Handstand Pushup Progression

So, I'm almost able to touch my nose to the floor with the handstand pushup.

Progressing nicely.

Pike Press Progression

So, after a week of having no motivation and very bad workouts I had an excellent session and actually managed to improve my Pike Press. All the stretching I have been doing is really paying off. It might not look a great deal different from my other video but if you look closely at the beginning of the press my hands are actually on the floor (or almost) and only the smallest kick up is required. In my other Pike Press Progression post you can see the massive kick (rocking motion) that's require to be able to start the press.

I am very please with this progress and I'm sure before long I will be able to do this move without any type of kick or rock up...

Inspiring to say the least.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0A9LXvAewCA&feature=related

when I see something like this, its makes me realise that i'm years away from being able to do this... If I ever can.

Calorific deficiency

So in my quest to drop 6.3 kilos I am attempting to maintain a calorie deficiency of about 900 cals per day.

I have been doing this since Monday and I feel rotten. I am tired all the time, even what I wake up in the morning and my workouts have lacked energy and motivation. It’s so hard to exercise when not motivated and having this massive lack of energy I’m currently experiencing is very disheartening.
I guess once I am down to my target weight I will increase my calories again to maintenance level, and then a few weeks after that increase to a muscle building level (my personal level that works for me) of maybe 3000/3500 a day.

I am hoping that my body is in shock, and hope this tiredness doesn’t continue until I hit 13 stone.

I know people that are constantly dieting, (incorrectly I suppose if they are constantly doing it) but I really don’t know how they managed to live with this feeling… I imagine constantly dieting, and then putting the weight back on must play havoc with any training routine.

planche tutorial vid.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPbCi7bhyaM&NR=1

body/weight.

So, I’ve decided that I need to lose as much weight as possible.
I think that at the moment I am a little too heavy to be hauling my body weight around, and if I was lighter then these skills would be a lot easier.
Look at the body composition of “gymnasts” and anyone that can do some of the more impressive beast skill moves they are all relatively slim, I on the other hand am carrying a little bit too much beef.
So at 14 stone I intend of cutting to about 13 stone, this will hopefully increase my strength (by the fact that I will be lifting less weight) and enable me to be able to pull off some of the more complicated skills.

In theory :)

Crane Pose/Planche

Ste pointed me in the direction of the Crane Pose. This is actually something that I started doing about 2 days ago (I love the way we both discovered it around the same time:)

As in the above picture but my knee are on the inside of my arms rather than the outside. This is a precursor to the Planche and something one attemps to build the required strengh to hold the Planche. (see image 2, Jim from www.beastskills.com)

I must admit that I have a terrible time trying to hold this position, and found that my arms and shoulders were sore the next day. I managed to get the correct position once, and hold it for about 3 seconds, but didn't have the energy a second time.

What's your opinion Ste?

http://thegreatfitnessexperiment.blogspot.com/2008/08/women-will-rule-world.html

Interesting post, what are your thoughts on the claims that a woman burns less energy from the same activity? I thought you might have an evolutionary angle on this comment...

Fi(a)tness.

I have been reading other peoples fitness blogs and have started to notice a trend. It seems to me that most ‘fitness blogs’ are obsessed with diets (not diet, but ‘dieting’) and seldom seem to be interested in exercise, training and physical fitness.

I started to wonder if this was a problem with society in general, do we think that skinny = healthy? I can’t help but think that if people got as obsessed with fitness as they do with weight loss, they would be killing two birds with one stone… I.e. if you get fit, losing ‘fat’ (not weight) will take care of itself.

Gymnastic Training Article

excellent read....

http://www.dragondoor.com/articler/mode3/229/

http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do?id=512003

Pike Press Thoughts.

So I worked more on the Pike press last night. It was interesting because as my flexibility increases the Pike Press becomes easier. I am able to place the back of my hands on the floor now while maintaining perfectly straight legs. This is nice because I don’t need so much of a rocking motion to get the hip into the correct position (and without the hips being in the correct position this more is almost impossible). As my core strength and flexibility increase this more becomes smoother, more fluid and looks so much better.
Oh, and its essential to point the toes, and this help maintain straight legs. Not only does this look better, but it’s more consistent hence easier to control.

Current Workout

Mornings

Monday: 30 min run
Tuesday: 30 min run
Wednesday: 30 mins stretching session
Thursday: 30 min run
Friday: 30 min run

Leg Stretch to start, 15 mins.

A- Skills (2 per workout)
Pike Press
Ball Pike Press
Tuck Press
Hand Stand to Crab (unable to do)
Crab to Handstand. (unable to do)
Head-Stand to Hand-Stand - and reverse
L-Seat to Planche Hand-stand
Hand-Stand Pushup (freestanding)
Straddle to Planche Hand-stand

Pick 2 body parts per workout.

1 -Legs,
Extentions
Curls
Calf Raises

2 -Stomach,
Weighted V sits
Leg Raises
L Seat
L Seat Sides
Hanging Leg Raises

3 -Back
Chin Ups
Wide Grip Pullups
Towel Pullups (weighted 10k)
Seated Rows
Horizontal Pulls
Chin-up Claps

4 -Chest
Planche Pushups
Planche Shoulder Pushups
Wide Ball Pushups
Straddle Planche Hold
Pushup Dynos, (Close to wide hand position)

5 -Shoulders
Barbell Upright Row
Hand-Stand Push-ups
Hand-Stand Push-ups (one handed, aided with the other hand on a step)
Shoulder Rotations
Cable Shoulder Rotations
Lat Raises

Light Upper body stretch to finish.

Gymnastic Strength

Gymnasts are known for their strength, grace, and flexibility. These are a few ways to increase those traits in yourself, whether or not you are a gymnast.

1. Work on your abs. For almost all aspects of gymnastics, you need great stomach muscles, especially on bars. Mastering moves such as hollow body (when you lie flat on the ground and lift your legs and shoulders and arms, so that only your back and butt are on the ground. If you are doing it correctly, your stomach should become hard and it should be difficult. Try to work your way up to holding this position for a minute or more.) This can help you to do a variety of strength moves such as tuck-ups (when you do hollow body position, then curl up into a tuck so that only your back is still on the ground, and then back to hollow body- do about 30 at a time) and v-ups (same as tuck-ups but instead of going into a tuck, you go into a v position with only your butt on the ground), and plank position (when you lie on your stomach and put your elbows on the ground and lift your stomach so that only your feet and elbows and forearms are on the ground- hold for 1-2 minutes). Practicing these moves can help with gymnastics or simply to get the body you want. Hollow body position is vital to your success in Gymnastics, because you will use it at every event and if you do it incorrectly it can cause many problems. However, if you master it, and it becomes a good habit you will have great success in gymnastics.
2. Build leg muscles. This is not as important as abs but is still necessary. This can be done by running or heel-raises (when you stand on the edge of a surface- such as on the stairs or in gymnastics you can stand on the beam with your heels off the edge of the beam and you go from having your heels as far down as they go to standing on your toes, and repeat that about 100 times).
3. Build up your arm muscles. Do push-ups and pull-ups to get that muscle. Try a drill where you have a surface that is about 3/4 of a foot tall, and you do three sets of push-ups: 30 with your hands on top of the mat, 25 on the ground, and 20 with your feet on top of the mat and your hands on the ground.
4. Develop flexibility. Try doing all three splits every day for two minutes each. Once you have those splits down, you can work on the flexibility in your thigh by going into either your right or left leg split and lifting the foot of your back leg up so that that leg is bent. It's a really good stretch. Also practice going into a straddle and touching both legs and getting your stomach to the ground in the center. Try to touch your toes in a pike. Gymnasts should be flexible all over- not just in splits.
5. Take dance classes or practice drills for balance and coordination. This should help you become more graceful.

Hand Stand Clap Progression

L-Seat Progression

Supplements, Claims and Evidence

http://www.mckinley.uiuc.edu/handouts/ergogenic_aids.html

Hand Stand Clap

So, after reading a friends blog, and realising that he is actually a lot closer than me to achieving the handstand clap i thought i better ramp up my efforts and start training this move seriously.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvG1yME5lE0

I tried tonight, and with jelous infused strengh actully managed to leave the ground (for the first time). It seems that (like with so much of my training) that once I have seen someone (or as in this case read about someone) elses efforts it inspires me to try harder, and achieve more...

anyway, I managed to leave the groud, although I felt the landing jar my wrist and i wonder if i have my hands in the correct positions.

Handtstand Practice

I found doing one arm handstands (against the wall) really helped me prepare for a full on handstand. The helped to strenghen my wrists and helped me to improve balance and coordination.

This is an example of me doing One Arm Handstand Swaps.

Pike Press Begining.

A friend asked me how to start the Pike Press, I started by doing the following move. The ball got gradually smaller the move got harder.

This is a good way to learn the Pike Press.

L Seat...

Had a good session at the gym tonight, amazingly held the L-Seat for 5 seconds. Felt good, and I felt that I had made some real progress!

Vid to follow.

Tuck Planche and Elbo Leaver Training.

http://www.dragondoor.com/articler/mode3/229/


Building an Olympic Body through Bodyweight Conditioning
Christopher Sommer
We have all seen them on television during the Olympics; these powerful men performing amazing skills with ease and grace. Watching them perform the question inevitably arises - are they as powerful as they look? And the answer is - yes. What will probably be even more surprising to you is that they build their strength and physiques almost entirely with various bodyweight exercises. The list of requirements is long and can be rather daunting to prepare a world class athlete: passive flexibility, active flexibility, joint preparation, static strength, dynamic strength etc. etc. and is probably only interesting in detail to those of us involved with the physical preparation of champions. There are of course some supplemental exercises where weight is added (i.e. weighted leg lifts), however the central premise remains; these amazing athletes have built the vast majority of their strength and power through the use of bodyweight conditioning.
Now another question that we should ask ourselves - is the bodyweight training of the Olympians also beneficial to the fitness enthusiast? And if so, is it possible to apply at least some of it to those without a professional instructor to guide them or tens of thousands of dollars of specialized gymnastics equipment? And the answers are once again - yes and yes. There are some of our specialized exercises that are relatively easy to learn and require little or no equipment beyond a chin-up bar and some floor space. In this article, I will cover the basic progressions needed to learn two primary gymnastics exercises: the planche and the front lever. This will be by no means a complete bodyweight training program, but rather an introduction. These two movements were chosen for their novelty, the simplicity of the movements and for the excellent strength gains that are possible for those who are willing to commit the necessary sweat and dedication. The planche will be our pressing movement and the front lever will be our pulling movement. At advanced levels, adding a pushup to the planche and a pull-up to the front lever will effectively give a fairly intense full upper body workout, including the abs and lower back. Now before continuing further into our training, let’s first regress and consider the question of why to do bodyweight conditioning in the first place? A common misconception is that bodyweight exercises do not build substantial strength but are rather more suited for building endurance. For most people this conjures images of endless pushups, sit-ups or for the strong, perhaps pull-ups and dips. Great maybe for general fitness or endurance, but of little value in building real strength. First of all, exercise is exercise. Period. The name of the game is resistance. A muscle contracts against resistance and, with perseverance, over time, becomes stronger. For strength to increase, the amount of resistance or load worked against must also increase over time. Hence the problem with bodyweight conditioning - as the resistance (weight of the body) is fixed, how to continue to increase strength? Surprisingly the answer is simple - by decreasing the amount of leverage it is possible to exert on an exercise, the resistance of an exercise becomes increasingly greater. For example, a hanging straight leg lift is much harder than a tucked leg lift. In both exercises the weight of your legs remains constant, however by reducing your leverage (i.e. in this case straightening your legs) we are able to greatly increase the resistance. By straightening the legs we have effectively doubled the difficulty of the exercise even though the weight of the body has remained constant. With experience and creativity it is possible to learn or design exercises that, done correctly and with the proper progressions, are so lacking in leverage that even at bodyweight levels of resistance it is possible to build staggering amounts of strength. In addition to strength, the athlete will also develop excellent balance, coordination, agility and exceptional core strength. Perhaps that is why spectacular film athletes like Jackie Chan and Mark Dacascos always include gymnastics training in their physical preparation. How well do the progressions that I am going to share with you work? Well, consider that fact that Mr. Mas Watanabe recently visited my men’s gymnastics program and was astounded by the levels of strength and development he saw. For those of you outside the gymnastics community, Mr. Watanabe has been for the past 30 plus years, one of our primary leaders of men’s gymnastics here in the United States and has personally worked with and evaluated every Olympian, World Championship, National, and Junior National Team member that our country has produced during this time. After observing my current athletes completing their daily bodyweight conditioning program, Mr. Watanabe informed me that they were the strongest most physically prepared group of athletes he had ever seen. In fact he went so far as to state that he had never even seen another group come close. Now the main point that I would like to emphasize here - is that their physical development was procured almost exclusively through consistent progressive bodyweight conditioning. How strong is it possible to become with bodyweight exercises? Amazingly strong. In fact I would go so far as to say, done correctly, far stronger than someone who had trained for the same amount of time with free weights. Want some concrete examples? One of my former students, JJ Gregory (1993 Junior National Champion on the Still Rings) developed such a high degree of strength from my bodyweight conditioning program that on his first day in his high school weightlifting class he deadlifted 400lbs., and this at the scale breaking weight of 135 lbs. and a height of 5’3”.
After this I was curious and wanted to measure JJ’s one rep max on weighted pull-ups. We started fairly light with 10 lbs. or so. I continued adding more weight while JJ performed single rep after single rep. Unfortunately I didn’t know about chinning belts and chains at that time and the cheap leather belt we were using broke at 75 lbs. Once again, I repeat, at 75 lbs. and JJ had never performed a weighted pull-up in his life. But he had performed years of my specialized bodyweight conditioning exercises. How much could JJ have chinned that day? We will never know for sure, but I will tell you that at 75 lbs. JJ was laughing and joking with me and did not appear to be noticeably bothered by the weight. And JJ, while the strongest, is not an isolated case. For example, over the years I would occasionally (once a year or so) allow my athletes to test their one rep max on weighted chins (an exercise we never perform as part of our regular conditioning) simply so that they could have proof positive of the enormous measurable strength gains which they were enjoying. My own son at the age of 13 and a bodyweight of around 110 lbs. could chin 50 lbs. for 8 reps and it was not at all unusual for a 60 lb. younger athlete to perform 5 or more reps with 25 lbs. In addition to his amazing strength, look again at the incredible physique that JJ built solely through various bodyweight exercises. Also look at the pictures of some of my current group of athletes. Pretty buff for boys who mostly range from 7-11 years old and have never lifted weights. As well, consider the fact that as competitive athletes, they never train for appearance. Their physiques are solely the result of their training their bodies for the function of becoming better athletes. In other words, their physiques (and anyone else’s who trains in this manner) are functional first and ornamental second. Why does correct bodyweight conditioning work so well? There are several, the first is contraction. Basically, the harder the contraction over a greater part of the body during an exercise, the more effective the exercise. For maximum improvements training to failure is not necessary, but maximum contraction is. One of the main advantages to these advanced bodyweight exercises is that they require a complete full body contraction. In fact, at advanced levels, they are so demanding that it is simply not possible to complete them any other way. Another primary reason for their beneficial results is the nature of the static holds themselves. By holding the bodyweight in a disadvantaged leverage position, we are effectively multiplying the resistance of our bodyweight. Or more simply stated, we are supporting a heavy weight in a locked static position. This has tremendous positive impact on the strength of the joints and connective tissue and aids greatly in overall strength development. Many great weightlifting champions have sworn by the benefits of holding heavy weights in a locked position. Two that immediately come to mind are Paul Anderson and John Grimek, who both made heavy supports a regular part of their early training. Success at these exercises requires consistent incremental improvements. Do not seek improvement quickly or become frustrated after only a few weeks. You would not poke a seed into the ground and then jump back waiting for the plant to explode out instantly. You must be patient with physical conditioning also. While you may become more skillful or feel more powerful while performing a new exercise relatively quickly, this is due to becoming more neurologically efficient (“greasing the grove”), rather than experiencing an absolute gain in strength. It takes approximately 6 weeks to establish the first concrete strength gains. In other words, make haste - slowly. Be prepared to spend at least six months at these exercises to work through the various progressions. What?! Six months?! Yes, that’s right, at least six months. Some people may need to spend a year or more. You wouldn’t expect to bench press 300 lbs. right away. Nor should you expect to build high level bodyweight strength instantly either. Be consistent, be patient and soon you too can be enjoying the benefits of greatly increased strength and athletic ability. Alright enough talk, let’s get down to work and learn these progressions so that we can begin building some muscle. The following progressions will teach you how to perform the planche and the front lever as well as their more advanced variations; planche pushups and front lever pull-ups. We will begin with various static (non-moving, held) positions. From there, we will progress to the more dynamic pushing and pulling movements. You will use the same basic strength progression on all of the following exercises. Be sure to master one position in a progression before moving onto the next. Hold for sets of however many seconds you feel comfortable, while continuing to combine the time of your sets until you reach 60 seconds total time. The number of sets it takes to reach the 60 seconds combined total time is irrelevant. All that matters is that you accomplish 60 seconds of “quality work”. Once you can hold a position correctly for the entire 60 seconds in one set, it is time to move on to the next harder exercise and begin the training procedure all over again. Now there are some exceptions to this rule, but we will address them later as we come to them. Static holds can be performed each day for maximum benefit. However it is also possible to obtain excellent results with other workout schedules. The traditional Monday, Wednesday, Friday or Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday work well. My personal favorite that allows maximum work combined with substantial rest is Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday. Everyone’s recovery ability is different. Simply experiment with the various schedules to see which suits your individual needs best. Static holds can easily be placed anywhere in your current routine. My preference is to place them at the end of our physical preparation time. Once you have progressed to the more demanding planche pushups and front lever pull-ups, they should be placed in your workout in an appropriate spot for that exercise and body part and the static holds can continue to be placed at the end of the workout. You should work your way through the various progressions of both the planche and the front lever at the same time. As they work complementary muscle groups, working these two exercises together will actually increase the speed of your overall improvement as well as providing you with balanced development and strength in your shoulder girdle and core.
The Planche Progressions
Obviously, for those of us who are mere mortals, it is not possible to simply remove the legs from the floor and go directly to the planche. However with the proper progressions and patience, this position is attainable by a reasonably fit, hard working athlete. While working the various planches, strive to hold the hips level with the shoulders. Make sure that the elbows are straight. Bending the elbows greatly lessens the intensity of these exercises and will greatly slow your progress. Almost straight is still bent, so be diligent and keep them straight. One final general note on planches; hand positions on the planche series exercises is completely optional. Some prefer fingers forward, others to the side. Some swear by support on fingertips (my favorite) and others completely flat. Just experiment and find the grip that you prefer. If you find that a flat hand support on the floor is too uncomfortable for your wrists, these progressions can also be performed on a set of push-up bars. Frog Stand Begin this position by assuming a full squat and placing your hands on the ground directly in front of your feet. By directly, I mean right next to your toes. Arrange yourself so that your knees are resting against your bent elbows. Now gradually lean forward taking your weight both unto your hands and also unto your knees by leaning them on your elbows. Using your knees on your elbows will allow your legs to help your shoulders bear the load of your bodyweight. As you continue leaning forward you will eventually be able to remove your feet completely from the floor and hold yourself up with only your hands on the floor and your knees on your elbows for support. Balance is also a key to this exercise. As you first begin to learn how to lean forward in this position, you will often probably overextend and fall forward. Don’t worry have fun with it and enjoy some new training. Some pillows placed in front of you will help to cushion any crash landings. Notice that this is the only static position in our progressions with bent elbows. Continue holding sets of this position until you have reached your one minute total time.
Tuck Planche The main difference between the frog stand and the tuck planche is that now your weight will be entirely supported on your arms only. Once again begin in a full squat and place your hands next to your toes. Now, as in the frog stand, lean forward taking all of your weight on your arms and shoulders alone. Do not use your knees on your elbows for assistance. Holding the knees tightly to the chest will make this exercise easier. At first you may only be able to briefly raise off the ground. Do not worry. Keep adding small sets together to reach your goal of 60 seconds total. Simply continue working the position, striving to lift your hips to shoulder high. With consistent practice it is possible to increase your strength in static positions relatively quickly.
Advanced Tuck Planche Once you feel comfortable with the tuck planche and are able to hold it for 60 seconds with correct hips and elbows, you can increase the difficulty of this exercise by progressing on to the Advanced Tuck Planche. The primary difference between the tuck and advanced tuck planche is the position of the back. Note that in the tuck planche the back is curved, while in the advanced tuck planche the back appears flat. While holding your hips shoulder high, try to extend your hips back behind you until your back is flat. This “flattening” will greatly increase the intensity of the tuck planche. In fact, I think you will be extremely surprised at how much harder such a small movement can make the tuck planche. Continue working this position, until you are once again able to hold the static for 60 seconds correctly in a single set with your back completely straight (“flat”).
Straddle Planche Once you have mastered the advanced tuck planche position you are ready to work on the straddle planche. Finally! After months of hard consistent work the end is now in sight. While learning this skill, it is also beneficial to practice the next progression (the tuck planche push-up) at the same time. One will build upon the other. From the advanced tuck planche position, simply begin to extend your knees behind you from their position on your chest. Balance is critical here. As you extend your legs farther behind, you will also have to lean a little farther forward to compensate. The wider your legs are the easier the straddle planche will be (note: for those of you planning for the future, as you get stronger in the straddle planche you can increase the difficulty by bringing your legs closer together). Make small adjustments from workout to workout trying to either increase the length of your static hold or the extention of your position. Do not try to increase both at the same workout. BE PREPARED - just a small movement will greatly lessen your leverage on this exercise and make the movement much harder. This movement is so much more difficult, that it is not necessary to be able to hold it for 60 seconds before moving on. Once you can hold a straddle planche correctly for 10 seconds you will be able to move on. I know, I know . . . only 10 seconds! But trust me, it will feel like much longer while you are doing it. Tuck Planche Pushups By the time you begin working straddle planches, you will have achieved a reasonable amount of static strength and are ready to begin adding a dynamic movement to your static hold. The description of a tuck planche push-up is fairly straightforward; while in an advanced tuck planche position, simply attempt to perform a pushup. To receive the full benefit, be sure (or at least try!) to maintain the hips level with the shoulders during the descent and ascent of this movement. Don’t forget to fully straighten the elbows at the to of the movement. Reps and sets are completely up to you.
Straddle Planche Pushups Once you have learned both the straddle planche and tuck planche push-ups, you are now strong enough to tackle straddle planche push-ups. You could consider the planche pushup a super bench press or a full body press. In addition to working the triceps, chest and front delts, you also have a full contraction of the lats, middle back and lower back as well as the traps. The triceps and the forearms are also working hard stabilizing the elbow joint. Core strength is extremely taxed as the upper and lower abs, obliques, serratus and hip flexors all struggle to maintain the stretched (body) position. From the straddle planche, begin to lower yourself to the ground. Be careful to keep the hips level with the shoulders as you descend, as there is a tendency when first learning this skill to simply try to dip the shoulders forward. Pause just off the ground and extend back up to the straddle planche. Also be aware that as you rise from the bottom position, it will be quite a struggle to maintain your hips level with your shoulders.
Variations At first you may only be able to lower but not lift out of this position. This is fine. Any of Pavel’s kettlebell variations for learning military presses will also work fine here. For example: 1) Lower slightly, hold for a few seconds and continue lowering and holding. 2) Try to lower as slowly as possible, taking 10, 20 or even 30 seconds to complete the descent. 3) Lower all the way, lift up slightly and lower again and repeat.
The Front Lever Progressions
As before, we will begin our training progression with various static positions and from there progress to the more difficult pulling movements. For the front lever series be sure to use a shoulder width overhand grip (fingers pointing away) as this will increase the amount of power you can exert during these exercises. Also, as with the planche series, it is very important to keep the elbows straight as bending the elbow will lesson the intensity and possible gains of these exercises. Tuck Front Lever Using any kind of comfortable support (chin-up bar, tree branch, rings etc.), hang using an overhand grip (i.e.. with fingers pointing away from you). Bring your knees to your chest and then strive to lift your hips in front of you while at the same time leaning back with your shoulders. At this time it is fine to allow your back to curve as you learn and build strength in the movement. Your goal is to eventually be able to pull your hips up to horizontal or level with your shoulders with an approximately 45 degree angle between the arms and torso. This is however, a very difficult position for beginners and you will probably need to build up to it gradually. At first, simply lift your hips as high as you can and begin timing your sets. As before, combine your sets until reaching a total time of 60 seconds. Upon reaching a 60-second hold in a single set, it is time to once again move on to the next progression.
Advanced Tuck Front Lever Once the tuck front lever feels firmly in control, it is time to move on to the advanced tuck front lever. As with the advanced tuck planche, the main difference here is the “flat” back. This position will cause all of the muscle fibers in your back to fire as they struggle to handle the load of your bodyweight. The contraction will be intense. Your goal is to eventually be able to pull your hips up to horizontal or level with your shoulders with an approximately 45 degree angle between the arms and torso while maintaining your “flattened” back. To achieve this position, think of pulling your shoulders back away from your hands while at the same time pressing your hands down towards your hips. Be sure to remember to keep hips shoulder high and elbows tight and straight. Continue combing sets to your usual 60 second total and striving for that 60 second single set static hold.
Straddle Front Lever From the advanced tuck front lever position, begin to carefully and slowly extend your legs out from your chest. As with the planche, the wider your legs are spread, the easier the transition from the advanced tuck front lever to the straddle front lever will be. Strive to maintain your “flat” back position. If you are unable to do so, you are too far extended forward and need to pull your legs back a bit. Don’t forget to keep the shoulders pulling back and the hands pressing down. While working on the straddle front lever, it is also fine to begin learning the tuck front lever pullup.
Tuck Front Lever Pullups From the advanced tuck front lever you may now attempt to pull yourself up. Basically this is a horizontal pullup. It is incredibly difficult to hold the hip level with the shoulders during the pull. As you pull up, your hips will want to drop down and as you lower, your hips will want to stay elevated. These changes occur as your body struggles to find an easier way to complete the movement. Maintaining the horizontal position here is the key for exceptional back development.
Straddle Front Lever Pullups Straddle front lever pull-ups are essentially a full body weight row and will make you incredibly sore from head to toe. Do not attempt this movement until you are proficient at both the straddle front lever and the tuck front lever pull-ups. Doing so anyway will not injure you, you simply will not be strong enough to complete the exercise correctly. This movement is an especially good overall conditioner for the back, as this one exercise alone will work the back completely from the traps to the lats to the mid back down to and including the lower back. Biceps, forearms and shoulders are obviously also heavily worked. Core strength is once again extremely taxed as the entire mid section struggles to maintain the stretched (body) position. From the straddle front lever position, begin to pull your upper stomach to your hands. Be careful to keep the hips level with the shoulders as you rise, as it is very easy to simply let the hips and legs drag and turn this movement into a simple pull-up. Pause at the top and extend back down to the straddle front lever.
Variations The possible variations are much the same as those for the straddle planche pushups, only adapted to pulling rather than pushing. Well, there you have it. A simple and effective set of progressions for learning and benefiting from at least part of the training of Olympic Champions. Remember: Be patient. Be consistent. Avoid regular training to failure. Give the mother nature time to work for you Extreme strength, a great build, and a lot of fun -all done in minutes per day. What more could one ask for from a workout?

Monster Stretch...

So my legs aren’t sore any more after a monster stretching session I had about 3 days ago. I really feel that my Pike Press will improve vastly if I can increase the flexibility in my legs. So, I went nuts on a stretching session, and forgot one of the basic principles and philosophies of this blog, ‘slow and steady wins the race’.

Anyway, I want to really focus on the Pike Press as it’s a move that I find difficult, but obtainable, and it looks fucking awesome when done correctly.

On a separate note I have been inspired to start the single arm pull-ups again, so am going to incorporate then into my back workout. The single arm pull-up is something I find difficult, both technically and physically so this is going to require some serious practise. A friend has made some excellent strength gains with one arm pull-ups so I figured I better get on with it.

Pike Press Progression

Handstand Progression.

Shoulder injury cont...

So, my shoulder seems to be almost mended, I managed some push-ups last night, and although my shoulder still freezes up after training, it soon loosens up again for the next session.
So far, so good!

The problem with gyms,

Is they tend to look like this,

When they should look more like this,

Back to a regular workout.

Now that my shoulder is starting to feel a lot better I have decided to go back to a more regular 2 body parts per workout. I don't think that I need the flexibility that the all over body workout gave me anymore, and a more regular workout will suit me. I am going to stay with the Randomisation method, to keep every work fresh, as well as shocking the muscles by working the same group on consecutive days.
I really could do with a more comprehensive leg workout, but the simple fact is, works legs sucks old mans balls, and I hate it, so fuck it!

1 -Legs,
Extentions
Curls
Calf Raises
Press.

2 -Stomach,
Weighted V sits
Leg Raises
L Seat
L Seat Sides
Hanging Leg Raises

3 -Back
Chin Ups
Wide Grip Pullups
Towel Pullups
Seated Rows
Horizontal Pulls
Chin-up Claps

4 -Chest
Planche Pushups
Planche Shoulder Pushups
Wide Ball Pushups
Straddle Planche Hold

5 -Shoulders
Barbell Row
Hand-Stand Pushup
Shoulder Rotations
Cable Shoulder Rotations
Lat Raises

6 - Skills
Pike Press Ball
Pike Press
Tuck Press
Hand Stand to Crab
Crab to Handstand.
Head-Stand to Hand-Stand - and reverse.
L-Seat to Planche Hand-stand.
Hand-Stand Pushup.
Straddle to Planche Hand-stand

To finish

Stretching,
Straddle Stretch
Quad Stretch
Hamstring Stretch
Uppr Body

Sent to me by a mate, good info.

1) Big weights don't necessarily equal big muscles
One of the fundamental principles of resistance training is Gradual Progressive Overload (GPO), which means that for a muscle to get bigger and stronger it must be subjected, gradually, to heavier weights — or so that's how we typically translate the GPO principle. However, there are tons of ways to give extra stimulation (overload if you will) to a muscle and force it to adapt.
You could do one more rep. You could rest less between sets. You could do an isolation exercise for that muscle immediately prior. You could do the negative (eccentric) part of the rep more slowly. Or you could simply focus on squeezing that muscle more during the contraction as opposed to just moving the weight from point A to point B. (Arnold called this the mind-muscle connection, and for stimulating and isolating a muscle it's very productive.)
The fact is, more bodybuilders than not would fall short of being what most would consider super strong, yet they posses some serious muscle mass.

2) Carving in striations? Not!
Listen, neither high reps nor isolation exercises (or the two combined) will "carve striations" into your muscles. So if you're barking up the cable cross-over or leg extension tree in hopes of some striations falling your way, you're wasting your time.
Same goes for cuts between muscles. Think about it, what makes for a deep valley? Two big hills on either side, right? If you want deeper cuts, get bigger muscles. And if you want striations, lose some body fat.
For those seeking something a bit more high-tech that actually does work, you could get some deep tissue massage or ART (Active Release Techniques) done to help separate individual muscles, enhancing the visual space between them. I've performed my own type of soft tissue work (a modified ART) to really help bodybuilders improve the separation between muscles with results that were incredible, especially between the three visible quad heads.
But basically, if you want serious cuts and striations, focus on your diet and cardio, not some pansy-ass isolation exercises.

3) Strength is very lift specific
Try working your way up to squatting 405 (or whatever) for ten reps. Then immediately ditch squats in your leg routine and replace them with leg presses for 10 weeks. Now go back and try to squat 405 for ten reps. I bet you'll fail miserably.
For obvious reasons, our body adapts to the exact exercises we do week in and week out. For that reason, it's ultra important for you to find staple exercises that work well for your physique, stick with them, and get strong on them.
Dorian Yates rarely ever changed exercises; he just found the ones that worked best for him and focused on improving his performance on those. Now while I personally advocate using a bit more variety than Dorian did, he certainly managed to build a decent physique.
I'd also like to point out that in my above example of substituting squats for leg presses for ten weeks, although your strength would go down in the squat, your legs would be every bit as big and maybe even bigger. That's further support for point number one.

4) The bench press does not build big pecs!
The bench press is the most overrated exercise of all time. In fact, if you perform the bench press in the manner that most people do, it's not even very good at stimulating the pecs.
To make matters worse, other docs I've talked to concur with my observation that the flat barbell bench press is positively correlated with a number of shoulder injuries like AC joint problems, biciptal tendonitis, and torn pecs. (I'm referring to tendonitis of the long head of the biceps tendon where it slides through the biciptal groove on the head of the humerus — essentially a shoulder problem.)
I'm not saying to never do the bench press; I'm just saying that I wouldn't do it any more than any other chest exercise. Actually, I'd probably do it less than most others.

5) Deadlifts do build a big back
What gives? One minute I'm bashing the sacred bench press and talking about not needing to focus solely on lifting heavy weights, and now I'm saying to do the fundamental powerlifting exercise: the deadlift.
For years I couldn't make scientific reason of the dogma that deadlifts are the Holy Grail for developing a thick back. Try as I must to justify cable rows and pulldowns over deads, in the end the anecdotal evidence was too overwhelming.
Look at it this way: have you even seen anyone who can deadlift some serious weight that didn't have a thick back? I didn't think so. But you will see guys all day long who can do pulldowns or cable rows with the entire weight stack yet don't have a back that could win the novice division of a local bodybuilding contest.
If you improve your deadlift by 200 pounds, I guarantee you'll have a much thicker back.

6) Squats are king for thigh mass
I bet you can think of at least two dozen reasons why you shouldn't squat. Don't waste your time; they're all excuses, excuse, excuses.
The truth is, squats are hard-ass work, so we want them to be overrated! I'll be the first to admit that I don't like doing them, but I do like the results.
To show how effective squats are at stimulating the quads and even hams, do ten sets of ten deep reps on the squat and see how sore you get. Now try to duplicate that level of deep muscle soreness with any other leg exercise, leg presses and hack squats included. It simply won't happen (assuming you had the cojones to use close to your 10RM on most sets of those squats.)
Like deadlifts for back, there are just far too many people who've built great legs with squats to deny their effectiveness. Don't get caught up in reading those muscle tabloids and the fact that many pro-bodybuilders don't do squats. If you dig deeper (as I've done) you'll find that the vast majority of them builttheir legs with squats and now maintain them with other exercises.
As Ronnie Coleman so eloquently stated, "Eva body wanna be a bodybuilda, but don't nobody wanna lif' no heavy-ass weight." The same could be said for squatting.

7) Don't Always Train to Failure
It's ingrained in many of us that, sans a warm-up or two, if you're going to pick up a weight, you're going to lift it until you can't lift it anymore. After all, that's the way a Testosterone Nation man should train, right?
Not necessarily.
If you're going to train to failure you're going to have to severely limit the number of sets you do in order decrease your chance of overtraining. While training to failure for a limited number of sets can work (a la Max OT Training, DC Training, and Heavy Duty Training) it's a lot easier, probably safer, and just as effective to stop a rep or two short of failure. I know I've made my best gains in strength when training to just short of failure.
If it's scientific studies you're interested in, a recent study showed that training to failure led to hormonal signs of overtraining. Yet another study showed that only training to failure on the last of three sets was more effective than training to failure on all three sets.
Like Lee Haney said, "You should stimulate, not annihilate the muscle."

8) Don't have Training ADD
I'll admit it. I have a severe case of Training Attention Deficit Disorder. How many times have you started a new program only to ditch it for yet another program after only two or three weeks? If you're like me, it's fun to just go to the gym and do whatever you feel like that day. However, there's a serious downside to that.
By switching programs and exercises all the time, you don't give your body enough time to reap the benefits of your current program or exercises. For instance, if you decide to do H.I.T. for three months, then do it for three months! Don't be an idiot and ditch it after five weeks because you're bored and wanna do Advanced German Volume Training and a unique exercise you saw Christian Thibaudeau do. Save it for when you've completed your current program.
To appease your inner ADD child, occasionally do 8 or 10 weeks of fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants training. Just don't turn that eight weeks into eight months or you'll end up spinning your wheels.

9) Ditch Total Body Training
I'm well aware of the plethora of benefits of Total Body Training (TBT), and I'll agree that you can build a very good body with it. In fact, I train some of my clients with TBT. With that being said, I simply don't feel that TBT can take your physique to its ultimate potential.
Now, by "ultimate potential" I'm speaking of size and definition — a physique that would win a local bodybuilding or even Figure show. I have no studies, but tons of anecdotal evidence to back this up.
You've got to hit a muscle with a fairly high number of sets or crazy intensity to get maximum hypertrophy. In other words, you need to induce a lot of micro-trauma to the muscle. It's simply not feasible to do that to more than two or three muscle groups per day.
So if throwing things or people is your forte, then rock on with TBT. If you wanna have a stage-worthy physique, then split your body into groups. As for anecdotal evidence, not one pro or top amateur bodybuilder trains their whole body at one time. While I'm not one to blindly follow others, you've got to admit that that's some pretty convincing anecdotal evidence.

10) Consider Stretching Part of Training
As someone who treats soft-tissue injuries, I could go on for days about the benefits of stretching to prevent injuries and imbalances. But how does stretching have anything to do with looking good naked? Let me tell you.
Stretching, over time, will help to expand the fascia that tightly encompasses muscles and muscle groups. This tight-ass fascia is thought to be one of the limiting factors of muscle growth. Therefore we want to find a way to stretch it to allow the muscle tissue some room to breath (or grow). Since site-injecting a few cc's of oil into a muscle isn't the smartest thing to do, let's just use stretching to accomplish this goal of expanded fascia.
In order to maximize the volumizing effects, stretch right after training a particular body part while it's still pumped. Also, keep in mind that for connective tissue (like fascia) to stretch, you're going to have to do a lot of stretching (essentially Time Under Tension) and that stretching is going to have to be pretty intense.
I recommend stretching a muscle for about 60 seconds immediately after training it. You should be stretching hard enough that you're really counting down those final seconds. Additionally, stretch another time or two during the day.

11) Try Low-Frequency Training
In case you didn't know, most bodybuilders these days train two or three body parts per day and train each body part only once every five to seven days. I'll admit that training each body part once per week doesn't scientifically seem like the optimal way to train. However, when you consider that about 95% of physique competitors (natural or otherwise) train that way, it's hard to argue with the real-world results.
Now keep in mind that when training each body part only weekly, you need to hit that body part with plenty of work — again, lot's of micro-trauma. Three sets of eight reps on bench for chest ain't gonna cut it; three to five exercises per body part is more like it.
While I think training each body part once per week is a great basic template, I also advocate some higher frequency training from time to time in order to bring up a lagging body part. However, one can still improve body parts by training them only once per week. People do it all the time, and I'm doing it right now.
For the record, Figure competitors should (and typically do) train in a similar fashion to bodybuilders. Sure, leg hypertrophy often has to be kept in check, but training for Figure is more similar to training for bodybuilding than it is different.

12) Feeling the muscle work is of utmost importance
As previously discussed, simply being strong isn't a guarantee that you'll get the muscle size you desire. When you train with a focus on simply moving a lot of weight, you will (albeit subconsciously) lift in such a manner as to make the exercise easier, either by changing the leverage or by coordinating other muscles to aid you in executing the lift.
Take the bench press for example. To really have a big bench you have to do it in such a manner as to use your front delts, triceps, and even lats as much or more as you use your pectorals. However, while this may boost your ego, it's not doing wonders for making your pecs grow.
If your goal is big pecs, then you need to perform the bench press in such a way as to maximize the stimulation on your pecs while minimizing the role the ancillary muscles play in the lift.
To a bodybuilder, the weight on the bar is only a means to an end. Really focus on feeling the working muscle during an exercise. Then, and only then, try to do more weight or more reps while maintaining that mind-muscle connection.

Conclusion
If your primary goal is looking good in your birthday suit, I encourage you to really think about and apply these principles. If you want to enter a strongman contest, then train like a strongman competitor. If powerlifting is your sport of choice, train like they do.
But if you want to look like a bodybuilder, then I'd suggest you learn how successful physique competitors typically train. Even better, learn from some of those who built a great physique from a less-than-stellar foundation, and you'll be well on your way.

How to Survive a Bear Attack

How to Survive a Bear Attack
Although greatly feared, bear attacks are actually quite uncommon. Bears generally seek to avoid humans, except to steal food, and thus the likelihood of a bear encounter is not all that great. First of all a distinction should be made between the grizzly bear and the less aggressive black bear. Grizzly attacks are both more ferocious and more common than black bear attacks. However, confrontations with all bears should be avoided at all costs. If you spot a bear, do not hang around and watch it. Chances are it will continue to go about its business and leave you alone. Increase your distance from the bear as quickly as possible without seeming obvious. Do not try to outrun the bear because the bear can and will run faster as it decides you have designated yourself potential prey. If the bear begins to follow you, separate yourself from any food items you may be carrying, and continue to walk quickly away. If the bear is clearly disinterested in the discarded food and continues to follow you, turn around and face the bear and place your hands out to your side or above your head to make yourself appear larger and more threatening. If there is more than one person present, all members of the party should do the same in an effort to scare the bear. This is generally sufficient enough to make the curious bear leave, but if it doesn’t; and it becomes apparent that the bear has considered you a potential threat, then desperate measures call for desperate strategies. If the bear begins to run at you, lay down on the ground, cover your head and face with your hands, and play dead. The bear may sniff and paw at you and perhaps even roll your body on the ground, but as humans are not exactly appealing to a bear’s fish and berry diet, they are not likely to eat you. At worst, you may end up with a few bumps and bruises or a broken bone. On the other hand, if you fight back aggressively, the bear will follow its natural instinct to fight back and will probably win. Only physically fight a bear if you have exhausted every other option available and the bear is intent on having you for its next meal. Other means of escape include tall trees (though the bear may wait at the base of the tree indefinitely for you to come down) or a swift stream that you can outswim the bear in.
How to Survive a Mountain Lion Attack
Mountain lion attacks have been making the news headlines with increasing frequency lately. Not just children but a number of persons including hikers, cyclists, and even runners have been the victims of their vicious attacks. Unlike bears, most of the latest mountain lion attacks seem unprovoked, and may be a reaction to the recent encroachment of human development in their natural habitat. Whatever the cause, protecting yourself against a mountain lion attack is of paramount concern, especially in certain areas in the West. If you find yourself the unfortunate victim of a mountain lion attack, fight back aggressively. Use every weapon in your personal arsenal to defend yourself. Sticks, clubs, large rocks, mace, pepper spray, and weapons all need to be employed against a mountain lion attack. It is important that you try to remain standing as you fend off the wild animal to protect your face, neck, and head, and to have better leverage over the animal. Also, scream for help if you are in a residential environment or an area where there are likely to be more people. Once an attack begins, nothing short of killing or grossly injuring this animal is likely to stop it. Mountain lions do consider human beings potential sources of food and will generally prey upon smaller, less defensive humans.

How to Survive an Attack by an Aggressive Dog
Again, avoidance is the surest way to ensure that an attack by an aggressive dog doesn’t occur, but if an attack cannot be avoided, quick thinking and aggressive measures must be implemented. If an aggressive dog confronts you, use a calm voice to let the animal know that you are not interested in a fight. Keep your body turned towards the dog and talk to him while slowly backing away. Remain tall and erect, and if at possible try to make your body appear bigger than it really is. As you are walking away, try to locate a stick to use as a possible weapon should the animal decide to attack. If the dog does lunge at you, remain standing while kicking the animal in the face. Your legs are better suited for defense as they are generally stronger than one’s arms. If you have a stick, deliver full, forceful blows to the animal’s face and ribs in an effort to weaken him. If there is a possibility for you to move to higher ground such as on a car, a raised platform, or a tree, then do so. Any leverage you have on the wild dog will work to your advantage and hopefully result in fewer injuries and an increased chance of survival.

Calories per day required!

My wife went to weight watchers last night and came home and told me about the points system. It’s basically calorie counting, but they have devised a points system to simplify it.

Basically, from what I can gather it works out at about 50 calories per point with some adjustment for fiber. With an added 7 points a day for each hour or of exercise according to weight watchers I should be consuming 32 points, plus 7 per hour of physical activity according to this. So, on a full exercise day I should be consuming 46 points, or 2300 calories.

1 - Male, Female or Nursing Mom?
Female – 2 points
Male – 8 points
Nursing Mom – 12 points

2 - Your Age17 – 26 = 4 Points
27 - 37 = 3 Points
38 - 47 = 2 points
48 - 58 =1 point
58 and older = 0 points

3 - Your Weight
What ever you weigh take the first 2 digits and add them to your points range.
For example if you weight 210 you add 21 pointsIf under 100 pounds take the first digit.
98 lbs = 9

4 - Your Height
Under 5’ ft = 0 points
5’ 1” – 5’ 10” = 1 point
5’ 10” and taller = 2 points

5 - Daily Activity Level
How do you spend most of your day?
Mostly Sitting = 0 points
Occasional sitting but most standing = 2 points (Examples are housewife, cook, teacher, sales clerk.)
Walking mostly = 4 points (Examples are, waiter or mailman)
Hard physical labor = 6 points (Examples are, Gardener, construction or active nurses.)
Add up all categories and you have your new points range.

Now, for me personally that seemed extremely low. Interestingly after some calculations, this is actually very close to my Resting Metabolic Rate of 2216 Cals a day. See below. So, Weight Watchers are actually suggesting that with all my activity included I should actually only eat enough calories to sustain my body at zero activity. In other words, I lay in bed all day, and do not walk, talk or move in anyway, other than to breath.

How to work out your resting metabolic rate, (from www.t-nation.com)

I'd multiply this kilogram number (91 kg) by my percent of body fat. Remember, percents are really decimals so 5% equals 0.05, 12% bodyfat will be .12 etc.

Fat Mass = 91kg x 0.05 = 4.55kg FM

Next I subtract this fat mass number (4.55 kg) from my total body mass (91kg):

Fat Free Mass = 91kg - 4.55kg = 86.45kg

Therefore my fat free mass is 86.45 kilograms. From that I can determine my RMR. The formula for RMR is as follows:
Resting Metabolic Rate for Athletes (in calories per day) = 500 + 22 x fat free mass (in kilograms).
Again, for me, I'd multiply 22 times my fat free mass and add 500 to that number as shown below:
RMR= 22 x 86.45 + 500 = 2402

So mine is RMR x Activity Factor = 2216 calories x 1.5 = 3324 calories.

Now we need to include “Costs of Exercise Activity”:

we need to include the exercise that I do during the week, we calculate this with the following,

MET values for common activities:
high impact aerobics? 7low impact aerobics? 5
high intensity cycling? 12low intensity cycling? 3
high intensity walking - 6.5low intensity walking - 2.5
high intensity running? 18low intensity running? 7
circuit-type training? 8intense free weight lifting? 6moderate machine training? 3

So here's the formula:

Cost of Exercise Activity = Body Mass (in kg) x Duration (in hours) x MET value
And here's how I calculate it for myself:

Exercise Expenditure for weights = 5 METS X 90 x 1.5 hours = 675 calories
Exercise Expenditure for cardio = 3 METS X 90 kg x .5 hours = 135 calories

Meaning that I burn around 810 on the days that I going the gym, morning and evening.
If we divide this by the amount of days I actually train, we have something along the lines of,

Amount of running per week = 77 calories per day.
Amount of weight training per week = 578 per day.
Total amount per day = 655 per day for physical activity.

So, my grand total of calories required, with the amount of physical training, and life style is approximately 3979 calories per day.

TEF
Now, we need to account for the thermic effect of food, this basically means that digesting food, burns calories.
Nobody is really 100% sure about this but scientist recon it’s around RMR x 0.10.
So mine would be,

RMR (2200) x 0.10 = 220.

Grand Total (nearly)
So the grand total for my daily calories is somewhere around 4199 calories but I figure that I don’t have the resting metabolic rate of an athlete (as suggested in step one, working out RMR, the guy doing that claims he’s an athlete) so I will deducted 300 calories as a very rough guess.

So, my super duper, final finalized, no more adjustments required results is,

3900 calories per day.

Compared to weight watchers suggested calories of

2300 calories per day.

Added.

Added Backwards roll to handstand, and Dynamic Shoulder Press.
Two exercises - per body part - per workout. Roll a dice to decide.

Mad Skillz!
1) Assisted Pike Press. (8 attempts X 3)
2) Free Standing Handstand Push-up (8 attempts X 3)
3) Tuck Press. (8 attempts X 3)
4) Negative Pike Press.
5) L-Press
6) Hand-walk.
7) Backwards roll into handstand.

Shoulders
1) Handstand Push-ups against wall.
2) Shoulder Rotation (dumbbell)
3) Side shoulder lateral pulls
4) Single Dumbbell Press.
5) Head-stand to Handstand combination.
6) Dynamic shoulder Press. (For handstand clap training)

Chest
1) Pseudo Push-ups. (Raised legs)
2) planche Push-ups.
3) Dips
4) Wide Push-ups.

Legs
1) Leg extensions
2) Calf Raises.
3) Leg Curls
4) Pistols.

Back
1) Behind Neck Pull-ups
2) Wide grip Pull-ups
3) Close grip Chin-ups
4) Horizontal Pull-up
5) Towel Pull-ups.
6) Tuck Pull-ups.

Stomach
1) Weighted V Sit-ups
2) Leg Raises.
3) Hanging Leg-raises.
4) L-seat Practice.

back roll to handstand

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yps80LmmLY4

Stretching technique

Most PNF stretching techniques employ isometric agonist contraction/relaxation where the stretched muscles are contracted isometrically and then relaxed. Some PNF techniques also employ isometric antagonist contraction where the antagonists of the stretched muscles are contracted. In all cases, it is important to note that the stretched muscle should be rested (and relaxed) for at least 20 seconds before performing another PNF technique. The most common PNF stretching techniques are:
the hold-relax

This technique is also called the contract-relax. After assuming an initial passive stretch, the muscle being stretched is isometrically contracted for 7-15 seconds, after which the muscle is briefly relaxed for 2-3 seconds, and then immediately subjected to a passive stretch which stretches the muscle even further than the initial passive stretch. This final passive stretch is held for 10-15 seconds. The muscle is then relaxed for 20 seconds before performing another PNF technique.

taken from

http://people.bath.ac.uk/masrjb/Stretch/stretching_4.html

Hand-Stand Clap Challenge!

I had a break through with regards to the tuck press on Friday. I realised that my head positioning has to be correct before I start, if the alignment if off then the tuck press is so much more difficult. In the diagram, see the position on the head alignment in comparison to the hand position. It’s important, for me, to have my head positioned over the Hand-line in order to counter balance the weight of my legs as they rise into the correct position. The top diagram is the correct head position, and the bottom diagram the head is too far below the Hand-line, thus making it harder to raise the legs into the correct position and keep the balance.

After a week off running, I start again this morning with an easy 5k.

I am going to increase the amount of flexibility training I am doing, as I feel that this will greatly aid me in my quest for the Pike Press. Also, a friend has challenged me to be able to do a hand-stand clap in 6 months. A tall order but something I am going to attempt.

http://www.beastskills.com/ClappingHSPU.htm

the Holy Grail continues!

I managed 3 tuck presses in a row last night.
Also, managed to do a really steady hand-stand push-up, almost to the floor. I’m still having stability issues, especially towards the end of the workout when I’m getting tired but I found if I straddle it makes the manoeuvre so mush easier.

Shoulder still twanging and I’m unable to work chest in any way but I have come to the conclusion that this is something I cant work through.

I think I am going to buy myself something to help train my grip and forearm strengh.

The quest for the Holy Grail continues!

Added L-Press, Hand-walk and Handstand to headstand combination.

Added L-Press, Hand-walk and Handstand to headstand combination.

Two exercises - per body part - per workout. Roll a dice to decide.
Mad Skillz!
1) Assisted Pike Press. (8 attempts X 3)
2) Free Standing Handstand Push-up (8 attempts X 3)
3) Tuck Press. (8 attempts X 3)
4) Negative Pike Press.
5) L-Press
6) Hand-walk.

Shoulders
1) Handstand Push-ups against wall.
2) Shoulder Rotation (dumbbell)
3) Side shoulder lateral pulls
4) Single Dumbbell Press.
5) Head-stand to Handstand combination.

Chest
1) Pseudo Push-ups. (raised legs)
2) planche Push-ups.
3) Dips
4) Wide Push-ups.

Legs
1) Leg extensions
2) Calf Raises.
3) Leg Curls
4) Pistols.

Back
1) Behind Neck Pull-ups
2) Wide grip Pull-ups
3) Close grip Chin-ups
4) Horizontal Pull-up
5) Towel Pull-ups.
6) Tuck Pull-ups.

Stomach
1) Weighted V Sit-ups
2) Leg Raises.
3) Hanging Leg-raises.
4) L-seat Practice.

Alicia Sacramone, by far the hottest woman on the planet!

3) Tuck Press. (8 attempts X 3)

4) Negative Pike Press.
I attempted 3 sets of 10 last night but found this a little too much. My wrists were hurting and by the end I was having trouble holding a hand-stand at all. I also discover that a wide base, with the hands turned out slightly made a massive difference in stability. I also managed 2 tuck presses in a row, not the first time I have ever done this, but this felt really stable and after a rest, I think I will be able to do it again.

Shoulders

2) Shoulder Rotation (dumbbell) 10 x 10 x 10

3) Side shoulder lateral pulls 6 x 6 x 6

Chest
Still unable to work chest in any way.

Legs
2) Calf Raises.

3) Leg Curls 10 x 10 x 10

Back

3) Close grip Chin-ups 12 x 8 x 5

5) Towel Pull-ups. 12 x 8 x 5

Stomach

2) Leg Raises. 6 x 6 x 6

4) L-seat Practice. 9 set at 5 seconds per leg. Only did one leg at a time.

Stretch to finish, my flexibility is slowly improving, but i.m still having a hard time getting into a Pike press position.

New Workout, more flexible for shoulder recovery.

Two exercises - per body part - per workout. Roll a dice to decide.

Mad Skillz!
1) Assisted Pike Press. (8 attempts X 3)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybNM1vGx8Fw
I dont have the strengh to do this yet, but i raise my legs on a bosun ball and first, and press from that position.

2) Free Standing Handstand Push-up (8 attempts X 3)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvNVbJnARAY


3) Tuck Press. (8 attempts X 3)
Like a 'Kick to Handstand' move but the legs are tucked cose to the body from the start. Once this position is held, the legs are extended slowly to a full handstand position. Something I kind of developed for control and strengh, or at least, i dont know the name of it.


4) Negative Pike Press.
Against the wall handstand, then lower the Pike Press until the feet tough the floor (must be controlled or it's not really doing anything)

5) Strength Combination, L-Seat to Planche motion.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trKcybbwQp8 the first move on this video, but not taken to a full handstand liek this guy does.

6) Critical HIT, add another exercise to today’s workout!


Shoulders
1) Handstand Push-ups against wall.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mKfxH8UYEI

2) Shoulder Rotation (dumbbell)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7vwbUHagos

3) Side shoulder lateral pulls
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDisJW5-6ZY

4) Single Dumbbell Press.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwgvSA-hLQk

Chest
1) Pseudo Push-ups. (raised legs)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jz7M0nu2gwU

2) planche Push-ups.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfgg5Mjbn7s&feature=related

3) Dips
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGCiheRqoFU

4) Wide Push-ups.
Simple-have hands wide apart, and do a normal pushup.

Legs
1) Leg extensions
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmlIie1MKTs&NR=1

2) Calf Raises.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYL8SAXeLVk

3) Leg Curls
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVCfWvH29ks

4) Pistols.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEBol54EjVE

Back
1) Behind Neck Pull-ups
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=385eg_dWsbU

2) Wide grip Pull-ups
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_7_9Qw8X5Q

3) Close grip Chin-ups
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=En--QeteErg

4) Horizontal Pull-ups
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiH6tKHd0fQ

5) Towel Pull-ups.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rnlpQMIOHg

6) Tuck Pull-ups.
Like Horizontal, but nothing supporting legs, legs are tucked in close to body.

Stomach
1) Weighted V Sit-ups
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRMl9YS7si4

2) Leg Raises.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfgjWFKP5Mo
but keep your legs straight! Also, dont hand for this one, do the motion on dipping bars...(like for the dip excercise)

3) Hanging Leg-raises.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfgjWFKP5Mo
Keep legs straight!

4) L-seat Practice.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swTkQIcgf2g

Fat Lose, interesting read...

http://weighttraining.about.com/od/fatlossweighttraining/a/weightmyths0708.htm

Gymnastic Training routine

3 x run football field & 10 x 25 yard sprints
2. 3 x 30 1/2 sit ups
3. 3 x 10 Arch up with weight 5-25 lbs.
4. 3 x 10 leg lifts from chin bar
5. 3 x 15 punch with weight - bar behind neck 50-lb. min.

Raise weight each set
6. 3 x 10, 8, 6 Invert press with dumbbell 15-25 lbs.
7. 3 x 10, 8, 6 Bench Planche/Maltese press 20-30 lbs.
8. 3 x 10, 8, 6 Cross cable pulls 70-90 lbs. on each side
9. 3 x 10, 8, 6 Shoulder press with dumbbell 30-40 lbs.

Same weight
10. 3 x 10 Jordan's shoulder rotation w/dumbbell 20-30 lbs.
11. 3 x 10 Empty can lifts w/dumbbell 20-30 lbs.
12. 3 x 10 circles with weight - 2 plates
There are many other possibilities to add. We try to get strong in the rings strength positions that are part of gymnastics. Without rings, this is the best I can do. Any general weight program will definately add to your fitness and strength. Here is some other things that we do:1. (3 x every day circuit is done) Optional SR strength sequence/Maltese & cross
strength & front lever, back lever and press HS
2. 15-20 back loops on pommel horse (min & max)
3. 10 x handstand pushups on PB
4. 5 x pike press handstand on FX
5. Tumble tramp -3 x front off, punch front, punch front 1/1
6. PB strength sequence no spot (L straight body press handstand feet together, lower to L, pike press to handstand, lower to L, bent arm hollow back press to handstand, lower to L, pike press handstand)
7. 2 x rope climb without stopping
8. 5 x Maltese press out with spot on single rail PB
9. 10 x front lever pulls on HB10. 15 x stall bars pike leg lifts up to touching the wall over head

some excellent training tips

http://www.drillsandskills.com/article/16

Trained on my shoulder last night and it didn't give me too much jip. I am starting to think that it's more of a chest injury than a shoulder one as I managed to do some handstand push-ups without any problems.

I avoided working chest again but I am going to do some light reps tonight, making sure that I don't feel any discomfort when doing it.

I am going to continue with the 'little and often philosophy' and continue to work each body part every time I train. This gives me the flexibility to train consistently without having to worry about re-hurting my shoulder.

Handstand wise this is coming along slowly, but surely and I have figured out a technique for helping me with the pike press. I am basically using a boson ball to aid me with getting my hips high enough to then create the lift with my stomach.

Considering Changing workout.

I am wondering if i might switch to a fully body workout every sessions. A little and often might be a good approach for someone with my goals.

Something like,

2 Shoulder,
2 Legs,
2 Back,
2 Chest,
2 Skills,
2 Stomach.
Stretch.

WEIGH IN.

13.12

assisted handstand push-up.

Good idea for progression...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8YrHmGx2Ps

Assisted 1 arm push-up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kaWhBh_1yZk

L seat to Handstand Vid. Awesome! I want it!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_rlaIDcCX4

Points to ponder

Points to Ponder
1. Have a destination (goal) but keep the specifics to yourself. Do you even have a goal?
2. The world is full of pricks who can only criticize. Are you one of them?
3. Use a program designed for your goals. Is your program leading you to your destination?
4. The things you hate to do are the things you need to do most. Are you doing them?
5. If you're not making progress, it may be your attitude that needs adjusting. Are you willing to change?
6. Your time and energy are limited. Are you wasting them by talking shit on the forums?
7. Become a fanatical believer in your cause. Do you really believe you'll succeed?
8. If you're afraid of breaking any of your precious eggs, don't expect too many omelets in your life. What are you willing to sacrifice in order to achieve your goals?
9. There are people who are better than you, and who know more stuff than you. Are you listening to them?

Taken from,
http://www.t-nation.com/article/performance_training/shut_the_hell_up_and_listen

Sprint training

Worked my shoulder last night, extremely lightly.
All in all everything went well; I did feel slight pains but nothing too serious. I think at this points it’s extremely important for me to keep it light, although it so fucking frustrating it’s driving me insane.
The niggling pain in my wrist has gone, and I think, having week off has done the trick. If I can just sort out my shoulder I will be injury free. (for the first time in about 3 years)

Also this morning, I did the speed training; it didn’t go as well as I thought,

3 mins at 14kph
Walk.

3 mins at 14kph
Walk

2 mins at 14kph
Walk

2 mins at 14kph
Finish.

I actually found this very difficult, and if I gained anything from this run I managed to identify a serious weakness. Being able to hold a decent pace is going to be essential for me if I am going to be able to break 5k in 25 Mins.

Shoulder injury cont...

So my shoulder is still giving me some jip, but its slowly getting better. I am going to go back the gym tonight, have a light workout and see how it feels tomorrow morning.
After a few days off the gym (7days) I went for a run this morning and managed…

4.85k in 25 mins.

I started out at 12kph but felt very weak from the start… I definitely need to work on my speed, and maintaining speed for distances. I think I am going to start an interval training type thing,

4mins – Walking.
4mins – 13/14kph.

And do three sets of sprinting.

With any luck this will increase my speed endurance and enable me to break that 5k barrier.

Also, might be starting rock climbing at the weekend, this is something that I am starting to feel is essential for Wilderness Survival Training.

Shoulder injury... :(

I have really hurt my shoulder; I think I need to rest more in between shoulder workouts…
I am going to make sure that I rest it for at least a week, I don’t want to train on it and make it worst. I guess this will give me the opportunity to work on my running.
I made 4.90K in 25 minutes today, getting ever close to my goal.

Current Workout Plan.

Morning 25 Min 5K attempt.

Workout A: Back & Biceps

Weighted Pull-ups 30K
Horizontal Pull-ups. 10K
Behind neck pull-ups
Wide grip pull-ups
Seated pulls
Reverse bicep curl
Forearm curl

Morning Stomach V Sits, Hanging Leg Raises, L-seat (1 leg remove), weighted mat leg raises (4k), Plank (remove leg and arm)

Workout B: Chest & Triceps

Off floor push-ups
Planche Holds.
Pseudo wall push-ups
Bench press
Weighted Dips (15k)
Triceps Pullovers
Reverse Wrist curl

Morning 25 Min 5K attempt.

Workout C: Legs and skills.

Squat.
Hack Squat
Calf raises
Pistols (supported on smith machine)
One arm handstand hold.
Handstand press.
Wide legs, hand planche press. (Legs wide apart, slowly press to planche position.)
L Seat to Planche.

Run, whatever Ifeel like doing.

Workout D: Shoulders,

Handstand push-up (without wall)
Handstand push-up, with wall.
Headstand to handstand.
Single Arm Dumbbell shoulder press.
Dumbbell shoulder rotations (sideways)
Dumbbell shoulder rotations (front ways)
Lateral Raises.

Current Goals...

- Full Handstand Pushup (away from the wall)
- Press into a Handstand.
- Run a sub 25min 5K distance. (current best distance is 4.90K)
- Full Planche, horizontal to the floor.
- 5 reps, of 30K chinups for 3 sets.
- 10 wide grip Pullups for 3 sets.

I give myself 3 months from today to achieve these goals.

So, I can already do the 5 man run test, and four consecutive pull-ups.
My goals about 12 months ago were are follows,

- Run 5K in 28mins, (ACHIEVED)
- Do a free standing handstand, (without the wall) (ACHIEVED)
- Be able to do a half Planche Push-up http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHwwvLpk6iU
(ACHIEVED) but only just.
- Be able to do the L-Seat (FAIL) I am hopeless, stomach muscles very week.

Would you survive?

So, what do I consider essential fitness skills for surviving in the wild?

1) Being able to lift my own body weight.
2) Being able to outrun my opponent.

That’s it, simple.

I am planning on getting better at these things over time. I am planning on getting better at these thing slowly, progressively and without injury (if you’re injured, you’re dead right?)

I am planning on setting myself goals, and then coming up with strategies to help me achieve these goals.

The basic goals I think everyone should have when starting their Wilderness Survival Training are as follows,

1) Be able to outrun 5 random people (or at least, not be last, the last one gets eaten by a bear).
So, select 5 people at random (this must be random to simulate survivors of a downed plane), ask them how fast they can run 5K. If you aren’t the slowest, or second to slowest, you pass.
(FYI, if they don’t run at all, you can beat them)


2) Be able to haul your fat ass up a trees. (To escape a bear obviously, although someone recently pointed out to me, Bears climb trees, but fuck it, I will safely assume it eats the fatty still on the ground, struggling to climb up)
I judge this by being able to do 4 pull-ups, whatever way you find easiest. I know this isn’t the most scientific way of checking this, but fuck it!

So, can you do both of these?

In the beginning there was only...

So, what's all this about?
Well, I have basically decided to keep a record of my training and progress. The reason? Well I have been going the gym for about 7 years on and off (like most people) and always thought I was in reasonably good shape until I saw this, http://www.beastskills.com/. So at this point I realised that I was in fact a complete weakling who would struggle to lift my own body weight…
So in an attempt to make some real training progress I have decided to chronicle my progress - from 30year old, bicep curling, jogging, crisp eating , beer swilling fatty (I would rather die that give up beer BTW) to someone that might have a fighting chance if lost in the wilderness with a group of other survivors.
Can I outrun that bear? (or at least out run other survivors, and while the beast is feasting on their twitching body make my getaway) climb a rock face, or be able to beat the crap out of another human for the last of the rations.

I don’t want to be a runner, body builder nor gymnast. So what do I want? I want to be able to say with confidence,

If I was lost in the wilderness, I would have a fighting chance.

Think about it for a minute, your plane goes down and you and a bunch of others are lost in the wilderness. Do you live or die?
So, you have lost your glasses, you’re dead. You’re fat and can’t run, you’re dead. You can’t climb a tree or rock face, you’re dead.

I could go on and on…

So I have broken it down, these are what I need to work on, to give me a fighting chance.

- Cardiorespiratory (CR) endurance - the efficiency with which the body delivers oxygen and nutrients needed for muscular activity and transports waste products from the cells.
- Muscular strength - the greatest amount of force a muscle or muscle group can exert in a single effort.
- Muscular endurance - the ability of a muscle or muscle group to perform repeated movements with a sub-maximal force for extended periods of time.
- Flexibility - the ability to move the joints (for example, elbow, knee) or any group of joints through an entire, normal range of motion.
- Body composition - the amount of body fat a person has in comparison to his total body mass.