New to forum

Been reading posts for a few months, thanks to Coach Sommer and everyone else for their input, I've learned a lot. I am still new to gymnastic training and wanted to just give an idea about my current strength levels before I asked a question.

I'm 5'11, 198: (last workouts, not max lifts, no belts or wraps, always full ROM)

conventional deadlift, 445x5, double-overhand, just chalk

olympic squat, 370x5

squat clean, 265x3

clean & strict press, 145x5

dips, bw+100x5

wide-grip pull-ups, bw+35x5

I finally got a full ROM HSPU this week and can hold a freestanding HS for 10 seconds. On front levers I hold an advanced tuck for 30 seconds and can get a straddle back lever for a second. I got a full 25 seconds on the tucked planche yesterday on my parallettes.

But, off the floor, I can only hold a tuck planche for a few seconds. My floor work is a train wreck though; I can hold an L-sit on the rings and bars for 20 seconds, but can't do them off the floor at all. :x Another trainer noticed that when I do a tucked planche I was hyper-extending my elbows, my biceps face forward instead of inside, towards each other.

My questions are, is this a common problem and how is it overcome? Is it just a matter of working the holds without hyper-extending the elbow? Is it because my forearms are not strong enough in the correct position? Suggestions are appreciated.

It seems like you're fairly strong and you can hold it on various raised apparatus, but you have trouble off the ground, hmmm. Well, two of my first guesses would be either your quads or abs aren't strong enough. You can do them off of aparatus though, so, that could be a small part of it, but jeez it could be a few factors. Are your arms long enough? Maybe your hands are in weird positions?

I think you should post a video or picture of you trying to do them off the ground for us versus on rings/paralettes.

Thanks for the reply Mike. I've always thought my poor pressing ability was because my arms are long (long arms with short legs, GREAT for deadlifting - bad for pressing). It kills me, I train a girl who was a gymnast as a kid and while she can't hold an L-sit on the bars, she easily does it on the floor on her finger tips. :shock:

I've tried many positions with the hands as Coach Sommer wrote hand position with planche work is optional; it's slightly better when my hands point out to the side. I can get 25 seconds with a tucked planche on parallettes, a few seconds on the floor, I can't hold at all if I try a single bar.

I'll see what I can do about posting a video.

anything is hard on a single rail. period.

that inside, "eye" of the elbow should face forward in a support whatever. when it does, the support is better. it's the optimal place to be.

you just have funky elbows, genetically. such is life probably. not a huge issue unless it hurts.

doing the L-sit on floor is all about pike flexibility and compression. it's not really about strength. if you have tight/weak hip flexors or hamstrings- it's gonna suck. if you don't, then you have weak midline strength.

more than likely, you just need to practice your levers more to gain skill and go on toward harder progressions.

Thanks blairbob. it's probably genetics, I'm going to just work on the floor more, it's just frustrating to get 25 seconds on bars and only 3-5 off the floor.