“I bought Elements in the summer of 2018 after noticing that I could not move as freely as I liked (e.g. stepping into the car while holding a bag) and increasingly being bothered by stiff hips. The program was an introduction to GMB and it totally changed my approach towards my training and how I view my body. Now almost 9 years later I have done most of their programs, but Elements is the one I always keep coming back to. It was also my introduction tothe GMB philosophy that has had a large impact in my life.
Some aspects of the GMB approach that I reflect on regularly every week:
- subjective measures are more helpful than objective when it comes to your body or health. Can you move freely in your day-to-day activities (e.g. play on the floor with your children).
- a little a lot is a lot better than a lot a little
- hip mobility is probably the most neglected aspect of training for most men - nothing has changed more the way I feel in my body than increasing it
- have fun and enjoy the process
After an excetptionally busy fall for my family, I had neglected my training and over Christmas had a back incident. It made me restart my Elements training in January and I am now feeling great and all it takes is 20 minutes per session.
GMB is a unique company and I can not recommend their programs highly enough. That is why I support them with a subscription to their alpha posse, as I want to make sure they can keep up the great work.”
“Elements is very surprising. It's a smart, modular approach to general fitness that focuses on movement, coordination, and control of your own body. You can build some general strength with it, too, especially in the joints you might not really "train," such as your wrists. It's not a personal course, but it's pretty easy to adapt to your needs and it lets you choose the workout duration and level of challenge. The emphasis is always on practice, experimentation, and improving skillful movement. It's interesting and after 3-4 weeks of several short workouts a week, I've already noticed small but valuable improvements in my comfort with skillful self-movement. I look forward to pressing ahead. This would work well on its own -- you can vary the intensity -- but I use it as a suplment to BJJ and other stuff.”
“Elements has been fun, effective, and educational. I'm a very active person and have dabbled in fitness coaching at various points in my life. Elements is probably the most thoughtfully created program I've encountered. This course provides simple, easy-to-learn building blocks for comprehensive wellness through movement. I've incorporated the four animal patterns into my daily movement practice, which I look forward to when I wake up every morning because I get to "play" while also doing something great for my body. Overall I recommend Elements 10/10 for anyone at any stage in your fitness journey.”
“I've been using several GMB programs for years now. Elements was my first program, and the one I use most (though they're all excellent!). As a parent, desk jockey and sometimes competitive fencer, my fitness training has often been derailed by illness and injury. Elements is the program that's been the best for getting me back into the saddle and feeling fit again. It's also great as a supplement both to weight training and fencing-specific training. The chill, unintimidating vibe from Ryan and Jarlo might make you miss how much better your movements and strength get if you stick with the program. 1000% recommended.”
“Getting older, sitting too much, wanted to be more mobile to keep up the strength and flexibility. Looked around at other programs. Elements had a lot of buzz online, so I went with it. Turns out to be the right choice for me. Starts out slow. Good coaching. Contains regressions to meet you at your level. And the results were pretty quick for me. My joints feel stronger, my squat form is better, mobility is overall much better and I'm only half way through elements. Good stuff, worth the money.”
“I used to be a lot stiffer and felt worse off because of it. I had somewhat resigned myself to it, mindlessly accepting it, in fact some things I hadn't even noticed. I don't remember the exact reasons I signed up. I'm a fairly active person, my kid is a competitive swimmer, so in an effort to understand how hard they train I voluneteered and learned to become a coach. I also got in the pool and started to practice the things they do, otherwise how can I legitimately critique them - a lot of other volunteers can do this but that's just not me. So fast forward a bit more, and I realise my ankle mobility was pathetic, always has been, hips too, but didn't notice the rest except maybe rolling out of bed with a stiff lower back, annoying but manageable.
Ok.. so I thought, let's give a program a try, maybe I can stave off getting old too soon, use it or lose it yada yada... I did a bit of research, saw good things about GMB so I took the plunge. I tried a few workouts.. 'Hey this isn't boring.. it doesn't tire me out so I can't train the things I want to improve..' I actually started to feel really good in relatively short amount of time (a few sessions). I'm now at the stage where I have made this a regular almost daily practice, I've gone back to the gym too as I'm now competing (mostly against my own times as I need to catch up) in swimming comps. Loving it, feeling good and most of all I don't feel inhibited by my own body. Feeling like I've got more to learn and achieve even with my average everyday body.”
“Started out as the quiet nerdy kid and then got into martial arts, yoga, weigh lifting, hiking, climbing and all of it catches up. Add a host of injuries (broken bones etc.) over the years and into my 40s, I started this program to improve movement. First on Normal, then Accelerated, and then had to restart on the Gradual and Slow settings as life gets in the way. This program has helped immensely. I still have some aches and pains, but nothing like I used to. I can squat deeper (as low as Chris, although I'm not as good as he is yet across all the slow movements and variations), stand up straighter and find that my body is in better alignment overall. This program is my staple when I'm on the road for work, I use it as a supplemental program at home during the week, and it's fun. Apart from the physical aspect, the movements require concentration and focus, and I always look forward to this workout even when I'm exhausted. I love that you can tailor it to how much time you have in a given day.”
“This has been a good program for me. I started with the gradual track due to a shoulder surgery. It seems like I do a lot of the same things each day, but I am getting stronger and more mobile.”
