SLS/SE1 form check

Hello GSTers-

Here's set number 4 from today's workout of SLS/SE1 (I'm on week 10). I have some balance problems with my right leg (although the loss of balance in the middle there where I hop around is not at all common, that was an anomoly). So my speed in the movment is slowed by needing to maintain balance (bu tI'm not sure if that's really a tempo issue when it come to mastery). I see that I don't get my upper leg to exactly, fully a 90 degree angle on every rep (like last 2 reps on L leg... again this comes down to an issue of loosing balance usually), but it seems to match the ROM in the official video. Any thoughts or comments are, as always, most appreciated. Thanks!

 

ROM and strength are good.  Your balance problem is more related to ankle stability, so working on glute activation and ankle stabilizers strength will help.  Balance needs to be good to proceed on to the next SE.  You'll need that anyway for the pistol variations.

Thanks MT Nordic. Actually I've noticed that with my leg out front (the normal SLS position), I don't really have balance issues, only when the leg folded up on the knee like that. But to increase my balance in SE1 I need to work on contracting my glutes more as I descend down? As well as contracting ankle stablilizing muscles?

you may notice the best way to stabilize the ankle is to activate the glutes.  If you stand on 1 leg you'll feel your ankle wobbling around between inversion and neutral.  clench your glute, and suddenly it stabilizes that ankle right over neutral.  Because you're having to lean forward a lot in this hawaiian squat, you're having difficulty activating the glutes, and you wobble around.  I'd recommend you feel your glute activate when you're in your start position (when it is most easy), and focus on continuing that glute activation as you descend.  It will feel stronger and more stable.  Because we sit a lot in our society, our glutes are not activated very easily and we have to retrain them.  These exercises are great for that.  Good luck to you.

Right near gave me a heart attack when you lost your balance in the video. My first thought was, noooo the television!!! I like your drawings, too.

My contribution to this thread is for you to focus on leaning less.

True, I hadn't even noticed the danger the TV was in. I'll have to give credit for the drawings to the orignal artists (my kids).

 

Good note about the lean, I can work on being more upright. Thanks!

Update, tested for master today, here is the last set of 5x5r.

 

MTNordic's note re: glute activation to help stability in the ankles... it works. Takes some time to learn it, but it seems to have made things better.

 

By shifting the weight back as I begin to descend, I get the weight over my heels, and therefore activate the glutes more, which enables me to go deeper and with more stability.