Has anyone mastered MN/PE2 yet?

KeilaniG said:

Jefferson curls are exactly what the doctor order, apart from actually getting the motion down with active flexibility. 

 

For me and a lot of other people it would seem that these only help with pike flexibility, not straddle. They have been fantastic for my hamstrings. But when I open my legs in straddle something else gets in the way and my compression is just a fraction of what it is with straight legs.

Has any one tried, successfully or unsuccessfully, doing jefferson curls in a wide leg straddle position?

I've also been experimenting with this stretch that Alex87 showed me, which seems like it might be useful:

Pushing my knees out and sitting back seems to create a stretch similar to what I feel when I try to compress in straddle.

KeilaniG said:

so maybe you'd benefit from working the Bridge progressions in F1a days and do some shoulder Bridges as a warm up before ABH.(I remember distinctly reading that someone does that, but I can't remember who it was. maybe they'll chime in to give you more feedback.)

That was me, doing sets of FL PE5/iM before ABH or R. Really made a big difference. Now after the seminar I do much more stretching as a warm up and ABR has become a warm up element (a devilish one). Specifically pancakes and bridge work. I find that some piriformis stretch + bridging work (full or shoulder) really makes a big difference.

KeilaniG said:

5x5 of this must be hell )

5x5??? For some reason I've been doing 5x10. Must have misread and gone with that without thinking more of it. Next workout is gonna be a good one.

Rob Rowland said:

Has Coach weighed in on the question of whether it is encouraged to master a pancake or pike stretch before MN/PE2 or any other F1 exercises?  I do not have access to F2-4 yet and am wondering if I'm jumping ahead of the programming.

I guess it depends on what your definition of mastery is for these elements. I can tell you that I've run into a major stumbling block on MN/PE6 due to lack of active pike flexibility. I'm working hard on fixing that now, because the F2-F4 MN progressions are extremely reliant on active pike strength, and Coach has also said that those who haven't sorted out their pike compression will have a rude awakening when encountering H2.

So, in short, begin working on it now, you will absolutely need it later.

Christian said:

That was me, doing sets of FL PE5/iM before ABH or R. Really made a big difference. Now after the seminar I do much more stretching as a warm up and ABR has become a warm up element (a devilish one). Specifically pancakes and bridge work. I find that some piriformis stretch + bridging work (full or shoulder) really makes a big difference.

I've been finding this one a really useful mobility element for my hips for bridge and arch work:

You can really feel this one in your hip flexors.

Every time I see the name of this topic I want to write: No! No one ever!

I'm my path to conquer this. I've improved my tempo doing more controlled reps compared to the past video. One thing I noticed: I'm not even close to put my lower back straight on the floor while having the arms and legs extended. I've a funny tailbone which doesn't allow me to do it. 

Even thought, here's my try. 

Thanks guys! We've to work hard to mastery this!

Looks really good!

Yeah I like it Adriano, nice work.

mannadomingo!

That looks nice, I agree with your considerations about the tail bone.

Anyway, more than that, I still think you're going quite fast. This wouldn't impact mastery on this element from my point of view, but at the same time, the more you postpone slowing down the movement, the harder you'll find future progressions.

When you get to those 10" negatives you realize how you should have done those easier variation with a bit slower tempo.

At least that's what happened to me

you know what, Ewe, all i see is needing to PPT to touch the lower back on the ground. doesn't matter if the legs hover off the ground, mobility to hit the ground will come with time but your compression looks pretty there. in some of the the reps when you aim your hands to like " / " to touch the ground, you had about the same compression as when you point them straight out in front of you even though in a few reps, it isn't like that. 

they look pretty sweet, if you ask me. 

now mine are awkward....almost as awkward as that lady humming. 

Where is it said that one have to be hollow in the bottom position?

Riku Calderón said:

Where is it said that one have to be hollow in the bottom position?

It was mentioned indirectly in MN/PE1 (Tuck-Ups) where it says to lay down completely flat in between reps.  It'll make your life so much easier the better your PPT is when performing MN/PE1-3

Riku Calderón said:

Where is it said that one have to be hollow in the bottom position?

No where.

As far as I know there's no such a requirement

maolu said:

No where.

As far as I know there's no such a requirement

PPT in tuck ups translates to PPT once you go to the Stall bars with hanging leg tucks, which then goes to the subsequent progressions leading upto manna because how else will you learn to press your hips forward, if you don't know how to control your pelvis in space?

/2c

Lots of good information in this thread. I definitely do not want to come by as arrogant especially since you guys have already spent so much time on this one and I am just starting. So please feel free to contradict. These are just thoughts, not my opinion.

Two things I keep thinking about:

1. When mastery is 75 reps and we can't get even one properly done probably we would be much better off by building volume in intermediate position as main exercise and keep just few reps of PE2 for practice only . The trick would be to back off just enough towards PE1. I think it is impossible to create proper abs compression as soon as lower back is rounded and we keep practising wrong movement that will never bring us closer to right technique.

2. This exercise is demonstrated by elite gymnast. That movement is nothing for him. I guess the opposite will be more difficult that is to lower to bare mastery level of PE2 and demonstrate it that way but o maybe we are just being PE2 Nazis and have unrealistic requirements. That one is more my hope than reality probably

KeilaniG said:

PPT in tuck ups translates to PPT once you go to the Stall bars with hanging leg tucks, which then goes to the subsequent progressions leading upto manna because how else will you learn to press your hips forward, if you don't know how to control your pelvis in space?

 

/2c

Agreed, but that doesn't make it a requirement for PE2 specifically, does it?

To make it clear, by "one have to be hollow in the bottom position" I think Riku means "as opposed to normally laying on the floor like the athlete is showing".

The requirement at PE2 stage is just get up there with balance. PPT facilitates this and for me makes it so much easier that it's now an automatic thing, but if you have good hips you may be able to do it without factoring this in yet. It will become more necessary in pe3, again just to get up there with balance and compression, not necessarily as something required

Jon Douglas said:

The requirement at PE2 stage is just get up there with balance.

But what about compression, how much do we need? I think that's still the standing question for a lot of people. Do we need to compress as much as the athlete at this point? Or is that more of a long term goal?

thecolin said:

But what about compression, how much do we need? I think that's still the standing question for a lot of people. Do we need to compress as much as the athlete at this point? Or is that more of a long term goal?

Probably not quite as much as demonstrated there, but you should getting fairly close to a pancake with straight legs.

Best left to Coach I think; if he prefers to judge it on a case-by-case basis then it's because he knows the criteria for acceptable better than us No surprises there.

Jon is always golden.

I just think that people is trying to be heroes in start of F1 and dont progress. Me also and that is why I fight to get more people to say to me that do what is required and go on!! Now I feel often that when you do what is required there is 10 people saying that you can do this and that also to make it harder. I dont think this is what coach wants. I think the material is quite clear often what is reguired to move on.

I'm more curious about what kind of balance between strength and mobility we require at this point, as opposed to looking for the nod to move past a certain element.

The only thing I've read is that if we don't have a strong pancake, we'll really struggle with H2, which is a long way off for most of us. Coupled with that is the fact that all of the early manna mobility is specifically for pike flexibility. We don't do any straddle mobility work until the very end of F2. Combine that with the fact that S1 is being released well after the entire foundation series. I'm sure there will be some straddle/pancake work there, but if that work was a prerequisite for early manna elements, it would have been released first. If you consider all of that, pancake flexibility is presented as a long term goal.

I'm looking for knowledge, not a tap on the shoulder. I currently lack the tools I need to recreate this element as presented.

thecolin said:

Combine that with the fact that S1 is being released well after the entire foundation series. I'm sure there will be some straddle/pancake work there, but if that work was a prerequisite for early manna elements, it would have been released first.

I don't think Coach was planning to release a stretch series originally...

thecolin said:

Combine that with the fact that S1 is being released well after the entire foundation series. I'm sure there will be some straddle/pancake work there, but if that work was a prerequisite for early manna elements, it would have been released first. 

S1 will obviously not be a formal prerequisite for F1, but to some, it may be a physical necessity.

thecolin said:

I'm sure there will be some straddle/pancake work there, but if that work was a prerequisite for early manna elements, it would have been released first. If you consider all of that, pancake flexibility is presented as a long term goal.

 

I'm looking for knowledge, not a tap on the shoulder. I currently lack the tools I need to recreate this element as presented.

Would you not think that mastery of MN/PE2 requires a fair amount of pancake flexibility?