- Si t Hol ds4 Cor ner Bal ance Dr i l l( begi nner )

Day 2Bel ow t he

Ri ngs

Pul l - UpsI nver t ed Tuck Rol lChi n- Up

Ski n the CatSi ngl e- Leg Gr i nds

Phase 3 - 2 Wee s

Day 1Combi nat i ons

Compound 1

Pi ke Up t o I nver t edHol dSki n the Cat t o Low L-Si t

Compound 2

J ump Muscl e- UpTop Posi t i on Tuck toRever se Chi n Lay- BackChi n Lower t o LowerRi ng Tuck Posi t i on


Compound 1( f r om Muscl e- Up)Top Posi t i on Tuck t o

Tuck Shoul der St and( Return t o Top)Top Posi t i on Tuck t oReverse Chi n Lay- BackChi n Lower t o LowerRi ng Tuck Posi t i on

Compound 2J ump Muscl e- UpTop Posi t i on Tuck toRever se Chi n Lay- BackChi n Lower t o LowerRi ng Tuck Posi t i on

Phase 4 - 2 Wee s

Ful l Fl ow

Pi ke t o I nver t ed Hol dSki n the Cat t o Low L-

Si tDoubl e- Leg Gr i nd t o

J ump Muscl e- UpL-Si t

Top Posi t i on Tuck toTuck Shoul der St and

Tuck Top Posi t i on t oRever se Chi n Lay- BackRever se Chi n to Low L-Si t

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Level B: Intermediate Rings Athlete

Phase 1 - 4 Weeks

Day 1Above t he

Ri ngs

Di psTuck t o Tuck Shoul derStand

I nver t ed Push Ups

Push UpsJ ump Di psL- Si t hol ds

Day 2Bel ow t he

Ri ngs

I nver t ed Tuck Rows( bent l eg)I nver t ed Tuck Rol lChi n- Up

Chi n- UpsSi ngl e- Leg Gr i nds

Phase 2 - 4 Weeks

Day 1Above t he

Ri ngs

Muscl e- Up pr ogr essi ons( Baby Muscl e- Up)Tuck t o Tuck Bent Ar mStand

L-Si t t o Di pI nvert ed Push UpsPush Ups

Day 2Bel ow t he

Ri ngs

I nver t ed Pi ke Rol lPi ke Chi n- UpSki n t he Cat Rol l t oChi n- Up

Wi de Pul l - UpsSi ngl e Leg Gr i nds

Phase 3 - 2 Weeks


Compound 1

Wi de Pul l - Up to I n-ver t ed HangSki n t he Cat t o Rol lt o Chi n- UpL- Si t l ower t o Si ngl eLeg Gr i nds

Movement 2

Muscl e- Up t o L- Si tFal l back t o Rever seChi n Lower L- Si t

Compound 2

Wi de Pul l - Up t o I n-ver t ed HangSki n t he Cat t o Rol lt o Chi n- UpL- Si t l ower t o Si ngl eLeg Gr i nds

Movement 2

Muscl e- Up t o L- Si tFal l back t o Rever seChi n Lower L- Si t


Compound 1

( f r om Muscl e- Up)L- Si t t o Shoul derStandShoul der Stand back toL- Si t( Repeat )

Compound 2

Muscl e- Up t o L- Si tFal l back t o FrontLower L- Si t

Phase 4 - 2 Weeks

Ful l Fl ow

Wi de Pul l Up to I n-ver t ed HangSki n t he Cat t o I n-ver t ed Pi ke Rol l Chi nRever se L- Si t Chi nLower t o Si ngl e- LegGr i ndsMuscl e Up t o L- Si t

L- Si t t o Tuck Bent Ar mStandBent Ar m Stand back t oL- Si tL- Si t t o L- Si t Rever seLay BackL- Si t Rever se Chi n

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Outroduction

We hope you enj oyed t hi s f i r st pr ogr am i n t he Gol d Medal

Bodi es curr i cul um. We ve desi gned t he Ri ngs One pr ogr am as

t he f oundat i onal t r ai ni ng cour se f or t he r est of t he GMB

cur r i cul um. Wor ki ng on t he r i ngs bui l ds a gr eat deal of

muscl e and j oi nt power , and i s at t he cor e of pr act i cal

str engt h f or al l t he act i vi t i es i n your l i f e. And t he

st r engt h, ski l l s, and f ami l i ar i t y you ve gai ned f r om t he

per f or mance of t hi s cour se l eads i nt o our ot her cour sewor k.

Whi ch, of cour se, we hope you check out !

Thi s manual al so ser ves as a keyst one f or t he GMB cur -

r i cul um as we ve t r i ed our best t o out l i ne our phi l osophy

of t r ai ni ng and al l t he aspect s t hat you shoul d expect i n

t he r est of our t r ai ni ng pr ogr ams. We hope t hat i t i s of

enough det ai l and subst ance that you can ref er t o i t as you

cont i nue t r ai ni ng wi t h us.

We are havi ng a great t i me shar i ng wi t h you t he ways

we l i ke t o t r ai n, and hope you cont i nue t o wal k wi t h us i n

t hi s wonder f ul j our ney. We want you t o f i ni sh each t r ai n-

i ng sessi on eager f or t he next . We want you t o t r ai n hard

and smart , but al so have a l ot of f un al ong t he way! Most

of al l we want you t o t o enj oy t he r eal pr act i cal st r engt h

t o hel p you i n al l t hat you do.

Thank you. We hope t o see you soon!

The GMB Team

Ryan, J ar l o, and Andy

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Appendix A: Bonus Exercises

I n t hi s sect i on we shar e some exer ci ses t hat ar e not par t

of t he wr i t t en pr ogr ams i n Ri ngs One; however , t hey ar e f un

and chal l engi ng and can be i ncor por at ed i nt o ot her t r ai ni ngpr ogr ams. Agai n, det ai l ed per f or mance i nst r uct i ons can be

f ound on t he DVDs.

Chin Half Cross

Chest up hi gh, and el bows t i ght agai nst t he body

The ar m t hat i s ext endi ng t o t he si de shoul d have

t he el bow poi nted down as much as possi bl e

Don t hol d your br eath!

Top Position Straddle Hold

Be awar e of your head posi t i oni ng, t uck your chi n i n

sl i ght l y.

I n t he t r ansi t i on t o t he st r addl e, st r ongl y exhal e

and draw your r i bs down and i n, t o engage your cor e

st r ongl y.

Single Arm Chin

As i n al l pul l s, keep t he chest up.

El bows drawn i n t i ght and pul l i ng down i nt o t he hi p.

I n t he shi f t over , cont r ol your speed, so as not t o

sway t oo much.

We r ecommend set s of l ow t o medi um r epet i t i ons ( 5- 8

r eps) , as t hese t end t o be f ai r l y hi gh t ensi on exer ci ses.

You may al so want t o per f or m t hem ear l i er i n your exerci se

sessi on, when your ener gy l evel s are hi gh.

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Appendix B: Program Charts

For your conveni ence, we ve i ncl uded dai l y char t s f or a

f ul l si x mont hs of t r ai ni ng. Wor k and r est days ar e i n-

cl uded.

Progression

Wi t hout cont i nual l y i ncreasi ng t he di f f i cul t y of a wor k-

out , i t ceases t o chal l enge your body. Si nce t hi s chal l enge

i s r esponsi bl e f or t he adapt at i on t hat r esul t s i n i ncreased

st r ength, we want t o make sur e we keep progr essi ng as t he

movement s become easi er .

Most phases of t hi s pr ogr am i ncl ude var i abl e r anges

f or t he act ual number s of r epet i t i ons and set s as wel l as

r est per i ods t o be per f ormed. We suggest you use t he l owest

number of bot h set s and reps and t

rings one manual ebook

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