Too flexible shoulders and front lever

Hi!

 

I guess I have uncommon problem regarding my shoulders and front lever training. My shoulders are really flexible - it is almost trivial for me to grab a shoulder-width grip on a stick and bring my hands over my head behind my back.

 

I am not sure if this is the reason for my troubles with front lever training, but I have really difficult time doing L-sit pull-ups and supported tuck front lever pulls. The problem arises in the very beginning of the pull:

 

when I hang in the bottom position with arms locked, it feels as if my shoulder joints are in a very different position than what they should be when the pull starts. It feels as if I have to "pop" the shoulder joint when I start the pull. This phenomenon becomes extremely clear when I do normal pull ups in hollow position and gets stronger the further in front of me I bring my legs. 

 

I have also done some tuck front lever pull ups with rubber band supporting my hips to get used to the movement, but here also I feel the same problem - when I hang in the locked tuck front lever position, but shoulders are in a position that is impossible for the pulling motion and when I start the pull, they clearly "pop" into different position.

 

As soon as I get to the actual pulling movement the problem disappears. The rest of the way, no trouble at all. But when I lower back to the very ultimate position in the bottom, the shoulders "pop" back into the static position.

 

There is no pain regarding this phenomenon, but the "pop" feels awkward and I wonder if I'm doing something bad for the joint this way.

 

Any ideas?

It sounds to me like you're relaxing into a dead hang.  How are you at scapula control exercises?  At the very least, can you perform scap shrugs hanging from a pullup bar?

I can do scapular shrugs and scapular elevated rows, but you might be right that if I just manage to get more strength and control in scapular movement, it might help with this phenomenon as well.

 

But is it so that it is not wise to go into complete dead hang in pull-up repetitions?

See if your scapulae are winging. I have had similar experience and I believe it happens when I let my scapulae come of the rib cage or when i go into too much internal rotation.

Also try and explore the shoulder range of motion in flexion+external rotation. That is usually restricted and it can cause problems with L-Pullups among other things.

What I mean with the scap shrugs is: do they feel pretty similar to this 'pop' that you're feeling?

 

If it's just a matter of locking down the scapula, I see no reason why it should be detrimental in the long run.