HS/PE4

Coach Sommer said:

- In the video his hands lightly brush the floor.  He is most certainly not relaxing or allowing the floor to bear the weight.

 

- However the primary focus remains on achieving full shoulder flexion with the ribs pulled down and the back flat on the floor.  It should feel as though the hands and ribs are pulling in opposite directions.

 

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

https://www.gymnasticbodies.com/forum/topic/11446-hs-pe-4-6/?p=112195

Good to know; thanks Jon!  It's terrific how there is ALWAYS something to learn around here (and always someone willing to teach)!

Biren P. said:

Probably someone would have to correct me if I'm wrong, but I think pulling the ribs down is just another way to say posterior pelivc tilt. At least, that's what it feels like. To me, pulling the ribs down feels like you are pulling the ribs in the opposite direction of the shoulders. For example, if you try PE5 with a posterior pelvic tilt, you would see what I mean. shoulders are going toward the ceiling, like someone on your back is pulling them up, but the pelvis is moving toward the ground, like someone in the ground is pulling them down. If that makes any sense...

Pulling the ribs down flexes the thoracic spine and upper lumbar spine and the PPT flexes the lumbar spine from the sacrum to the lower thoracic spine. I have so many patients that when I tell them to PPT they pull their ribs down instead. They both flex the spine from different directions. It is possible to pull the ribs down and APT.

Mark Collins said:

Pulling the ribs down flexes the thoracic spine and upper lumbar spine and the PPT flexes the lumbar spine from the sacrum to the lower thoracic spine. I have so many patients that when I tell them to PPT they pull their ribs down instead. They both flex the spine from different directions. It is possible to pull the ribs down and APT.

Thanks for the correction! Can you give an example of a movement to help make sense of pulling the ribs down? When I imagine flexing the thoracic spine, all I end up doing is protracting the scapula or lifting my body off the ground.

You see people flexing the thoracic spine when they read books, work on a computer, do up their zipper etc. when we are sitting or standing and bend forwards we usually flex the neck and thoracic spine first. All this is done with the scapula relatively relaxed and not in end range protraction.

Mark Collins said:

You see people flexing the thoracic spine when they read books, work on a computer, do up their zipper etc. when we are sitting or standing and bend forwards we usually flex the neck and thoracic spine first. All this is done with the scapula relatively relaxed and not in end range protraction.

Ugh, now that i know what ribs in means, this is terribly hard to do in a handstand. It's a little easier to let the neck flex with the thoracic vertebrae, but oh so impossible to pull the ribs in AND look at the ground. I did try this standing up with a barbell and the difference in my line was pretty shocking (in a good way), so thanks for bringing this to my attention!