Which F1 exercise is your Nemesis?

Twisting squats (SLS iM2) are the hardest, due to old injuries on left ankle and right knee. When I first tried to get up from a cross legged position, I could not even lift my but off the ground. After 8 weeks I now can get up from a cross legged position (and then sit down again) 5 times in a row (no twisting; I call it 0.25 of SLS iM2). Be that as it may, I am ecstatic that I even got this far and have high hopes that mastery of SLS iM2 will be mine in say 12 months. 

Arch body hold (SL PE1) is hard too but a different story. It will take longer to progress (now at 5x30 sec.), but that is because I don’t see much of a benefit to put myself through “hell†to be able to say that I have reached mastery level. If I can’t do any of the exercises while enjoying it, then to me it is not “masteryâ€. So, I will just take my time to get there even if it takes half a year.

I could hardly do 3 x HB PE2 when I started, but HB PE1 in combination with the straight arm, scapula and abs work in sPL PE1, 2 and 3, and FL PE1 and 2 appear to have resulted in sufficient strength gains to now feel pretty comfortable doing 5 x12 with pretty good form. Please note that I am milking the iM exercises for every second possible to rest a bit. So, probably another 8 weeks to reach mastery.

HBP PE2 is my most frustrating. I am now in my third mini cycle. I failed at 15,15,10,10,10. I thought I would breeze through these. I am now struggling with SLS PE2 & iM2. I think I will be at twisting squats for a long time. I expect FL PE2 will also be a problem as 3x24 was really difficult the other day. They all look so easy in the book!

SL/PE1 and HBP/PE1 at the moment. I can't believe I thought both of these were pretty easy before I started F1 

RC/PE2. Just can't seem to get the reps beyond week nine

Paired with an evil lat stretch that just makes me feel nauseous !

SL/PE1

http://www.badhaven.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/crying-man.jpg

I'm currently repeating a microcycle of HBP/PE2, failed mastery at week 11. Looks so simple, yet in practice progress is quite slow.

In terms of discomfort, RC/PE6 is the worst so far. Completed 4x48s yesterday, but abs, lats, biceps and lower arms were seriously on fire at the end. For some reason, the first workout after a deload week always seem tough, so perhaps the burn will subside over the next couple workouts.

I find ABH hard - I am going to be repeating weeks 5 - 9 with hands assistance to get the ROM. Until I get that ROM I'm not progressing. I feel like my whole spine is working really hard in that end ROM. Though I don't really consider it a nemesis - if I find it hard that means it's a weakness; best to have found that weakness. Same with RC/Pe 3 - I'm having to repeat it from week 5 (again) because I struggle going to chest to rings those last few reps. Again - at least it's obvious it's a weakness.

SLS - natural leg extensions give my legs a burn.

So guys, since you are struggling so much with F1 should I hold off on releasing F2?  

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

Now, don't jump to conclusions Coach 

We are merely stating how delightfully wasted we are post-workout. Please don't deprive us of the prospect of even more suffering!

Coach Sommer said:

So guys, since you are struggling so much with F1 should I hold off on releasing F2?  

 

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

GAH!

And there's my incentive to push past forearm pump barrier. Cheers Coach!

Coach Sommer said:

So guys, since you are struggling so much with F1 should I hold off on releasing F2?  

 

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

Hahaha! That was a real good one!

OK. Now we know. Coach Sommer clearly works for the dark side of the Force. Here we were innocently thinking that he was on our side!

I don't know why, but that icon ( ) clearly defines his intentions for us. 

My nemesis is ABH for sure. It is the only one element that I keep on first PE1 and I know that I'm going to stay here for a long time. 

Coach Sommer said:

So guys, since you are struggling so much with F1 should I hold off on releasing F2?  

 

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

LOL, one to two years, no worries...

Some F1 exercises are intense even for more experienced trainees but then there are exercises like the leg work & RC in general which should be relatively easy, which is why it would be awesome to get F2 as soon as possible B)

For me, like many, it is SL/PE1 -- arch body hold!!.  I think I finally can get a decent range of motion due to the good advice on other threads, but I've had to go back to the second mini-cycle.

Also, MN/PE6.  I got through the first five elements when I tested myself initially but found the change from MN/PE5 to MN/PE6 to be a huge leap!  Anyone concur?  It is just hard to get the legs up and bring them down slowly.  I had to start at week 1 on this one and may have to adjust back a mini-cycle.

I find the ground rows, RC/PE3 challenging also.  I'll do fine for three sets and then lose the good form.  I'm having to repeat the last mini-cycle here.

Twisting squats (IM:SLS/PE2) have been tough also but making progress here.  I still find it much easier with shoes on.  I think to do well without shoes, a matted rather than carpeted floor probably helps a lot with getting some traction.

deanb said:

(...) MN/PE6.  I got through the first five elements when I tested myself initially but found the change from MN/PE5 to MN/PE6 to be a huge leap!  (...)

deanb said:

I really struggle not to round my back on the Jefferson Curl and similar exercises.  Is this because my spine isn't that flexible?  What can I do to help this?  It just seems impossible to keep back and knees both straight.

I find it odd that you are struggling with Jefferson curls and neg HLL... If you are following the F1 program, it is not possible: you should first master the MN/PE2>iM before moving further down the line on either PE or PE>iM...

Is there something I am missing here?

I'm finding SL/PE2 to be the hardest so far. PE1 the hold was not too bad but week 7 (5x36r) on PE2 is proving to be nasty.  This is mainly due to not resting between sets and mobility, with a rest I can hold the position to keep rocking but without I fail around rep 20 on the last set.  Getting to mastery on week 11?  I'll be lucky!

ABR

Dammit, was supposed to do 4x60s of RC/PE6 today but failed at 60/60/48/37. That good ol' burning feeling...

The low-rep RC exercises in F2 appear decidedly comfy next to this one.

Ravn said:

Dammit, was supposed to do 4x60s of RC/PE6 today but failed at 60/60/48/37. That good ol' burning feeling...

The low-rep RC exercises in F2 appear decidedly comfy next to this one.

 

They really do. Pulling strength is my strong point; sadly holding the top of a chin is deflatingly not.

Still, hopefully I can bump this off with renewed motivation of wanting to get to F2 work!

I love them all.  Some of them don't love me back, however (not yet, anyway).

Charm said:

GAH!

 

And there's my incentive to push past forearm pump barrier. Cheers Coach!

Ha! Be careful, I tore my forearm flexor retinaculum 11 years ago doing that

Lesson I learned: Do not do push ups when forearms are pumped, especially when testing for max reps.

FredinChina,

I was wondering if anyone would catch that :-).

Yes, I probably did move on past the Jefferson Curl a little early. I was able to do strength elements well, and I could do the Jefferson Curl also. Later, though, I realized I wasn't doing the Jefferson Curl corectly.

At some point, I may have to back up, but for now I am supplementing by doing Jeffersons and other mobility exercises that I may have moved past too early as extra work. From now in, though, I won't move on if mobility isn't there also.

Does anyone think my struggles with Jefferson Curls might manifest itself in my difficulty with MN/PE6 (which were better today)?

hehehe... I thought so too...

I don't have advice at this moment other than pointing out that you are not following F1 precisely in these progressions; I don't think it will have a huge negative impact at this stage, except that you might be missing on an opportunity to learn how to stop and track back to where you took the wrong turn and follow the correct path instead of trying to cut through the woods...

But we've all done that with various degrees of success, scratches, scars , or worse to remind us of the experience.

There is surely something to learn there as well...

[Coach might tell you to stop immediately and go back to where you did not master the exercise...]