H1 Im 1 and H1 question?

I have been working on Im 1 and pe1 for about 2 months @ twice per week. I am still  far from full 180 flexion with a hollow chest and flat back.  I want to know does anyone have suggestions on what to do to speed the  progress and other exercises to help? 

 

Also, my hip flexibility is limited, I cannot  bend forward far enough in the cross legged sit on flat ground. To fix this,   I sit on a medium size ball to elevate my hips to help push me forward with a flat back.  Can I continue to sit on the ball  and move on to pe2  once I achieve shoulder flexion,  or do I need to master both shoulder flexion and  cross legged sit on flat ground? 

 

Why do we do a cross legged sit?  How does it help in building the handstand?  Why doesn't the program content explain the purpose  behind these exercises?

 

 

Looking forward to your answers. 

Twice a week is a very low frequency/volume for a mobility issue, especially for 2 months. If you want to speed up the progress, it would be a good idea to add more session each week, to have something like 5-6 session/week. If traps strength is your limiting factor, there is nothing special to add, but if it's more a tightness in your lats/triceps/pecs, maybe some stretch before beginning the iM and after the session could be a good idea. Same goes for the seated position which is mostly limited by a tightness in the piriformis or the external rotator of the hips.

Thanks for your reply. I wonder though is it ever dangerous to do too much mobility work? after all the program seems to have 4 days a week max. Also is it critical to do the cross legged sit? Does anyone know why it's in the program, and how it helps to build the handstand?

Slow and steady wins the race with mobility work, don't push too hard in each session, but you have to work at a minimum frequency to expect results, and 2 times a week with only 3-5sets isn't that much.

 

I guess the seated position is to avoid excessive compensation of the hips (anterior pelvic tilt) when you reach shoulder flexion, it's often the case in a standing position when you don't have a good amount of mobility in the lats/triceps, and it's also a good way to lean forward (without falling) so the trapz are more engaged with the gravity on the weight.

Master both, even if the seated position isn't directly related to handstand, it will be a prerequisite for other gymnastics movement.

Thanks for the answers.