Ring dips and steady progressions due to "cocky" injury

[Henesthenics]

About a month ago, I started doing ring dips without any guidance. My primary mistakes were keeping my arms close to my body, dipping without turning hands out on top and totally not locking out. To make matters worst, I started adding 5 pounds a week on my body which totaled up to 20 pounds before my once injured right shoulder to be injured again.

 

This here totally made me realize how stupid I was for not doing much research.

 

So about 2-3 weeks ago I made a new program and I want to talk about the dipping aspect of it.

 

I've started to re-do the dipping exercise and started off with elevated dips on paralletes and also started adding support XR holds. I've noticed that if I focus on form enough, my shoulders feel perfectly fine. Today when I did my workout for the day that did include these dipping variations I did only 1 set of 1 rep for a ring dip hopefully the correct way. (Support hold with hands facing out, shoulders retracted and chest a bit up. Slowly lower with rings parallel to my body until I hit the end point, push back up making sure I do not turn the rings inward.) I noticed that the pain was not like it was, it was just there, not too bothersome. Like a pain scale from a  1-10, I'd say a 2 or 3. This opened up my eyes to how form must be perfect for rings.

 

Now my question is, should I continue to attempt XR dips? I would totally go for dips on bars but I don't have any and my paralettes are about 12 inches tall. Is their any alternatives? I was considering on purchase two foldable chairs to do dips on the handles.

[Keilani Gutierrez]

the short answer is, rings are an -invaluable- training instrument used to create amazing upper body strength. it targets primary movers but also stabilizers, so it makes tendons, ligaments and those small muscles we really don't pay attention to or have a machine to workout specifically.

I experienced a similar "shut down" or progress when it came to this portion of GST.

I'll explain why with another short answer, our tissues regenerate at certain speeds. muscles regenerate faster than joints, so the run down you felt or the injury you re-aggravated was due to this disruption in natural balance. following a schedule that respects this balance is what ensures success in multiple levels.

you can go about this in several ways, number 1(the boringest yet fruitful) go to your doctor, get checked out, follow rehab protocol and not repeat process that brought upon the injury.

This, I thank goodness did not have to do as extensively as I thought, HOWEVER, on my shoulder flexion progression has gone in kind of spurts, if you will. progress nonetheless I've been on the same progression in my handstand training because of this but I've experienced shoulder health that i haven't possessed since...well ever.

as for prehab, you can follow another set of options,1. if you're training GST and not following the Foundation series, it'd probably be best to re-evaluate the Killroy Template. it's composed of a thorough analisis of BTGB and it's proven to produce results, though you have to insert your own structured flexibility, mobility regime to ensure maximum health and attainment of further strength.

2.F1 (with the use of the shoulder girdle, there is certain progressions that focus on hitting the shoulder girdle from multiple ranges of motion and ensuring optimal shoulder health)

3. Handstands One. now this is if you want to be man of shoulders of steel...and do handstands of course.

if you can, get the F1 + H1 combo

if you have to choose, F1.

roll with a tennis ball on your pecs, middle back, upper back (please be thorough and careful)

this and a combination there of has been what's brought my shoulder back to life. it's still got a long way to go but i haven't enjoyed this type of strength, mobility and relaxation in years.

[Henesthenics]

Very well thought post sir. Your information is certainly very valuable.

 

I've also started rolling my shoulder and chest muscles with a ball lately and I've felt a lot better.

 

In terms of a doctor, the last time I injured this shoulder, my doctor told me to rest it and not do that specific movement again until my shoulder felt better. Do to the fact that it wasn't a severe injury (since she did all sorts of physical tests on my shoulder and found that it wasn't a big injury, more like a sprain) I didn't need rehab.

 

F1 sounds promising and hopefully I can get it.

 

Scapula mobilization is also another thing I'm starting to implement that I have not yet fully mastered. As of right now I do scapula push ups as part of my warm up for my routines (with additional shoulder work like rotations, flexion, extension, etc).

 

If I were to go for F1, can I continue on with it along with the killroy template? Or should I solely stick to F1 as my primary form of exercise?

 

I'd like to congratulate you on your shoulder work by the way!

[Keilani Gutierrez]

thank you on all accounts and praise

I've worked hard (for what im used to) but it's really a recopulation of everything i've learned here, so I reitorate that praise to coach and the moderators (whom work way harder than i do)

if you're doin scap push ups(protraction) do some band pulls(retraction) or scapula rows, pullup rows(do it with assistance)

if you start F1, you can (yes) run it like a killroy template(when i say this what i mean is the following) you can do your training 4 days a week and it'll really make you strong. couple that with frequent prehab(with correct form, this is key) will create strength in the adequate ROM's.

an example of this is my ability to do pistol squats.

due to my body imbalances, my body created a "shape" that allowed me to squat with a single leg. from what i've gathered that is very important in GST as a discipline, make proper shapes. proper shapes will create strength holistically with the body's natural structure and be the difference between one leg squatting with grace and one leg squatting with enflamed bursa or tight joints.

you were doing a great job of becoming strong, just that the only missing link was the "shape". proper lean, the right amount of strength in one muscle in relation to the other, that strength at a particular ROM and correct muscle engagement in sequence.

F1 solves this for you, it'll guide you through the exact same preparatory measures that Coach follows to begin his athletes training.

let me divulge just one detail. due to the nature of my shoulder injury (anterior glenohumeral dislocation and clavicle fracture) I've always been smoked by kids that are 17 yrs old pumping out 50-60 pushups in a single set and i could barely make it passed 15 at 21yrs of age when i started Gong Fu. what my untrained eye didn't see at that time is that these kids are doing their exercise(at an appalling ROM if i may add) and then NOT doing mobility exercises. once more, my buddy and i who started Gong Fu together, was about 2 yrs ahead of me in martial development. that's 2 yrs of PT's, private classes, more trainig stimuli and in just 8 months of GST, doing pushups on an incline because my shoulder just couldnt take it and I've surpassed his punching capabilties in two ways: stance (from working on posture and leg strength) and from using my body the way that GST has re-programmed it.(and whats funny is that i am by no means more skilled than he is)

your body is a computer, treat it as such and you will quickly notice that all you needed to do was alter the code. not the difference in training stimuli.