Beginning F1 - Suggestions and more

Session went very well yesterday, but it killed my recovery and today I skipped swimming and gave myself an extra rest day. Work is getting overwhelming and this, of course, matters. As a note, I've been close to complete 4x40s ABH. Here it comes the next question: I'm quite sure I will not be able to perform ABR because of my testis issue. I tried couple of reps and the compression is way too much what I can afford. Is there any recommendation/suggestion on what to do with my ABH at the moment in order to perhaps reach more than 5x60s and (partially - I suppose really partially) compensate for ABR?

I'm sure you can message a GB coach to get the official word on that.

Nic can help you

OK, just that you get me right this has nothing to do with being lazy. I am having my difficulties already with the ABH but on that element I can still perform with confidence. I screened all F1 elements and to me, ABR really looks like the only one I can not perform, fortunately. Therefore, I'd like to know what should I do. It will take me still some cycles to get to 5x60s on the ABH, my improvements are really slow on that but apparently this is an issue shared with many others on this board. In addition, once I get to 5x60s I would like to maybe perform 1-2 additional cycles with focus on increasing further the ROM. My feeling is that currently my ROM really depends on the day, I did not yet manage to achieve some stable results.

What I also observed yesterday is that my HBR really improved, now I can roll smoothly. I could do the 4x24r now, with good form. Strength instead is increasing on the other elements. One additional thing I noticed is that the week after the deload is very difficult because intensity increases way too fast, e.g. 2 weeks ago I could perform 4x15r push ups. After 5x8r during the deload week, I could barely do 4x12r yesterday but I know that the same scheme will be way easier in just 1/2 sessions, perhaps already tomorrow. Did anyone else experience the same?

on the rep scheme thing after a deload, yes. i need a session with high volume to "warm me up" again and next session get it together for the rest of the three weeks

also, using compression shorts during rocks have helped with the family jewels. if i do it with boardshorts alone, i get road kill.

Thanks, but I already use a supporter/jock, without it I could not train.

Have you tried to use two mats so that there is agroove between them?

Good suggestion, does this impinge on the exercise per se? I mean, it reduces the surface that contacts the floor.

probably enough not to run over important bits  

jvenna said:

Have you tried to use two mats so that there is agroove between them?

That's what I was thinking. Or you could buy a gymnastic mat and get an apolsterer to make a hole just for you in the right place! There are Physio tables specifically made for pregnant women so they can lay on the stomachs when receiving back treatment. Since arch rocks are a lifelong exercise it would be money well spent.

Maybe there is even a market to sell these mats....The Arch Rock Mat! I wouldn't give up the PhD though

Thanks guys, your advices are priceless.

I got in touch with a person who just stated a "functional training" gym in town. I'm trying to figure out where else I can train besides the gym where I'm in now. The owner is totally unfriendly and told me already to stop doing these "strange exercises" as apparently someone got injured by trying to reproduce them (I guess this happened with the windmill, but it's just a guess based on what I heard). However, I'm not sure I will find out a new place. Will keep you posted on that, F7 time for me now.

You have to do like we did

We don´t have living room any more. We did put 2 stall bars in the wall and have 14 squares of mat from out MMA gym in the floor

The next step is to get real pull up bar and bolt rings in sealing. Now we only have the door thing.

RiQC said:

You have to do like we did

 

We don´t have living room any more. We did put 2 stall bars in the wall and have 14 squares of mat from out MMA gym in the floor

 

The next step is to get real pull up bar and bolt rings in sealing. Now we only have the door thing.

I can't wait for the day I stop renting so I can start building a decent home gym...

Many elements from my last session

whenever you see 2 sets, they correspond to the first and the last one. I'd really appreciate your comments on them, I see a generalized improvement but I want to keep the focus on details.

Thanks in advance!

You are moving a lot better. With the BHBr try to open the hips more as it looks like the knees are too close to the chest. Keep up the great work.

Nice! Always remember to point the toes.

Thanks guys! Should you see major issues please let me know!

Last session I did F7, tomorrow I'll do F7 with deload scheme. I now know that for me it works best if I do 3 x F7 (regular scheme) for the first week after deload week and then continue in the cycle with 1 x F7 (regular) + 1 x F7 (deload) + 1 x F7 (regular).

Last session I did:

> HBR: 36r, 30r, 30r, 24r. Very tough, still need a lot of work on this

> Scap Shrugs: 4x15r. Could touch the floor with both knees for the first time during the swivel. Is the form in the video close to mastery form so that I can have a hope to move to the next element after this minicycle?

> ABH: I used two mats and placed myself in the groove, it works! But...it makes the exercise harder I could do 44s, 40s, 36s, 36s. Damn.

> tuck up: 4x15r

> Cossack: 4x20r, tough.

> push ups: 15r, 15r, 15r, 10r. I used a tempo where I stopped 1-2" at top position. Felt great and consistent but...the last set was cruel.

> ground rows: 10r,10r,10r,8r. I was really finished. I'm only drinking water during the session and at this point I am always trashed. I should get some carbs along.

you know Federico, if you feel like that im sure you'll feel great doing a 4day split.

KeilaniG said:

you know Federico, if you feel like that im sure you'll feel great doing a 4day split.

Second this.  F7 is a lot harder than I think people realise.  Just because you can stagger your way through the whole workout doesn't mean that you're getting productive work done.

Sure, but this happened to me only because in the last sessions I really trained without anything but water. Four days are not possible for me, three with the arrangement I chose instead seem to be reasonable. I think the results I obtained so far are somehow supporting this view. 

Could you give me some feedback on this question I previously posted?

swivel. Is the form in the video close to mastery form so that I can have a hope to move to the next element after this minicycle?

i can't see but are your glutes touching the ground the entire time? if yes, that is some good form if not, go for that last couple of inches and you'll be good

KeilaniG said:

i can't see but are your glutes touching the ground the entire time? if yes, that is some good form if not, go for that last couple of inches and you'll be good

I seem to remember a 3 page thread on whether or not both glutes need to touch the ground the whole time.  We never did get to the bottom of it....

Edit: Okay, I'm subconsciously making bad puns.  I think I'll call it a night.  It's not safe for me to be on the internet anymore...

Correct, I also don't know because to me it looks like even the athlete in the sample video does slightly lift the glute corresponding to the inner leg. Yes, I do lift a bit. I can now touch the ground with both knees. I'm not sure it is physically possible to do the same with glutes completely on the ground.

Waiting for input

OK, other issue. Today wasn't a good day, at all. I could do 36,30,18,18 reps of HBR because when I was rocking I felt discomfort in my testis. Felt weird, actually, and I got this feeling since when I started doing this exercise. I'm not sure I should proceed with it, do you have any suggestion? HBH instead are fine. The problem seems to arise from the fact that when I rock I try to keep my knees together. In this way, I generate compression and when I move this creates a quite bad feeling. Would it be possible to try to do the same with the legs more open?Makes sense?

Stressed by this fact, the rest of the WO didn't go well. But it doesn't matter, bad days are always part of the game.

Thanks guys!

Talked with my urologist (in Italy - to many of you will sound weird but he's at least one order of magnitude better than the ones I met in CH so far), we will perform additional exams. For the time being, no panic, it might have just been a single episode.

What about going all the way back to week 1 on the HBR and try to develop a slow rocking, so that I reduce the probability of feeling discomfort? Other suggestions?

I'm arranging my weeks and work to fit a newcomer, H1!!! I want to get my hands dirty with it now that it's some month I'm working on F1. My idea is to have 2 x F1+H1 days over the week and 1 x F7 on Sunday/ However, I'm also considering the 4 days split, the problem is that I'm not sure I will have the time for it. I'll think about and let you know soon.