Beginning F1 - Suggestions and more

F1 today

ABH + Im. ABH a total failure, 32s, 32s, 26s, 26s. Don't get it, I was doing 5x30s with ease and good form last week.

MN/PE1 4x12r + Im , here I'm steadily improving

SLS/PE1 4x12r + Im, demanding

GM with bar 10x2

Stretching

I've been having similar experience with ABH. What works for me is to keep it around a steady level for some time, like 5x30s, then increase when the increase feels so natural it almost comes by itself.

What progression do you recommend then Joakim, I mean, from 30s do you jump to what?

Today I did F1.

I decided to shoot for 4x16r on the HBR and I managed. My feeling is that I'm now rocking smoother on my back. A video will tell.

I then tried sPL/PE2 (forearm plank) and have no idea of whether I kept a decent form. I could do 4x30s easily. The Im is challenging.

Push ups...I could do 4x12r, but really hardly getting through. I don't really understand what's the matter with these, I'm really stuck. Every time I do a deload week, I have the feeling I just loose what I gained during the previous cycle.

Same is true for RC/PE3, 8,8,8,6r. 

OK, at home is different. I don't have my visual cues that also help me to set up. However, I believe the issue is somewhere else. In addition, I feel tight as hell.

federicoC said:

What progression do you recommend then Joakim, I mean, from 30s do you jump to what?

I don't know if I can recommend anything really, except following what feels good. I went from 5x20s to 5x23s because one day I just felt comfortable with it. It came by itself. I could squeeze out 5x40s with good form but that leaves my hamstrings fried for too many days, so I'm still around 5x30s most sessions until the magic strikes again.

Thanks for your feedback. I understand, what I don't get is why is the variance of my performances so high.

Today I did F1.

WU (extensive) followed by 

ABH 32,32,30,30s. Form wasn't great but reasonable. Strained on the last set.

Tuck ups 4x12r

deck sq 4x12r

push ups 3x8r

Im are included. Really suffered the deck sq today as well. 

but of course, I forget to mention, it's mostly because of the tinea cruris, which is not improving at all.

Decided to take one week off. I didn't workout since the 28th and in the following I list important things worth noticing and questions on which I hope your expertise can help.

Short version:

> I am currently taking one week off to regenerate myself. I would like to start soon back from PE1 on every element and a better mindset (exploiting the experience gained in 2013), would like to discuss with you about appropriate breathing/grinder reps, would like to discuss with you about further nutritional tips.

Detailed version:

1) Let me start off with my best wishes for your 2014. All the best for your health-work-social life-GST combo.

2) My mycosis turned out to be Tinea Cruris, which affects/localizes in inner leg and the scrotum. A dermatologist examined this and told me it's quite common in males. I could have got this from the swimming pool or from the gym - and I'm in favor of this second hypothesis as I hate the place where I'm training right now exactly because of hygienic conditions. 

For those of you that might be interested in, I started the local treatment about 20 days ago with Pevaryl 1% and 3 days ago I took a systemic drug. To stop training helped. I hope I can completely get rid of this in 7-10 days.

3) Three days ago and yesterday I had two examinations with my urologist. He performed accurate and detailed analysis of my testis structures. The right epididymis recovered, has now normal structure. No other alterations of the testis structures could be found. The skin of the left testicle - the one that has been fixed by orchidopexy -is irritated by the mycosis. Blood flow/supply is normal and varicocele test negative.

My bladder has been examined via ECG. Walls have been found excessively distended, although in the follow up ECG it resulted normal after urination. However, as I reported other symptoms compatible with bladder or prostatic gland issues, the doctor suggested to perform a dynamometric exam. I will do it for 2 reasons: i) information never hurts (one of the key principles in information theory) ii) all testicle issues I had over the last year might be caused by other reasons than bacterial infection, which could never be found in any of the exams I performed. In addition, I must say I'm happy to have found this doctor, as he's not only very competent and much better than anyone I met in CH, but he's also very keen in listening to his patience - a key in establishing a crucial doctor-patient relationship.

4) I discussed with the doctor about sports.

--He values swimming, and I would like to get back to it asap, progressing and improving my form in 2014 with the help of friends which have been exposed to it since their youth.

--He values Kit's work, a lot, and he agrees that I should do all what I can to improve my mobility. He told me I'm always very contracted, and I should work to learn to relax. I truly like Kit's material, and I will do more reading on it as well as more practice.

--He values GST. However, here I have to say that I should prevent myself from working, e.g., under conditions that increase blood pressure like using the Valsava maneuver. It happens to me that I do not breath properly towards the end of heavy sets, and in the long term I understood is not correct prevention for my issues. Therefore, I decided to start back from PE1 at an easy week. Questions:

       1) Do you think it is possible to progress by stopping each set when the breathing is not correct?

       2) How do you deal with breathing?

       3) How do you approach the isometric components of the program in terms of breathing?

This discussion will help me a lot, and I hope it will be beneficial for other members of the community as well.

5) Finally, nutrition. I'd like to create a list of foods that are considered beneficial for the health of the male urinary tract, particularly prostatic gland and bladder. I don't want to become radical, I simply want to gear my diet - whenever I can - to take care of this aspect.

Thanks a lot to everyone who will reply. I'm looking forward to a satisfactory 2014.

PS in this process, I might really change gym.

federicoC said:

PS in this process, I might really change gym.

I'd highly recommend this.  If you have even the slightest doubt it could have been the source of your problems, you should change immediately.

Not so sure I can help you with the breathing techniques, but when I start reaching the end of my hard isometric sets, I tend to start breathing really rapidly.  Otherwise, I focus on deep, slow breaths in order to maximise control.

Thanks for sharing all you've been going through, best of luck with it.

federicoC said:

 

       1) Do you think it is possible to progress by stopping each set when the breathing is not correct?

       2) How do you deal with breathing?

       3) How do you approach the isometric components of the program in terms of breathing?

1) Definitely yes!

2) On FL rocks for example, I inhale on the back roll, exhale coming forward and follow that form for the entire set. Similar with pushups and xiaopengs (inhale going up, exhale back down) and actually all other movements. Controlled breathing in close relation to the body moving.

3) Slow and controlled breathing here. I don't hyperventilate the last ten seconds as I see a lot of people do. Same tempo throughout the whole set. When I don't bring a stopwatch/iPhone to training I count breaths instead. When I was doing planks I used to sometimes see how few breaths I could comfortably do in a minute. I don't know if this is recommended but it put me in complete awareness and control of what I was doing. I think I read Mats Trane mention something similar a while back, maybe he has some insight to share?

My view of it is that if you can't do these basic foundation movements and holds without your breathing getting out of hand, you might be finishing the time and reps but you're not really mastering them.

hey federico,

when you do not feel comfortable at your gym, change it. on longterm the best decision

at the end of isometric sets my breath gets faster too...but i think, sometimes is it not to get more air in shorter time its more a mental thing, you know what i mean? 

Thanks a lot for your input. Therefore, on breathing, I will proceed as mentioned. I will consider technical failure the rep in which I fail to master the breathing.

pushups and xiaopengs (inhale going up, exhale back down)

 

shouldn't this be the other way around? Concentric = exhale, eccentric = inhale.

I'd really appreciate also a word from Coach or other experienced athletes on the following: is some movements mastery requires knees together. While I can do it in isometric movements, e.g. FL/PE1, I can't do the same on dynamic ones, e.g. MN/PE1 or SL/PE1. There I improved a lot but knees together is not possible for me using a sospensorium. How much do I miss because of this? Am I allowed to claim mastery on a movement if I lack this aspect?

Thanks in advance.

Federico

federicoC said:

shouldn't this be the other way around? Concentric = exhale, eccentric = inhale.

In weightlifting that seems to be the common practice, or sometimes hold your breath and exhale at the top. Where I did yoga for two months this summer it was it was the other way around. Just find whatever is most efficient and comfortable for the specific exercise, I guess. That works for me.

to add a tidbit, at first you only really focus on breath to learn how to regulate your energy use(in this case oxygen), I find if i get too rigid with my regulating, i start to hyperventilate or yawn, in my limited scope of experience, I feel like if i invest too much focus into it, it gets sloppy(for me.) so it kind of feels like finding a balance point of intent and just letting it be. 

so what worked getting over that "too much mind" portion of the breathing mechanics was meditation(nothing fancy, just focus on my stomach moving forwards and backwards) but also allowing your body to do it's own thing, more like pushing something that is already moving to give it some direction. 

you'll notice that after some time, maybe a few weeks maybe months, your body will start regulating itself and you can focus your mind on something else. 

edit: something to think about

edited edit: btw, i hope you get well soon, Federico! 

Thanks guys and thanks Keilani for your wishes. I hope to recover soon from this annoying mycosis, for the rest I've been reassured and I will do all what I can to keep the situation under control.

I visited the crossfit/GST gym today, let's see if I can manage to convince them to let me train there. Hard task

With today, I end my first 7 days without training. Hope to be able to start soon my adventure in F1 for 2014. 

Meanwhile, I'd appreciate further input and a discussion about nutrition as indicated in point #5 above.

ugh....what was that one fruit....cranberry? i don't know how you make your PWO shakes, but i like to add antioxidant fruits in mine. lately, since we're in Season i've been using oranges but more to the point, if you can get fresh cranberries you can try those out. 

as for the rest, you can  just check up on what you need specifically because i had some prostate calcification that went away taking Saw Palmetto for a month or so but i dont know if that would help you because i dont exactly know what you have or how to treat it

edit: also, you'll get more discussion if you post something like that in the Nutrition forum (because not all the nutritional knowledgeable people have access to this forum)

Yes, cranberries. I can only find dried ones, no fresh cranberry around in CH. Perhaps I can find some derivative. I already introduced them in my diet since some months. My goal is prevention, and gearing my diet towards anti-inflammatory meals in one thing I'm trying to achieve. However, I don't want to become too "strict". There is nothing wrong in having 10-20g of 70-80% dark chocolate 1/2 per week, or having a tea from time to time. I would like to progressively increase the variety of foods included in my diet. I believe that variation is important. That's one of my goals for 2014.

Mycosis is improving, still not fully gone but I'm patient.

Today I started my Foundation experience, F1 from ground zero. Last WO was approx. 2 weeks ago.

Goal #1: learn correct breathing. I'll claim failure on a set if breathing is not correct.

Summary:

>FL

      PE1, I started from 4x36s. Shallow breathing worked fine, I found them hard because I'm implementing a much more hollowed position (which I already showed doing HBR). It will pay off.

      Im, nothing special. I can only say the ROM improved dramatically since Sept.

>sPL

      PE1, I started from 4x9r. Breath during negative, pause in the hole, breath out during positive, pause at the top. Solid.

      Im, here I was positively surprised, I maintained the ROM and I'm sure I'm very close to mastery

>HBP

      PE1, I started from 4x12r and did 5 sets, actually. Breath in during negative, out during positive.

      Im, fine, perhaps my ROM is slightly different between right and left arms

>RC

      PE1, I started from 4x12r. Breath in during negative, out during positive. Pause at the bottom and at the top. Last set the breathing failed. Need to work on it.

      Im, fine, I always like this one.

Did 2x3r of chin ups from dead hang and then stretched my lower back, mid/upper back, shoulders. I'm planning to start back reading Kit's book and implement more of that.

per your question on tuck ups, I noticed I could balance better going up and at the top than when i wasn't pressing with my legs.

when i say pressing, i mean that to a degree, im currently working on some biomechanic issues and my inner thighs feel like they're contracting to high heavens when I hold a completely feet together Arch body hold, tuck up, skier, etc etc 

I read it twice, but I am not sure I get what you mean.

Could you elaborate a bit on this?

Thanks a lot!

okay, try this.

stand up.

feet together, knees together, straight body.

now press your heels together. notice how that feels, kind of puts a tension in your knees where they feel like they're going to open? not that.

press your knees together. notice how it feels like your feet can now hinge open by rotating, similar to how your knees could just open up.

now squeeze your butt, your heels and your knees, slightly, notice how everything feels solid? 

a few hours ago, i was testing and re-testing some mobility and it felt mostly mental that i was contracting to high heavens because i hadn't felt that level of engagement before. 

kind of like dropping your foot too heavy on the gas pedal because you weren't that acquainted with the car? that's what i was feeling at first

Got it, but I'm not sure about what are the possible issues of not being able to bring knees together!

16.01.14

Summary:

>FL

      PE1, 4x36s. Shallow breathing worked fine also this time.

      Im

>sPL

      PE1, 4x9r. Breath during negative, pause in the hole, breath out during positive, pause at the top. Solid.

      Im, good ROM, very close to mastery

>HBP

      PE1, 4x12r and did 5 sets, actually. Breath in during negative, out during positive. Solid.

      Im

>RC

      PE1, 4x12r. Breath in during negative, out during positive. Pause at the bottom and at the top. Last set was close to failure, but I could breath correctly throughout

      Im

blocked by a cold and a minor relapse of the mycosis. That has been cleared out to a great extent, however. I'm just now ensuring it will never appear anymore. This means that soon - once I recover completely - I'll be able to start back swimming as well. It's not been almost 2 months since last workout.

I'll keep you posted, and for F1, I'll start back again.

Two months is nothing.  You'll be back to training in no time.

Thanks Bipocni, but I think for a beginner it's actually not the case. It took me time to fix my crawl and now I'm almost sure I'll need to start from scratch again. This should happen in 2 weeks. I hope to get back to GST asap, i.e. as soon as I get rid of this cold.