RC/PE6 cues?

I'm at 5x36s in RC/PE6, Bent-arm chin hang, and things are going quite well, apart from this PE being absolutely diabolical. It is by far the most uncomfortable, nausea inducing exercise yet, in my opinion (but I still lack experience with many F1 exercises, so I may very well be wrong). Definitely a case of Coach Sommer being cruel to be kind  .

In my experience, there are two main body alignments for this drill:

1. Relaxing the abs slightly, so that the back is arched, and the legs hanging straight down, like the top part of a ´True Pullup´. This version is harder on the lats and biceps.
2. Tensioning the abs, so that the body is straight, legs pointing slightly forward a few degrees from vertical. This alleviates the contraction in the lats and biceps by perhaps 2-4 percent, but the abs begin to burn like hell near the end of the last sets. However, that's just an added benefit, right? This is what the athlete is doing in the F1 video, I think.

So, should we choose a particular alignment for mastery, or is either way ok?

Is it ok to switch ever so slightly back and forth between the two within the individual sets? This latter strategy makes the exercise a tad less hellish, but still very nasty. Or, and this is probably the obvious answer, do we just pick an alignment and stick with it?

Please don't take the high road and tell me that we should always do the most evil variation, unless you've actually been there yourself  . I will of course do it the most evil way, as long as there is sound argumentation behind it.

Ravn said:

I'm at 5x36s in RC/PE6, Bent-arm chin hang, and things are going quite well, apart from this PE being absolutely diabolical. It is by far the most uncomfortable, nausea inducing exercise yet, in my opinion (but I still lack experience with many F1 exercises, so I may very well be wrong). Definitely a case of Coach Sommer being cruel to be kind  .

 

 

I just did RC/PE6 5x40 sec. yesterday, just as a test and did not find it hellishly difficult, nausea inducing or cruel. Coming down, I could feel that I had worked my biceps and lats, but overall it felt really good. And, like you having 40 seconds to play with, I tried how it felt just hanging or tensioning my body somewhat. I prefer not having an arch in my back, so I prefer slightly tensioning my abs, but that is about all l can give you as feedback. I suggest that you scale back to the point where you don’t experience the exercise as hellish and nausea inducing and just give your body some more time to become adjusted.  I don't think reaching Mastery implies striving for a permanent entrance to Hell.

Hmm, well I agree on it feeling really good afterwards . If I was experiencing pain I would scale back, but things are going fine, except for the time spent with the chin over the bar, which isn't exactly a picnic. Perhaps I'm exaggerating slightly to get the point across, but the last two sets do feel quite unpleasant to me. If people find arched body holds uncomfortable, as has been indicated in a couple of threads, then this exercise takes 'uncomfortable' to a new level, since it appears substantially harder than the ABH to me. Experience is subjective, but I think that most people who try to seriously push their endurance will find it uncomfortable at some point, whether we're talking static holds or a marathon. I am now also paying the price for focusing on low reps for years.

In any case, thanks for the feedback, and yes, I prefer the straight body version as well. Hat tip to your cruising through this exercise, wish it was me (it will be me in four to eight weeks).

FritsMB said:

FritsMB said:

"I don't think reaching Mastery implies striving for a permanent entrance to Hell."

 

 

 

Actually, we'd better ask Coach Sommer about this. You never know what his intentions really were .

 

I've found tension in the abs works better, I find a bent l-hang for the legs works best, but a slight pike with a straight body works well. Tension helps IME.

It also helps to pull as high as possible and depressing scapula, moving the tension off the arms and onto the back.

This one is a bugbear of mine; I know I can hold it for several sets of a minute, but drops off quickly, and I've not been able to string 5 sets together without rest. Mostly psychological barrier. It's nothing hellish, just a pump in my forearms that gets painful.

Stress not, it just requires some adaption for those new to such a position, like me, and a bit of willpower to accept what your body can do over what your mind says is enough.

Much like sei ping ma as a matter of fact.

Charm said:

 

 

Stress not, it just requires some adaption for those new to such a position, like me, and a bit of willpower to accept what your body can do over what your mind says is enough.

 

 

Exactly, I think that both psychology and CNS feedback plays a huge part in adapting to these types of holds.

Ravn said:

Exactly, I think that both psychology and CNS feedback plays a huge part in adapting to these types of holds.

What annoys me a bit is that this totally isn't a difficult exercise in the grand scheme of things; climbers can bang this out without thinking twice.

 Well, this week is the perfect week to get it done. I'm doing some G2g 40-60 sec holds without straining to get it into my head that the position is not a strain.

Yeah well, climbers basically GTG on their pulling patterns all the time, so many would be able to do it in their sleep. However, there are also climbers that aren't very strong, but very efficient movers. And climbers are pulling specialists, so it's rarer to come across people who can also do decent pressing. When I used to climb, I did literally no strength training but pullups and variations of it, and it showed in my abilities.

Good idea on the GTG. I may do that as well, if I fail the longer holds.

Be aware of not doing too much. If this is max effort for you, then adding more sets when you should be resting is not going to be productive.

No, I won't be adding anything just yet I'll reserve the GTG option in case I get completely stuck at a later stage. Have definitely had mixed results with GTG in the past, so I hear what you're saying.

I'm fine doing RC/PE6 three times a week, and so far the progression is working fine for me, as I havent failed yet at 5x36s.

Btw, speaking of psychology in the above posts, I approached the chin-up hang with a different mindset today, and it did make a difference. I guess my lazy psyche is trying too hard to persuade me to quit the exercise, because my physiology doesn't seem to mind it at all.