Form check - all F1/PE1 + iM

Here's my first form check for Foundation One.  I started each exercise on PE1 week 5.  This is the second workout of week 6 on each.  I apologize in advance for all the background noise between my son's cartoons and toys, and his occasional getting in the way. 

 

FL/PE1 36 seconds (first of four sets)

FL/PE1>iM 5 reps (first of four sets)

I realize after watching the video that I need to use an actual timer, since the clock in my head was a few seconds fast.

 

sPL/PE1 x 9 reps (first of four sets)
sPL/PE1>iM x 5 reps (first of four sets)

The swivel hips really hits some tight spots for me, sometimes I hold each rep for a few seconds, sometimes I throw in a few extra reps.

 

HBP/PE1 x 9 reps (first of four sets)
HBP/PE1>iM x 10 reps (first of four sets)

I didn't realize until just now that I had the camera too low on the German arm swings, but I think I'm getting my elbows about as far behind my head as the video in the course.

 

RC/PE1 x 9 reps (first of four sets)
RC/PE1>iM x 30 seconds (first of four sets)

My glutes might be touching the floor slightly, but they are not bearing any of my body weight. 

 

SLS/PE1 x 9 reps (first of four sets)
SLS/PE1>iM x 10 reps (first of four sets)

The skiers were also hitting some tight spots in my hips when I first started them, but they're a lot better now.

 

SL/PE1 x 12 seconds (all four sets)
SL/PE1>iM x 10 reps (first of four sets)

This one is as terrible as everyone says it is.  I actually did sets of 24 seconds my first week and 36 seconds the first workout of the second week, but after reading through the big thread about these, I realized I was doing a few things wrong.  I went into these planning on still going for 36 seconds, but shortly into the first set I realized that I needed to take a step back.  I wasn't look at the cycle chart, so I just did four sets of 12 seconds.  I think I am going to do 3 sets of 12 seconds for my third week, drop it to 3 sets of 6 seconds for the deload week, then start back up in week 1 of the cycle.

 

MN/PE1 x 9 reps
MN/PE1>iM x 5 reps

I had a camera malfunction for these, so I went back later and did a set of each so I could get them on video for form check.  The stiff legged windmill is the tought mobility exercise for me, though my son thinks it's a fun game to crawl back and forth through my legs. 

Since no one with more experience has replied, I'll give you my thoughts. Everything I've learnt is through trial and error and reading this forum since I started Foundation last June.

 

First of all, you're doing really well after just a couple of weeks. Posting initial form checks is a great way to start, and I am well aware how hard it can be to train with family commitments. Now for a few criticisms:

 

FL: Looks good. The acid test for this PE is can you rock smoothly in this position (a la PE2). If you can't then you need more compression. You would just be cheating yourself if you built up to mastering PE1 without enough compression.

 

SPl: Looks like you're quite a way off with your swivel hips. Both knees need to touch the ground with your glutes still in contact with the ground too. On the plus side, by the time you've mastered these, you'll be awesome at scapular shrugs.

 

HBP: While these are still easy, its worth trying to concentrate on a few points of form which will help you with later PE's. I suggest you aim for a more hollow body and try to lock out and protract at the top of each rep. The chest should descend to the level of the hands.

 

RC: It looks like you're using momentum in lieu of strength in the concentric phase here. The head should stay in line with the body; not move forward as you ascend.

 

SLS: While it might not be possible to keep your knees together, you should be able to get them pretty close. Compare yours with the course video. Skiers look good although I would strive for more depth.

 

SL: Thoracic extension looks good. Certainly better than mine. I'm not sure if your arms are high enough for mastery, but they're pretty close. It's hard to tell from this angle if your legs are bent slightly or not, but it's likely that you will see improvements through rolling and stretching your hip flexors and activating your glutes by using the cue of reaching up and back with your toes.

 

Mn: Working towards better compression in the tuck ups will leave you better prepared for the next PE. Try and squeeze the top of your thighs towards your belly button on each rep.

 

Hope this helps

Thanks for all of your input, it's greatly appreciated. 

 

I definitely agree with your assessment on the swivel hips, I'm real tight on those, especially on the left side when dropping over to the right.  I've been throwing in some extra reps and/or holding some reps at the bottom to work on it a bit more. 

 

On the SLS, I'll work on keeping my knees closer together.  My training over the past couple years has been centered around powerlifting, so the knees out cue occurs naturally and it just never crossed my mind. 

 

On SL, I wondered the same thing about whether or not my legs were straight.  I focused more on it last night.  Mastery is going to be tough on this one.  On the bright side though, once I get past PE2, I've done different variations of the remaining progressions as powerlifting assistant exercises, so I'm pretty confident those will only take a short cycle to master.

 

On MN, I see what you're talking about.  I really focused on that squeeze at the top last night and that definitely increased the difficulty quite a bit.  Depending on how the next few weeks go, I'm thinking I will probably repeat weeks 9-12 after this cycle to set myself up for PE2.

Your elbows look a bit bent on both cat/cow and scapular shrugs. Can you extend completely? Not that it's the main focus on these exercises but it very soon becomes important as you progress.

 

Put your feet further from eachother on swivel hips and don't twist the lower back/lift a glute even if this will limit your ROM even more. My experience is that different hip stretches improve this exercise more than the exercise does itself. Maybe it might for you too.

 

The lower arm in german arm swings goes in front of the body in the official video.

 

Look forward in ABH.

 

A good cue for the stiff leg windmills is to push the hip out to the side behind you instead of just bending forward and twisting the torso.

 

A lot of good stuff in there though! I like your skiers for example. Looking solid. Great work!

Sorry for the delayed response.  Regarding the bent elbows on the cat/cow and scapular shrugs, I see what you're talking about.  I'll have to take a pic, but I don't think I can quite get full extension in my elbows.  I'll have to look into some mobility drills to help alleviate that issue, but do you have any suggestions?

 

Like I said this is an area where I'm really tight.  I have been doing some additional mobility work on my hips lately, my ROM is definitely improving, but there's obviously still a lot of work to be done. 

 

Thanks for the other cues, they helped out quite a bit in my last workout, especially on the windmills.  Thanks again!!!!