confusion and questions

Hi dear teachers,

I read, on a page about English grammar, that a gerund can be used as part of a compound verbal predicate. The examples, in relation to this usage of gerund, were:

- We could not help admiring the figure - skater. (part of a compound verbal modal predicate)

- We began training for the competition last month. (part of a compound verbal aspective predicate)

First, could you please tell me a few things about what 'a compound verbal predicate' is and a little bit on how we can identify it in a sentence.

Could you please tell me where, in the first sentence, the 'compound verbal modal predicate' is and where, in the second sentence, the 'compound verbal aspective predicate' is?

Thank you.