RC/PE1

Can anyone recommend a regression to this first movement - I don't have the strength to fully hinge at the hip and pull through ... thank you!

Are you able to do 1 rep?

If I split my leg position (ie one leg bent, foot on the floor), I can crack out 6-8 full range, but both legs out, nope, can't quite get one - have been repping out with split legs to try and build a pattern.

I was wondering about this one myself as I have a female friend who was interested in taking up F1 but when she tried to do one rep she also didn't have the required strength necessary to hinge and pull through. Actually that put her off slightly as she thought she didn't qualify to train in GST.

So I have been mulling this for the past week and wondered if a good regression exercise would be to actually put butt on the floor and hinge from there? Any suggestions/improvements?

You can increase the angle between the bodyline and the ground in the starting position or even keep the legs bent at the knees.

Thanks for the ideas

I tried elevating my feet on a box but that didn't help, sitting on a box but then I'm not working from a full hang, bent legs/single leg support def assists, however, can't help but feel with this that I'm using the wrong muscles to work the pull, so not sure I'm making too much progress with this regression - for example RC/PE2 and PE3, I can do the 5 sets of 15r/10r fairly easily, but clearly need to work back and master PE1! Argf

Sit on the floor or on a small platform. 

Pull on the horizontal plane as opposed to the vertical plane.

Are you sure you are doing it right ?

Post a video.

Thanks, I need to give the seated variant another go tomorrow ...

Are your hamstrings tight? It sounds like they might be if bent-leg is that much easier than straight-leg. If they are, you are moving against not only gravity, but the stiffness that comes with lack of pike ROM.

I find a bit of dynamic pike limbering before hingeing really helps me squeeze into that vertical position.

Thanks wheezer, hammies are def long enough, good tip though, it's literally the strength to pull through and up from horizontal to vertical. I tried elevating my start position y'day but found myself going back to the split leg to achieve it ...

Start with a hinged chin hold (build to 5x60s), then progress onto negative hinge row and then move on to to regular hinge rows.

Continue working RC/PE1>iM at a minimum during this process.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

Thanks for the information; can you point us to an image/description of the hinged chin hold? I'm not finding it...

I imagine it's just the top of the hinge row rep. Similar to the chin hang (PE6), which is a timed hold at the top of a pullup rep.

Jed Bell said:

Thanks for the information; can you point us to an image/description of the hinged chin hold? I'm not finding it...

I think you just hold this position.

that looks like hell for 5x60 

meras said:

that looks like hell for 5x60

Lol, yeah was thinking the same thing, probably considerably harder than doing the required mastery of 5x15 reps. :-)

I guess this should be a lesson to all of us to be careful about asking Coach "easier" versions of exercises. :-D

Hi All.

6'2" 200lbs 38 year old male. I'm also finding this movement to be extremely challenging when put into the context of the other starter movements like HBP/PE1 which barely registers as effort. I was wondering whether this is a deliberate intention of the programming or simply a gross imbalance in my physiology? Historically I've always been weak at anything requiring me to support my bodyweight with my hands. Probably why I favored and miss my powerlifting movements so much. Maybe I'm just paying the price for that now. LOL

Kai Opalka said:

Hi All.

6'2" 200lbs 38 year old male. I'm also finding this movement to be extremely challenging when put into the context of the other starter movements like HBP/PE1 which barely registers as effort. I was wondering whether this is a deliberate intention of the programming or simply a gross imbalance in my physiology? Historically I've always been weak at anything requiring me to support my bodyweight with my hands. Probably why I favored and miss my powerlifting movements so much. Maybe I'm just paying the price for that now. LOL

Hinge Rows works 2 things most people aren't good at: scapula retraction and shoulder external rotation

The hinged chin hold is the same thing as RC/PE6 but instead of using your whole bodyweight you apply the same position as the top end of a hinged row. (Feet supported, hip hinged)

This is probably best performed in a smith-machine because a chin-hold is supinated (palms facing you). This is easier performed in a smith than rings and you can easily adjust the height to your capability. You should probably try putting the bar at hip height and if that is too hard you can put it higher.

Another progression of the hinged row is to simply put the rings higher, a bigger percentage of your bodyweight will then be put on the floor and the row will get easier (don't forget to hold your hips down during the movement).

If you feel totally lost on this exercise you can try to do a face pull in the cable machine, this is similar to the movement going on in the shoulders/scapula during hinged rows and therefore get the grip on "how" you should pull.

Hope this helped someone out there!

Some great advice here.

As someone who never trained pulling of any kind, after 5 or 6 months, I have finally done 5x15 reps yesterday. It's possible.

Coach Sommer said:

Start with a hinged chin hold (build to 5x60s), then progress onto negative hinge row and then move on to to regular hinge rows.

I'm going to try this out. After 17 months of 2-3x/week, I am still struggling to get through 4x12r without 3-4 big rests mid-set.

The holds look brutal but I obviously need to try something different.

Love the dedication!   I'm in the same boat but less time spent to date and less endurance built up.   It'll be written on my tombstone:  "He never completed Foundation One"  LOL

I'm really glad I saw this this thread. I was just about ready to give up and move on to the much-easier PE2. But seeing these alternative suggestions, and also hearing how Mark Collins has been working PPPs for about the same about of time, has helped me feel okay about persisting with this!

I think the static holds and negatives will do a lot of good. My biggest frustration with PE1 is once I fatigue, it's hard to keep doing this movement in any capacity. I'm just stuck - unable to hinge-up! It'll be great to build-up contraction volume with an easier variation.

Wheezer, what's that post of Mark Collins? I read it too but I cannot remember where.

To me hinge row were easy compared to PE3. I re-tested when the new form was released (that bulgarian type) and no issue. But PE3... I get stuck there for months! When I hit 4 set (of 5) and sixth repetition I begin to lose ROM, I don't know if is the huge pump in my arms-back or what but it is terrible.

Hm it was a status, but looks like it was removed.

Yeah I'll probably find the same when I get to PE3! I guess at least the decreased ROM means you can keep contracting, squeezing as high as you can go, and build-up number of reps with full ROM.