A little bit of form check

Hey guys, was hoping to get some feedback on my HS/PE1-iM.

I know I don't have full flexion yet and I am a few cm away from shoulder width still, but I would love to know if I am even doing this correctly, thanks!

I think you've got the idea. It looks like you're struggling a bit at the start to get the balance between shoulder flexion and tucked ribs.

Personally, I like to sit up straight, pull my arms back strongly to find the right tension in my back and shoulders. Then I bend over with my chest neutral. Finally, in the bent over position I tuck my ribs while pulling my arms strongly in the opposite direction. I find by breaking it into two parts like that I can get a stronger shoulder stretch and better trap recruitment.

thecolin said:

I think you've got the idea. It looks like you're struggling a bit at the start to get the balance between shoulder flexion and tucked ribs.

 

Personally, I like to sit up straight, pull my arms back strongly to find the right tension in my back and shoulders. Then I bend over with my chest neutral. Finally, in the bent over position I tuck my ribs while pulling my arms strongly in the opposite direction. I find by breaking it into two parts like that I can get a stronger shoulder stretch and better trap recruitment.

Thank you! I will experiment with that method. How exactly do I go about tucking the ribs? The only thing I'm thinking about is keeping a hollow back, perhaps it's the same thing?

You definitely want to keep a flatter back. Check the demo video as well as  here  and here for some more specifics. Your upper and mid back are good to go, but it looks to me like you need to work on the pelvic tilt to flatten out the lower part. It's probably combined with some not uncommon mobility issues bound to the cross legged seated position.

KeilaniG talks a lot about self release of the lower body in a different post(possibly about ABH) which would probably help ya out as well.

I'd agree that if your lower back is arching in that position its probably better to address it as a separate flexibility issue.

The cue I use is simply to pull the ribs down to the ground by tightening the abs. This seems to create a bit of a tug of war between the shoulders and the abs. I've found that the opposite pulling between the upper and lower sections helps me generate the correct tension in my traps as I try to stabilize my body. In that position, if you don't have tight hips, the back should automatically flatten without really doing it consciously.

TANSTAAFL said:

KeilaniG talks a lot about self release of the lower body...

Personally, that was more of an issue as a teenager. Now that I'm married I have more direct access to other methods.

thecolin said:

Personally, that was more of an issue as a teenager. Now that I'm married I have more direct access to other methods.

Wow. As per usual, the posts I get involved in require alacritous exit moves. Out .

Thanks guys. I see what you mean about flattening the back. I'll get cracking on it.