Zombie Poster Boy needs HS/PE1>iM prerequisites?

Richard Hamilton said:

Ok... so I thought I'd put a quick update on here to let you know how I'm doing with this.

 

Top video is private, btw.

Thanks Cannister... should be sorted now

How is the progress going ? I feel this one is going to be with me for a long time and I wonder if you have any advice or tips ?

I'm making progress... slowly. To get into the sitting position that the athlete sits in is my biggest challenge. I'm not too worried about the shoulder flexion as it seems to consistently make progress. The big issue for me is my lack of hip flexibility/mobility but since getting Kit Laughlin's book 'Stretching & Flexibility' things have started to improve a bit more in the hips. If you look at the start of the thread my lower back is totally unable to get into the right position so that's my focal point for now. Essentially I'm using F1 and H1 as a guide to fixing my posture after years of poor movement. The strength and the handstands will come eventually but I need to focus on fixing my posture more than anything else... it's atrocious. It does get tedious at times but this is where I'm at and if I don't do it now I'll stall out later.

 

I did try other methods like sitting piked or leaning forward sat on a chair after the seminar in June but wasn't happy doing it. Eventually I'll be able to sit cross legged reasonably comfortably but it'll be a long road to get there as my right hip mobility is so bad after fracturing my heel years ago.

 

I'd strongly suggest Kits book and perhaps you could use some of Kelly Starrett's methods from his book 'Becoming A Supple Leopard'. The F1 mobility has helped enormously as well. Find your tight spots, be very critical of your form and work out what it is you need to do to fix those tight areas

 

Assuming you can sit in the cross legged position no problem I suggest you start with a very wide grip so you can get the bar behind your head. Then gradually move your hands in. Getting into the position the athlete is in with the forward lean seems key to getting the most out of the flexion movement for me.

 

Stretch every day! I usually start my workouts with foam rolling/lacrosse ball work now, then if I'm doing a lower body/core day I'll focus on stretching my upper body, do F1 & H1 and finish up with stretching my lower body. Have a couple of pnf stretch sessions each week and you'll likely make good progress. I can easily lose 1 1/2hrs doing a pnf session. I can't say I enjoy it... probably because I'm coming from such a deficit but you'll get there if you persist.

 

I'll try and get another video up soon

Cheers for that Richard. I am struggling to sit cross legged with a straight back at the moment, I am practising that at the moment but even that feels difficult. The first time I tried the shoulder flexion as well I was breaking out a sweat (within 10 secs) it was that hard and that was with with a curved lower back (BAD).  I am struggling with the swivel hips on F1 as well. It's early days yet as I have only been doing H1 for about 3 weeks but I think I might be stuck here for a while. With the F1 and H1 things are moving in the right direction, for example I damaged my wrist several years ago and haven't been able to put too much weight on it, things like press ups have been totally out of the question but already I can put my full weight on it without even thinking about it.

Good to hear about your progress Richard

You've been rare on the boards and missed my friend

FredInChina said:

Good to hear about your progress Richard

You've been rare on the boards and missed my friend

more than likely feeling fired up from the seminar experience and working hard i know i would!

Edit: btw richard: thank you for posting your form check, i hadnt noticed that my hip mobility is what was making it seem like i was bending my back whilst leaning forward. #highfive

Here are a some of Kits stretches you can try... these have helped me enormously! The first one I'm doing propped up quite high but this week I'm reducing that a little as I've made progress. I don't know about you but for me it feels like my IT Band is really tight when sat cross legged though I think this is glute max pulling on it. I certainly feel more comfortable in the position after doing these two stretches. You'll likely get some improvement with the internal rotation on sPL/PE1>iM aswell. Try using the method Kit mentions in the Tailor Pose video when you have the bar overhead... try to create an arch in the lower back... it's at 1m 50s.

 

I tend to do HS/PE1>iM between wrist work supersets with more focus on the hips (using mats to raise feet and drop my butt) Once that's done I'll do the 5 regular sets with the focus on shoulders. Other days I may use these stretches and do 30s each side between supersets. Kits material is fantastic... buy the book!

 

 

 

FredInChina said:

Good to hear about your progress Richard

You've been rare on the boards and missed my friend

Thanks Fred, I'm always looking in on the forum... sometimes I don't find a lot of time to get involved with the community as much as I'd like

KeilaniG said:

more than likely feeling fired up from the seminar experience and working hard i know i would!

Edit: btw richard: thank you for posting your form check, i hadnt noticed that my hip mobility is what was making it seem like i was bending my back whilst leaning forward. #highfive

Definitely fired up after that Keilani... best weekend I've had in a long time! (I work most of them!). Oh and I get the same thing as you... it feels like my torso is leaning forward but it's just spinal flexion. It does improve with time!

That's great Richard. I will start to incorporate those stretches into my H1 sessions. They would be a good warm up. I feel the tightness on the inside, my adductors ?  I have been told I have weak glutes so I am trying to work on them as well.

You'll get there... just listen carefully to what your body is telling you and you'll likely sort it out. Perhaps look at your posture in general and do some reading up? I knew nothing about anatomy or exercise 3yrs ago and through questioning my own issues I've learnt quite a lot. I'm far less knowledgeable than a lot of the people here but I'm learning all the time!

So here's the latest update...

 

Progress seems reasonable though I still have the issue with the lower back flexion... it's better than it was I think. Perhaps by the new year it will have improved more so I'm happier with it. S & F work is definitely helping with this

 

I'm finding doing warmup sets with feet elevated, bum on carpet and back on wall quite effective as it pre stretches my hips and gives my right scapula some feedback if it's in a less than ideal position. By the time I do the work sets I'm usually primed to find the best position I can that day. Coupled with T and Y shoulder stretches my right shoulder feels like it's coming back to life and day to day it feels like my posture has improved. I also noticed last week that when doing MN/PE1 I can lay completely flat at the bottom now which I got quite excited about! It's the little things like this that make me happy allow me know I'm progressing

Looks better, but the pelvis needs more anterior tilt.

Are you still getting treatment to help with hip/pelvic mobility?

Thanks Mark, I agree, my hips need more APT. I think I need to spend more time working straddle/pancake stretch from standing and the tailor pose I posted above. I've been focusing on hip flexors and pike of late and have seen some improvements. My problem is what Nick described on the previous page, one restriction leads to the next so focusing on a couple areas isn't cutting it for me... it needs to be a stretch everything approach.

 

If I could afford to see a physio to get help with this I would but it's out of the question at the moment. I'm off to get a tooth out today because I can't afford the root canal/crown that it needs. It sucks being on a low income sometimes... then again it makes my choices very easy and I know that whatever I achieve was down to me. I have a fair idea of what's going on but it would be nice to discuss it with a PT... more for my own reassurance than anything else. So long as I'm not in pain I'll continue as I am.

 

I'm gonna have to work hard to get the APT for this but I'll get there... I think! I'm considering cutting back to the 3 day F1 schedule now and spending more time on dedicated stretching and mobility. I've not made a great deal of progress in terms of strength and feel my time would be better spent becoming more mobile. Looking around at the seminar in June I was one of about 3 who were embarrassingly tight so I know I have a lot to do.

Are you still self releasing the glutes and posterior hip with the lacrosse ball?

Richard, I hope you dont mind me posting a question in your thread, but I have the exact same problem. My hip mobility is very bad and I cant get into this position without arching my back (I uploaded a pic in my gallery, this is as straight as I can get while sitting).

I was wondering if I should stay on this PE until I can do this iM with my back straight regardles of my sholder/trap progress?

 

I just find these stretches and was about to incorporate them in my stretching rutine: http://www.goldmedalbodies.com/8-movements-improve-your-hip-flexibility/

What do you think, can these be of help for getting into this posture?

Thank you for such a detailed answer I will buy Kit's book eventually, but for now I have to stick with the stuff I find online (can't affor it yet after F1,H1 purchases and some other expenses I had).

I have been stretching regularly for about a month now and I expect to spend many more months fixing my posture, I will soon post my form doing HS/PE1>iM. I hoped to continue to PE2 even if my back is not straight because I'm working on it anyway... But I have time until that, I'm still shaking in HS/PE1...

Thanks again and good luck with your progress

Good to hear Richard.

I was just on a Dry needling course and the Physio showed how to use the glass vacuum cup to release tight structures. Once the vacuum is applied you then move the cup over the tight area for a couple of minutes. I did this to my ITB's and it was the best release I have ever done on them. It was far better than the foam roller and the lacrosse ball

Mark Collins said:

Good to hear Richard.

I was just on a Dry needling course and the Physio showed how to use the glass vacuum cup to release tight structures. Once the vacuum is applied you then move the cup over the tight area for a couple of minutes. I did this to my ITB's and it was the best release I have ever done on them. It was far better than the foam roller and the lacrosse ball

glass suction cup like the ones they use in chinese medicine?

KeilaniG said:

glass suction cup like the ones they use in chinese medicine?

Exactly the same. Instead of keeping the cup still you move them up and down the tight area.

It works so well I was surprised.

Mark Collins said:

Exactly the same. Instead of keeping the cup still you move them up and down the tight area.

It works so well I was surprised.

if i could give you a high five. i would....and they would be the highest of fives. 

 

my cousin is a specialist in that and perhaps i can coax him to use me as a guinea pig for that treatment, I really need it. 

 

where areas did you have it done exactly?

KeilaniG said:

if i could give you a high five. i would....and they would be the highest of fives. 

 

my cousin is a specialist in that and perhaps i can coax him to use me as a guinea pig for that treatment, I really need it. 

 

where areas did you have it done exactly?

It is easier to do on the back as it is a wider area. It can be used in all places if you have some smaller cup sizes. I found some great spots in my ITB, quads and calves. It is easy enough to don yourself once you're shown.

Hi Richard,

I am new to H1 and this forum. Have read this thread and you have inspiring motivation. H1 is a great course, I love how it prioritises mobility and helps create balance in the body.

As a yoga teacher I thought I might be able to offer you some advise. I hope it's not inappropriate for me to do so. You are on the right track with your hip stretching. As you and others have discussed your hip tightness is why your back rounds whilst say crossed legged. This is actually a fairly normal level of tightness. The main reason for this is sitting in chairs which is difficult to avoid in our culture. You can see how tight the hips are by the height of your knees.

My suggestion would be to sit on something until your knees and hips are the same height. This will put your back in a more neutral and safer position and you can focus on opening your shoulders. This could be yoga blocks or folded blankets etc. You can then continue your good work on opening the hips and gradually reduce the height of your lift until you are on the floor.

Hope that makes sense and is useful. If you want any further advise, let me know. Learning a lot from reading other people's contributions to the forum so glad to be able to give back.

Arya said:

Hi Richard,

I am new to H1 and this forum. Have read this thread and you have inspiring motivation. H1 is a great course, I love how it prioritises mobility and helps create balance in the body.

As a yoga teacher I thought I might be able to offer you some advise. I hope it's not inappropriate for me to do so. You are on the right track with your hip stretching. As you and others have discussed your hip tightness is why your back rounds whilst say crossed legged. This is actually a fairly normal level of tightness. The main reason for this is sitting in chairs which is difficult to avoid in our culture. You can see how tight the hips are by the height of your knees.

My suggestion would be to sit on something until your knees and hips are the same height. This will put your back in a more neutral and safer position and you can focus on opening your shoulders. This could be yoga blocks or folded blankets etc. You can then continue your good work on opening the hips and gradually reduce the height of your lift until you are on the floor.

Hope that makes sense and is useful. If you want any further advise, let me know. Learning a lot from reading other people's contributions to the forum so glad to be able to give back.

Firstly... thank you and welcome to the forum, there's some great people here

 

It's certainly not inappropriate and I'm open to any and all suggestions. I'll give this a crack... I think sitting on a yoga block will likely help me focus on the shoulder flexion while I continue to work on my hips so I'll give it a go this coming week. It would probably be more productive to keep my lower back in a good position so it's re-educated more quickly. The temptation is to try and sit on the floor but I'm still unable to hold an ideal position at the moment. I'll have to be patient with this!

 

Thanks for your input