Topics for Tutorials!

[Kit_L]

@StaceyW: the Master the squat program has all the elements you need for your ankles, especially if you add the new standing ankle stretch from Liv's recent Front Splits Prep program.

 

@Silivanth, who wrote: "Nah. People don't actually DO that, right? Act on ideas presented by random internet people? And then I find a follow-along video designed specifically for the pike, more than an order of magnitude cheaper than the front splits course I was going to get."

 

This is exactly why we have this thread, and in more general, the Forums themselves—we need your ideas, input, and desires. Bigger picture here—Liv and I leave for London today, but in the last few weeks have solved all the remaining technical problems to shooting in our new studio and will be cranking into full production mode as soon as we return (one month). And a follow-up 'Front Splits Part Two' will be one of the first.

 

We intend to get a number done in November; I am teaching in a monastery in December, and as soon as the silly season is over, January–March is all production. Please keep the ideas coming.

 

And if you really like any of our programs, please share the links to Vimeo with your friends and colleagues. If enough people buy the programs, we do perfectly well. It's all about spreading the word.

 

 

K

[Kit_L]

I am going to be making the "Shoulder Shrug Series" as soon as I get home (November). This program will contain all the movements that will load the shoulder safely with straight arms (scapular pushups, hanging straight arm rows, scapular hangs, HS partial pushups, partial dips, planks and revers planks, and progressing from knees to whole body, then to single arm versions).

 

I have been playing with this recently, and realise that straight arm loading is the best way to develop bullet-proof shoulders, and to increase the movement of the whole shoulder girdle at the same time. And loading to the AC and glenohumeral joints is completely controllable, and is 100% scalable, so will be brilliant rehab too. 

[Enkidu]

That sounds fantastic, Kit.

I have been rehabbing from a shoulder injury (suffered while Olympic lifting) and I've designed a GST rehabilitation program that involves a lot of straight armed strength work using shoulder depression, elevation, protraction, and retraction. It seems to be working quite well so far but I would love some more resources for bulletproofing my shoulders (which are regularly an issue for me due to some old injuries).

I'm very much looking forward to this one.

I was also wondering if you or Liv were planning on a bridge follow along class like you have for the pike and pancake. I would love to see that!

[Craig]

Craig, a while back on a different thread, you wrote this: "

 

I can do a full-depth squat, but because of habits & previously restricted ankle mobility, I stick my butt way out and bring my torso way forward to maintain balance. This is also a problem with my Horse Stance, so I've been following Emmet's advice (to someone else) to work with heels, butt and back to the wall so you come down with more of a straight line. That is working well, but I feel like I am missing a pre-requisite to doing a good Horse Stance - that's why I was happy to read your suggestion for the Wall Squat.

 

If you'd consider doing a video, it would be great to actually see someone do this and provide advice for maintaining balance as you do the move.  I can only come close if I hold the sides of an open door - I would either fall backwards or only go down about 4 inches if I tried to do it without support.

 

It would also help "prove" to one of my friends that it is even possible - she can do a perfect ATG squat but can not do it as you describe with feet shoulder width and doesn't believe that anyone can do it with feet together and toes at the wall.  It is hard to visualize if you've never seen it done right.  I've searched YouTube and came across some really crappy videos and still don't have a clue how to improve since I think holding onto the wall is just enabling my bad form.  I think that this is a topic that others may also appreciate if it really is the gateway to a good horse stance.

 

Thanks for considering it!

 

 

Here is the video I filmed some time ago.  I haven't worked on this much recently but just tried a couple then and I can do this with my feet much closer together these days.

 

https://www.facebook.com/craig.mallett/videos/o.455890707816590/10152256001446293/?type=2

 

I have done a little more looking into this movement since I wrote the post above, and I also had a good talk with Ido about it last year.  It is possible that proportions of the leg will make this movement impossible unless you go very wide.  I'm talking about the lower leg (fibula/tibia) to upper leg (femur) ratios. If the upper leg is considerably longer than the lower leg, then you will have lots of trouble with this movement. An easy way to test this is to do the standard standing quadricep stretch like this: http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/media/content/_master/164/images/quadstretch.jpg

 

If your heel is touching below the crease between the glutes and hamstrings, then ATG squatting will be very easy, while wall squats will be very very difficult (the most difficult being when the femur passes the horizontal position).  Becuase the knees cant go beyond the toes, the ankle flexibility doesn't matter, so a longer femur will send your center of gravity too far backwards for you to maintain balance.

 

Here is a good video with more esoteric explanations: 

 

There are many more videos on youtube, search for chinese wall squat or qigong wall squat.

 

All of that said, this movement is an exceptional movement to practice, so instead of immediately not trying it and blaming proportions, I would recommend you instead practice it with some modifications, the easiest of which is just taking the toes a little way out from the wall.  If you can't do the movement, it is more likely that you have excessive tension through the back and hips than it is that you have poor proportions.

[Craig]

Here's another one that's good:

 

 

and at about 7:20 in this video:

 

[Nathan]

"Good for body slimming." I'm in!

 

I tried this and I can manage just a bit narrower than shoulder width. I'd imagine that ability to tilt the pelvis, compression strength, and back bending ability would play a large role, as well. All things I could stand to improve! I'll try to remember to throw this into my training from time to time.

[StaceyW]

Thanks for the video links, Craig, that was exactly what I needed.  I definitely didn't have that shoulder/back/pelvis thing going on!

[zenwoof]

I am going to be making the "Shoulder Shrug Series" as soon as I get home (November). This program will contain all the movements that will load the shoulder safely with straight arms (scapular pushups, hanging straight arm rows, scapular hangs, HS partial pushups, partial dips, planks and revers planks, and progressing from knees to whole body, then to single arm versions).

 

I have been playing with this recently, and realise that straight arm loading is the best way to develop bullet-proof shoulders, and to increase the movement of the whole shoulder girdle at the same time. And loading to the AC and glenohumeral joints is completely controllable, and is 100% scalable, so will be brilliant rehab too. 

 

As someone who has had surgeries on both shoulders (bodybuilding/strength training background), I can say I thought I've tried everything over the past few years. I wish I had known about straight arm work, yoga, and gymnastics-style training a decade ago (and your techniques!) - most likely would have saved me from those surgeries - and I'm still dealing with the consequences. Also, content such as

has been revolutionary to me. I realize I had no business doing pull-ups, rows, (scap) push-ups, even prehab exercises like crossover symmetry when I don't have full scapular ROM in all angles (all these years I thought it was due to soft tissue/stretching limitation when really it was a motor control issue...)

also see Happy Shoulders parts 1-5 from primalmovers on Instagram for further ideas: http://www.online-instagram.com/user/primalmovers/2134510701/1013971136734231278_2134510701. I am so proprioceptively (lacking kinesthesia) challenged in some of these scapular articular rotations that I am a far away off from attempting some, and must start first with exercises more like the one in the YouTube video in a straight plane before circular motions, but am confident that once I have that degree of motor control of the scapula in all those planes, in addition to having the strength to do multiple (12+) repetitions for sets without fatigue, on top of having mastered a few of the shoulder stretches in your Mastery program, then my shoulders would be in the best condition they've ever been in, and I would feel safe returning to the gym, and straight-arm work with resistance (aka on parallette bars). also see

If I even do these strictly on my left shoulder, it gets a little numb. luckily liv has demonstrated the same exercise but with modifications I've found I can start off with, and it doesn't numb my shoulder. Namely, that I don't have to be rigid/strict in my entire body with respect to the mobilizing shoulder in question, but can actually turn and twist my body to accompany the moving shoulder. I've found that this is a nice progression. again, enlightening for such a glaring blind spot to be exposed - I can't even fully articulate my shoulder in forward/backward circles without it acting up, blind to this I continued resistance training at the gym and most likely exacerbated it to the point where I'm at now, doing Stretch Therapy daily amongst other things in a desperate hope of reversing the damage

 

Unfortunately, I was so excited with my discovery of straight-arm actually helping my shoulders, and my shoulders improving, that I overdid it on parallette bars and am suffering from wrist sprains/tendonitis on both wrists...

[Casper]

I'm not sure how many people would benefit from this however it's worth asking for as i'm sure i'm not the only one who would enjoy this.

 

I really like your follow along classes so more of these please! Other than that, I feel as though I could maybe benefit from a follow along class on perhaps foam rolling alone, perhaps the key areas that you focus on throughout your mastery series, hips, hamstrings etc. Different techniques you utilise to get to different muscles would be greatly beneficial and the follow along aspect might make people more inclined to do it?

[Craig]

Glute activation video is cut and ready for upload! Will wait until I arrive in Darwin to make use of my parents NBN fibre connection, much nicer than adsl :S

 

Should be out wednesday

 

Also filmed:

- new hanging 

- shi da pan

- spine rolling qi gong

 

stay tuned!

[pam]

follow along exercises for back bend?

 

chi kung exercise also sounds good :-)

[nick_kuchedav]

I want to tell that it would be very interesting for me to see 

 

9,10,11- from Craig's first post list

and

1,2,5,7- form Dave's first post list

 

Cheers

[Florian]

Hey there.

Additionally to Kits Shoulder Shrug Series to develop bulletproof shoulders, I would like to see some sort of elbow protection/prehab.

I'm coming from hand to hand acrobatics and i'm experiencing some issues with my elbows sometimes.

[Emmet Louis]

26 minutes ago, Florian said:

Hey there.

Additionally to Kits Shoulder Shrug Series to develop bulletproof shoulders, I would like to see some sort of elbow protection/prehab.

I'm coming from hand to hand acrobatics and i'm experiencing some issues with my elbows sometimes.

Basing or flying? What level tricks are you performing?

[Florian]

On 21.12.2016 at 2:20 PM, Emmet Louis said:

Basing or flying? What level tricks are you performing?

Hey Emmet.

Basing. Mixed pair in acrobatic gymnastics. We're not on a high level yet. We do, for example, one-arm back birds with several motions of the base. Back somersaults of the top from my shoulders, catched in my lap (don't know the name of all those moves in english), front somersaults over me from coupé, catched, to back somersault from my lap. Round-off to back bird, dismount with a somersault. Front bird to back bird. Front mounts to L-sit, back mounts to straddle sit and simple handstands and straddle handstands on my hands, but arms low, not straight yet.

Therefore i need good prehab for my shoulders and elbows. To date i've tried some rotator cuff band exercises, sideways and overhead, sometimes i do passive/active-hangs. Handstands anyway. And i try to do shoulder dislocates one-two times a week, but i experience clicking in my shoulder. Not painful, but also not lovely. I take it not as a good sign. They're should be no clicking, but smooth gliding..

[Emmet Louis]

You'll need to condition the elbows more thoroughly. I suggest using 1-2 dumbell exercises 2-3 times a week. Simple stuff like db curls and tricep extensions. 3-4 sets of 12-20 reps. Post session do 100 press downs and 100 curls with a very light band. Try to finish them in one set but short breaks are ok, you're trying to get a huge amount of pump and blood flow from that.

[Florian]

28 minutes ago, Emmet Louis said:

You'll need to condition the elbows more thoroughly. I suggest using 1-2 dumbell exercises 2-3 times a week. Simple stuff like db curls and tricep extensions. 3-4 sets of 12-20 reps. Post session do 100 press downs and 100 curls with a very light band. Try to finish them in one set but short breaks are ok, you're trying to get a huge amount of pump and blood flow from that.

Thank you. I will do that for sure. Do you have also any additionally shoulder exercises for my needs in your repertoire?

[Rik]

Florian is not a common name. Do you happen to be Dutch?

[Florian]

1 hour ago, 161803398874989 said:

Florian is not a common name. Do you happen to be Dutch?

161803398874989 is not a common name either. Joke. No, not Dutch, I'm German.

[Emmet Louis]

18 hours ago, Florian said:

Thank you. I will do that for sure. Do you have also any additionally shoulder exercises for my needs in your repertoire?

Yeah all that shit they'll have you do for "conditioning" in sports acro isn't worth shit and is only good if your flier is a 20kg 13 year old.

You need a heavy dose of military press, squats, front squats, deadlifts and lots of rowing type exercises for the upper back. Heavy front support holds are good too. 

[Florian]

1 hour ago, Emmet Louis said:

Yeah all that shit they'll have you do for "conditioning" in sports acro isn't worth shit and is only good if your flier is a 20kg 13 year old.

You need a heavy dose of military press, squats, front squats, deadlifts and lots of rowing type exercises for the upper back. Heavy front support holds are good too. 

My top has 40kg to date. Very tender, but she's growing fast. Thanks again. Do you mean front support holds on rings? And with rowing type exercises you mean variations of ring rows? I did almost everything only with bodyweight so far. Need to get some weights then.  

Another question - and sorry for all the off-topic here -... If i would want to share or discuss a stretch with you, which i have found myself by experimenting and which maybe could be helpful for others too, where should i post this? 

[Emmet Louis]

I meant holding a heavy weight in the front rack position. I think for bases you need to spend more time working with weights than just body weight. Body weight training is good but if your focus is on manipulating an external person then you need to the type of training weights gives. Doesn't have to be fancy, some thing like westside for skinny bastards 3 or starting strength is sufficent.

 

[Florian]

Get it. Concerning weights, maybe i should add something like the stuff Lewie is doing here (time is linked). Seems very functional.

 

 

[Emmet Louis]

Nope skip it. Its entertainment training. The words functional should not appear in your thinking about training. The weights are to build a base of brute force strength which your practice will make functional. Don't try to replicate the skills of practice with other stuff its a waste of time, spend practice time practicing and weight times becoming hench.

To be a good base you literally want to be a stone block that can grunt and catch people when they mess up.

[zenwoof]

Reminds me of when I used to train BJJ, I was one of the bigger guys, so was always paired up with the bigger powerlifters, bodybuilders, olympic judokas, wrestlers, etc. I dreaded going against the powerlifters the most, literally immovable shit brickhouses. Arguably grappling is one of those sports demanding 'functional' training the most but that raw barbell strength got them very far; their cardio of course was terrible though. Didn't matter too much though, they could turtle up defensively and charge up®