SLS/PE2 ROM.

I'm in the same boat.

I started PE2 last September, but I've never got particularly impatient about Cossacks, since my twisting squats were always even worse. The depth I can achieve has improved steadily over that time - I'm now below parallel on both sides but still several inches short of full ROM.

In the beginning I found myself cheating by allowing my knee to collapse inward as I descended. This is obviously bad, so I began conciously pulling the knees outwards to make sure they always tracked over the feet. It was then that I realised that what was really limiting me was adductor flexibility. I still feel a strong stretch in my adductors when I perform these.

So I've been incorporating some adductor stretching into my program for a while now and it seems to have helped. What I have realised lately is that a lot of full squat mobility work will carry over to Cossacks too. Current favourite is Kelly Starrett, but there is a lot of material out there, since squat mobility is important to lots of people (CFers, lifters, etc). Spending time in the bottom position sounds like a good idea, but I wouldn't replace your Cossacks; rather supplement with other stuff.

For the record, rather than sticking to Groundhog Week forever, I prefer to keep repeating weeks 9-12 on an exercise of this type. It's less boring and it gives you chance to work lower reps on a slightly harder (ie slightly deeper) version of the exercise and then build up volume through the cycle.

I've made tremendous progress with these. When I started (maybe two months ago) I was all over the place and hardly able to hit parallel.

What really helped me was doing them in a door way, it let's me fully descend into the bottom position, from here I very slowly ascend.

What's good about the door way is that I can very easily change the amount of assistance by holding with fewer fingers and I can spend a lot of time in the bottom position.

Hope that helps.

KibboKift said:

 since my twisting squats were always even worse.

...... I realised that what was really limiting me was adductor flexibility. I still feel a strong stretch in my adductors when I perform these.

 

 I prefer to keep repeating weeks 9-12 on an exercise of this type. It's less boring and it gives you chance to work lower reps on a slightly harder (ie slightly deeper) version of the exercise and then build up volume through the cycle.

Yep, twisting squats are a work in progress too, but I can see a light at the end of the tunnel with them, started sitting on a block about 10cms off the ground now down to about 6cms.

I can definitely feel the stretch in the adductors afterwards.

I do like the idea of repeating the weeks 9-12 and really push for depth because I am sure when the reps are high subconsciously there is an attempt to plough on through especially on the early reps sacrificing form. 

Murray Truelove said:

I've made tremendous progress with these. When I started (maybe two months ago) I was all over the place and hardly able to hit parallel.

What really helped me was doing them in a door way, it let's me fully descend into the bottom position, from here I very slowly ascend.

What's good about the door way is that I can very easily change the amount of assistance by holding with fewer fingers and I can spend a lot of time in the bottom position.

Hope that helps.

i think that seems like the way forward, I was just a bit concerned that I might get too dependent on the support. 

So I think i will do weeks 9-12 instead of Groundhog Day until I fall in love with the cossack.

tfeal said:

Yep, twisting squats are a work in progress too, but I can see a light at the end of the tunnel with them, started sitting on a block about 10cms off the ground now down to about 6cms.

I can definitely feel the stretch in the adductors afterwards.

I do like the idea of repeating the weeks 9-12 and really push for depth because I am sure when the reps are high subconsciously there is an attempt to plough on through especially on the early reps sacrificing form.

i think that seems like the way forward, I was just a bit concerned that I might get too dependent on the support.

So I think i will do weeks 9-12 instead of Groundhog Day until I fall in love with the cossack.

Just be sure to really work the bottom position, I found myself on occasion pulling myself up with my arms instead of pushing with my legs.

My abductors/hamstrings/hip flexors are all weak and tight. This has been the best exercise I've ever done to correct this.

tfeal said:

So I think i will do weeks 9-12 instead of Groundhog Day until I fall in love with the cossack.

# Things that only fellow GBers understand

Anyway, so today was my F1b  AKA  Nemesis Day....if I swapped the hip circles for swivel hips I would have 100% ROM fail, but everything is a lot better than when I started, so it's all  well  .

I'm on week 3 so did 5x10 assisted SLS/PE2 and it was so much better, it helped me get all the way down.  I could see that strength wise there is not too much of an issue but right at the bottom, on the right the back of my knee hurts and on the left the lack of  hip compression kicks in and the pain says hello,  but I feel that this will be addressed over the coming weeks as I progress through this element.

So thanks for your help Murray and KibboKift.