GMB Rings One program - Phase 1

The short version is…rings are a cheap way to build strength, it’s both fun and good for you, the program is worth the $$$, give it a go.

There are a number of online calisthenics training programs available. Gold Medal Bodies a.k.a GMB have been tuning their programs for years now while also providing a wealth of free content. Committing to a program may seem expensive. Why pay for something that you can basically get for free on YouTube? It’s because GMB have a well honed, structured, simple, honest approach and a depth of knowledge, plus they give away so much content for free they had earned a way to get your attention...and I'm not even on a commission with these guys at all!

So if you consider biting the bullet and forking out the USD$95 for GMB R1, read on…it’s not much compared to entering an event these days or joining a gym, it’s worth it and here’s why…

Time for a change

Periodization! Your body needs a break from doing whatever you’ve been doing. During the cooler months it’s easy to focus on some tough endurance type events such as distance running, but into the warmer months it’s good to slip that into maintenance mode and try on something new.

Ring training is also less taxing on you than focusing solely on endurance events or HIIT circuits etc.   Sure keep these going but mix in something new.  

This program will focus on strength, particularly from the waist up. You might hardly break a sweat and since the reset between sets are 1-2 minutes you can quickly do something else while you have that short recovery. Great during summer! A whole session doing max sets and reps will take about an hour. (Toward the end of Phase 1 I found myself fitting in squats in between rings sets…not sure what GMB would say about this but it seemed only to have a positive effect.)

What does the program give you?

I’ve only just completed Phase 1, so we’ll focus on that for now.

1. A set program to follow including warmup, cooldown and rest days. They just tell you what to do and when over a time period, but with flexibility.
2. Detailed (but just the right level) instructions
3. Well constructed videos of each exercise
4. Printable worksheets to track your progress
5. A complete exercise library with videos
6. General information and basics
7. A bonus Leg module
8. Online support

The program itself is broken into 3 phases, each lasting 4-5 weeks or longer if you wish.

Phase 1 focuses on building up solid basics, you have got to have that technique and strength foundation since at the end you will be performing a full gym rings sequence, it will be cool.  Each week you’ll be aiming for 3 days of rings, but there is flexibility there so it might take you longer and that is fine. Two of the days are the same and focus on “above the rings”, the other is then “below the rings”. Each take up to an hour depending on how many sets and reps you do.

This phase will have you doing 3-5 sets and 8-12 reps on each, depending on your ability and how you feel on the day. 

A thing of importance is that each exercise is done in a sequence (not a circuit) until the sets are completed since this is aimed at building functional strength on the rings and we take 1-2 minutes of rest between each set.  Also each exercise gives you the chance to rank and record how you felt from: ‘the ease of it’ - max-effort to relaxed; ‘quality’ - broken to snappy. This way you’ll see your progress over time, be honest with this.

With the exercises you are encouraged to use your legs as training wheels to assist and progress from there. This is a program aimed to everyone.

Above the rings start with simple “Top position”, simply holding yourself steady above the rings, arms locked out rings turned away and hold for 3-5 seconds, not so easy at first as these hanging circles of timber can be hard to tame, but you’ll get it. Then it follows with assisted dips, push-ups, body holds and mountain climbers.

Below the rings are exercises such as reverse rows, assisted pull-ups and jump to hang inverted! Believe me that you will still be challenged, just take your time and focus on the great form they provide you in the instructional videos.

Progress over phase 1

My personal story is that I started from a fairly solid base since I had been doing chin-ups on a bar a few times a week for a year or two. I couldn’t do any magical moves but chin-up variations were becoming easier…trying them on rings at first is a tough ask. My mid-term goal was to be able to crack out a solid strict muscle-up; that is a chin-up that turns into a dip without any jumping or kipping (swinging).

There is another aspect to the course and that is there are two levels to train at ‘A’ and the more difficult ‘B’. GMB wisely recommend everyone starts at ‘A’. This is a good idea since you really don’t know what to expect. I have stuck with level ‘A’ and have not yet even peeked a look at what ‘B’ looks like, I just want to stick with ‘A’ throughout and once done I’ll go back to a maintenance mode and just enjoy the rings for a while before starting the whole program again at level ‘B’. This is a course you can do forever.

If you honestly record your progress on the worksheets they provide you will see the progress over time. It is a great thing once you finish the phase to go back and review it all and see the change.

You can feel the improvement by sticking to the plan.

And that muscle-up? I still have a go at it every week and can feel it getting there! The program through Phase 1 has certainly helped with that little party-trick and certainly with confidence on the rings with a gain in overall toning and strength. Plus the technical nature of it keeps your mind active and interested.

Now it's onto Phase 2 for me.  I'll report back later.

Have a go and let me know how you progress!