Robbie C

Interesting. May I ask why the change?

Its been a strange month for training! Moving house and picking up some extra labouring work has diminished my weekly training time, again interesting to see where my priorities lie. Am now in week 8 of Bing Shen initiation, with some potent realizations along the way. 2 more weeks to delve even deeper! This has been my main focus throughout the month, while doing less of my other practices. Have also been doing some of Serges daoist partner drills, working on bringing the grounding, uniting and lifting with the armpit qualities to these, but needs alot of work. Strength training has been only once or twice a week, working on back squats, weighted chins, dips, situps and military press. I did attempt some OAC's after my last phase - i can now do the first half, but get stuck at about 90 degrees. More work required! Will be able to set up my new gym in my garage at the new place in a few weeks time, so more regular training will resume! I am likely to copy Fred's programming, as it seems we have a similar goals and exercise preferences, plus he is making cromulent gainz! BJJ has been interesting in that i was convinced i needed 2 sessions a week to improve, however recently training only once per week has left my body feeling much less achy, and still happy with my progress. Conditioning suffers but skill retention is better than expected, so will be observing this closely. Stretching has been suitably epic recently, stretched with @Dave on Monday, where we did several iterations of side splits which left me noticeably more limber the next day, even in unrelated postures. Then another session with @Frederik and @Emmet Louis on Wednesday, culminating in the fusion of cupping and gua sha of the pecs and biceps during an extended human crossbow! Uncontrollable laughter on my part both due to the intensity and absurdity of the experience. More to come at Emmets workshop this weekend no doubt!

I have had the same experience re: front lever progress. I suspect weighted dips also play an important role.

Something like this?

4 week phase done: RDL 2x5 80kg - I noticed as my torso gets close to horizontal i lose glute engagement. Am more inclined to try and increase the range i have using glutes than work towards full range. I am still tight enough in the hamstrings to limit full ROM too. Weighted pushups 2x8 +20kg: Switched from psuedo planche pushups to these as i want to focus on basic strength, not PPP's as a skill. My priority is to build pressing strength for handstand pushups, planche work will come later. Ring rows 2x8+10kg: Cant get the rear delts to fire as i would like them in this movement, will likely do some assistance band work to awaken them. Behind the neck press 2x5 35kg: This progressed nicely, very nice activation through the rotator cuff. Nice to stabilise the shoulder in another pattern overhead, though there is still work to be done, esp. kettlebell presses feel particularly clunky. Reverse crunch over bolster 2x10- Nice lower ab activation. Not a huge fan of hyperextending the lower back under load, and in hindsight coupling this with deadlifts was probably unwise, but was useful in gaining more awareness of lower rectus. Will return to weighted situps with hollow body as my main core exercise, and dabble in these other variants only occasionally. OAC 2x1- Was doing assisted singles, but for the last week switched to isometric holds at slightly above the midpoint (roughly upper arm parallel to floor). Worked up to 5 second holds +1kg. Dave has mentioned he believes we have similar "fast" nervous systems, and suspects we are part of the minority who gain full ROM strength from isometrics (as opposed to 15 degrees ROM) so this is somewhat a test of that. If not i will have built some strength at the most disadvantaged point. Broad jumps 2x5: Added depth jumps for the final week (from ~20cm) Interesting to see how skill increases throughout each set, first few reps are so sluggish and time on the ground so long! Wonder if with enough practice i can cultivate the springy reaction without warmup? Will now have a deload week, play around with some exercises and do a bit of rock climbing. Early next week I aim to test OAC and broad jumps, then will likely do another easy strength phase of Back squats, overhead presses and weighted chins. Stretching has been with the intention of "supplefying" my tissues. Calves and back have been unpleasantly tight and junky recently, so exploring with the red ball and really focusing on allowing the tissues to soften during stretches has been my focus recently. Needs alot of work! BJJ - good. Daoist practices - I'm not supposed to talk about it Tyler Durden month - Awesome. And lastly I have decided i want to learn to dunk some time in the coming months, as a one arm chinning, dunking alchemist in a Tyler Durden jacket sounds like the kind of auspicious character I wish to become.

Hey @MarkusO! Yeah I found Dan Johns Easy Strength worked really well for me with basic strength exercises, so am curious to see if the high frequency works as well for more complex skills! My sessions generally last about an hour, but that includes 10-15mins skipping, some mobility work and warm up sets. Probably could get through the easy strength stuff in 35-40 if i was rushed.

Damn! 38 dips! We both got 22 that day, but now i've fallen well behind!

Current workout 4-5 times per week: Romanian Deadlifts 2x5 w/ 65kg -glutes work really well sometimes, other times not at all, needs more practice. Pseudo planche pushups 2x5-10, moving hands back as i can hit 10 reps Ring rows 2x10 Behind the neck press 2x8 25kg - couldn't do this at all not long ago, but now feels good! Reverse crunch over bolster 2x10 - great exercise! great lower abs sensations, today i felt abs firing lower than my lower abs!! #12packabs Assisted OAC 2x1 - 1 finger assist. Submaximal effort, with fast eccentrics. Training the OAC as a skill - high frequency, low volume. Fast eccentics to minimise muscle damage, and as eccentric strength is speed specific i think it will work better than the super slow eccentrics commonly used. We shall see! Broad jump 2x5 - again submaximal, high frequency. Should have tested when i started as i've added about a foot already! Sloper hangs 2x10s - a break from crimp/half-crimp hangs so as not to overuse the tendons. Had some great stretches recently! Front splits improving from focusing on hamstring flexibility, 2 partner "stretching under pressure" piriformis has created great progress in one of my tightest positions. Some great new variations with [H] which were super effective including: anterior neck emphasis backbend over mother whale, couch stretch variant w/ hug assist, and a wall version of "marble under the fridge" which got under my ribs into what is possibly the most disgusting piece of tissue in my body. Apart from that: new Daxuan stuff, and slightly less BJJ but back to regular schedule this week.

Training goes well. Did some 1RM testing last week Back squat 100kg (slightly below parallel) (previous best ~80kg) Press 55kg (previous best 50kg) Chinup +55kg (previous best 40kg) Ossu!

There is no cure. The only thing I've found that helps is reading bodybuilding forums of people asking for help for the same thing. Eg. "Since then I cant stand straight up with my heels on the ground. I have to walk with my legs wide apart and one heel off the ground. I look like a retard!"

Body Awakening Some time in the past week I had a profound realization of something I already knew, but didn’t yet embody. I was playing around, performing an upright row, an exercise I had unknowingly categorized as “bodybuilding” and not particularly useful for my goals. As I noticed dormant fibres in my deltoids struggling to activate I was reminded of @Dave's “sensory-motor amnesia” in his abs, and @Craig's use of the term “body awakening” and suddenly realized this is what I was doing. And I recognized that more and more in recent times my interest in my exercises has been piqued by novel sensations, unfamiliar contractions, and less on progressive overload and performance. It feels as though I have been somewhat dogmatic about certain exercises that may in fact have great body awakening potential for me, so going forward this will strongly influence my exercise selection. Basic Hands and the easy strength training have likely helped in facilitating this realization. As an example today I lowered the weight on deadlifts as it allowed me to focus my attention on the muscles working deep in my neck, holding my shoulders symmetrically, lumbar erectors working right down to the sacrum, trying to load the glutes more, and feeling the intrinsic foot muscles holding a strong arch and evenly distributing the weight. So many details to explore and improve! Although I will still work towards my performance goals, I feel as though a block has been removed, exercises that my body chose to play around with, but my brain considered “inauspicious” are now fair game, and I now have a greater understanding of how a traditional exercise can become alchemical!

This week has been more miss than hit on the training front. Interesting to see that although I missed several easy strength sessions, stretch class, and some BJJ, I managed to get all my daily practices in every day. It appears my priorities are becoming more aligned with Daves! Still using the same weights on easy strength. Have missed roughly a week of workouts, so am about a week behind, but will have completed the 40 workouts by the end of next week. Have a few ideas of what I'll do next, but have to narrow it down. Even with a bit of a cold the weights were easy today. Squats felt really comfortable. Press has improved in ROM, i can now press all reps from below the clavicle with elbows down near the hips, a range which my shoulders didn't like until today! Weighted chins I did fast but controlled reps today, where I usually do very explosive, and speed was consistent throughout all reps - left shoulder moving better, with improved scapular depression. Situps are improving as well, got some novel hip flexor contractions! Skipped swings as i was feeling run down and lower back is a bit achy from illness. Half crimp hanging now +5kg with new sensations in the flexor digitorum. I have found slightly bending the elbows works better on these, whether through irradiation or alignment im not sure. I think alot of the shoulder improvements have also been influenced by @Craigs "lifting with the armpit" tutorial. Highly recommend it! Noticing many improvements in shoulder asymmetry which i thought was beyond fixing! Am currently trying to integrate it into my Nei Gong practice without it becoming the sole focus. One stretch class this week, where we got to try a new psoas stretch which got into some tissues I had never felt before! That's probably more than I'm supposed to say about it I'm afraid Tried out some No Gi BJJ this week. Its like starting all over again, which is awesome. Particularly because all of my "game" is negated without the Gi to grip, so I'll have to address all the holes and weaknesses woo! And lastly: dry brushing, Nei gong and Nei dan are potent medicine for warding off illness!

Thanks @Nathan, I took your advice and went with the pizza celebration!

Weights have stayed the same on easy strength this week, but squat feels better and better each session. Much more glute and hamstring recruitment happening, and generally the contraction feels much more coordinated. Don't feel the need to add weight when I am noticing significant improvements from session to session. Repatterning stretching going well, have made some improvements in piriformis flexibility which has been a weakness. Front splits coming along nicely from working the hamstrings in modified front split stretches. Also managed to get some movement in the upper chest/breathing into the upper ribs in human crossbow! Looking forward to exploring this more, it is a very unfamiliar area so im sure developing my awareness and breathing capacities there will pay large dividends. Super effort of the week - Bought a spin bike to do some cardio and interval work on. Decided to drag all 40kg of it across town to my car instead of using a trolley and got the most epic elbow flexor workout! Brachialis has noticably hypertrophied from this. Also as the elbow flexors were the weak link in a functional activity i think this justifies a phase of medicinal curls. Or alchemical curls. Basically... there will be curls. Daxuan progressing nicely. Got the lifting with the armpits happening in some more Basic Hands exercises. Plus i'm getting the feeling the Daxuan stuff is supercharging my stretching, hard to articulate but it seems different..better. Lastly I received my blue belt in BJJ this week! Had to give a speech while still catching my breath from rolls, but I was very happy with it. I'm probably more proud of dealing with the social discomfort of giving a speech than the blue belt itself! I am now allowed to attend the No-Gi classes so will likely add in one of these a week.

Just began week 5 of Easy strength. Slow but steady improvements. Back squat 60kg - I'm starting to like squatting! Form has improved alot. 60kg is quite easy, but am making sure i really own my good form before adding more weight. Press 45kg - First workout at this weight the bar moved so fast! But since has been quite slow. However I can now press with the elbows alot less flared without aggravating the right shoulder. Chinups +22.5kg - Not sure whether to add weight on these.. The last few reps are always slow, but i know i could still get 5 reps with much more weight. I remember @Frederik saying he doesn't increase weight until all reps are the same speed, so would like to hear his thoughts on this! Swings 40 @28kg - I like swings! Was worried I would lose my glute gainz because i'm not split squatting but swings are definitely working in this department. Also learned to brace really strongly in the bottom position. Situps 10 @10kg - lowered the weight to really work on form, lower abs working very hard in these now. Half crimp +3.75 kg - slowly adding weight Have also been doing some farmers walks with 25kg weight plates and back extensions as accessory work. 2 stretch classes a week is really going well. Wednesdays class we did some infraspinatus release and side bends which has really opened up my overhead range. Inverted crossbow stretch is doing wonders for my neck, and have been doing some really strong hamstring stretches in modified front splits, an area I have neglected for a while. Focus and sensations in Nei Gong have improved noticably, and I am now enjoying this as a practice. In Nei Dan i'm getting very mild sensations in the dan tien but only right at the very end of my practice. This week I'm training Basic hands exercise 1, trying to turn off an overactive right upper pec when lifting the arms. Lastly I have set myself a challenge for the month of August to work on my attachment to my appearance - i have limited my wardrobe to 9 articles of clothing for the month. Have had a few moments not wanting to wear what i have to, but its actually quite liberating to see that it doesn't actually matter - two weeks in and not a single person has commented.