RC/PE6 Bent arm chin hang stalling/plateau'd

Sorry if it came off that way MT, wasn't my intention, think I'm just overtired and again it's one of my pet peeves. Those are all well respected coaches (I have done and liked a bunch of Poliquin and Ian King's programs when I was doing traditional resistance training), but none of them is an expert in GST or has successfully developed any high level gymnasts like Coach Sommer, which is why I am following Foundation and not one of their programs to develop GST.

I also completely understand that your intentions were only positive and an attempt to help the OP. So again, no more to be said on this topic from me. To each his/her own and if it works for the individual, then it's all good.

This case pretty much mirrors mine. I spun my wheels for a couple months until I went a night without sleeping, jumped up without caring what I got, and passed it out of sheer bloody-mindedness and refusal to let gravity win (I freaking hate that guy, seriously)

OP, STAY UP. Everytime you fail a set, Coach disembowels Crossfit and calls it a podcast

I would like to know what Coach Sommer had to say about breaking through these strength endurance plateaus. I haven't read a recommendation other than just staying the course, trying harder, and allowing effort over time to take care of it.  I'm wondering about his thinking here. Is it unwise to suggest a deviation from the templates for people training at the foundation level? I hope someone asked that question in the Q&A interview recently.

He addressed plateaus in the webinar, I would listen to that if you haven't already.

My anecdotal 2 cents: Adaptation to this exercise probably doesn't occur until you push seriously hard, so that your forearms are completely on fire and your skin is stretched tight from the pump that's going on. I got that sensation every workout, and kept improving. If you're not experiencing this, push harder. If you are, well, sorry for assuming that you're not 

I'm in this exact boat and have been for about 5 months.  I've tried MT's suggestion of trying more sets with less time.  It's probably too early to know if this is working.  But if it is, it is also slow-going.  I just find progress very, very difficult with this exercise.  I honestly don't know if and when I'll get it.

It is not a matter of "not trying hard enough" with me.  I'm nearly certain.  I see a bright white light at the end of my sets.  However, my sets are different than the OP; generally, I get something like 48s, 48s, 48s, 40s, 35s.  Shit just diminishes quickly.

I am interested in MT's "mixing it up" approach with L-sit pull-ups, or weighted pul-ups.  MT, could you elaborate a bit on how that would look or fit in with the scheduled programming?

Sorry for delay in reply, just got back from some vacation at the lake.  picking cherries and huckleberries, lots of stand up paddling and running.  fun times.

So this is something that you would only do periodically, and only when dealing with high rep endurance type PE's.  for the most part, you should stick to the programming.  But when someone has spent multiple months on a muscular endurance type exercise, their body is often helped by throwing in a couple weeks of intensity, then going back to the endurance work.  This isn't my original idea, I stole it from Poliquin, but it really seems to wake up the body.  So I would find a later PE you can only do 3-5 reps of, such as chin ups, pull ups, L-sit pull ups, etc.  do 3-5 sets of 3-5 reps in place of that exercise for 2 weeks only, continue with the originally scheduled iM (not the one for the new exercise you picked).  Then return to PE6.  Do deload week at this point, then push back to same level you were at when you left off.  It's important to schedule this pattern at the point where it will allow timing of your deload week for your 1st week back at PE6.  This allows adequate recovery from the intensity block.  Hope that makes sense.  As an additional assistance, roll out your biceps and brachialis with a lacrosse ball after each workout at PE6 to improve recovery.  Good luck!

If I understand you correctly, if I pick L pull-ups for example, and I am on week 9 of PE6 (4x48s), I would sub in L pull-ups on weeks 9 and 10, then do week 9 of PE6 (4x48s) the following week.  The week after this would then be my deload.  After deload, I would then pick up at the beginning of that PE6 block (week 9) and proceed from there.

Please excuse me if I have misunderstood you.  I plan to try your method as I am terribly frustrated at this point and am willing to try anything short of steroids to get over this hump.

Hi Don-

I will be curious to hear MT's response, and also to hear about the results of his suggestion.

If you're following the suggested template in the course, I assume you're performing it last?

That is, FL-PL-HBP-RC.

An easy suggestion to implement: If this exercise is giving you the most trouble of all F exercises, you could try performing it as the very first exercise of your session, when you are maximally fresh.

j

Great suggestions!

I was doing FL-PL-RC-HBP but tonight I will start with RC and see what difference that makes (yes on a Friday night!!)

Last week was a DELOAD week - I did 5 x 21 secs (half of 42 sec sets I was attempting)

I will also try this I think:

2 x 48 secs + 3 x 36 secs

And then next week 3 x 48 + 2 x 36

Will also try a different timer - the Impetus timer. Wish me luck

Sorry guys. Busy with work and life. Will be back soon and get you a reply, hopefully over the weekend.

Hey there, I just put some thoughts up on another post that may better reflect my thinking on this issue. here's the link...

https://www.gymnasticbodies.com/forum/topic/17397-busting-plateaus/

Regarding Milkman's question, I would sub in L-sit pullups for 2 wks, then deload, then pick up where you left off.

You know what, after a deload week, I then went back and got my personal bests - I believe it came down to simply changing my timer to a standard countdown (so i could just distract myself listening to music) and putting this challenging exercise at the start when I had the most energy.  

That week i just wanted to see what my best times were and got:

60, 60, 30, 36.....followed later in the week by 60, 60, 35, 48

So now I believe i've broken through the mental barrier that I imposed on myself, I now know I can do 60 seconds  Just a case of keeping on going until i get 5 x 60s.

I'm speaking about it in the past tense as I was on holiday last week in Mallorca - doing no exercise other than walking, swimming in the sea and kayaking. But this coming week it will be business as usual, back to the grindstone.

DonGray said:

You know what, after a deload week, I then went back and got my personal bests - I believe it came down to simply changing my timer to a standard countdown (so i could just distract myself listening to music) and putting this challenging exercise at the start when I had the most energy.  

 

That week i just wanted to see what my best times were and got:

60, 60, 30, 36.....followed later in the week by 60, 60, 35, 48

So now I believe i've broken through the mental barrier that I imposed on myself, I now know I can do 60 seconds  Just a case of keeping on going until i get 5 x 60s.

 

I'm speaking about it in the past tense as I was on holiday last week in Mallorca - doing no exercise other than walking, swimming in the sea and kayaking. But this coming week it will be business as usual, back to the grindstone.

That will probably do you some good come home and smash it.

For those who didn't get to watch the flexed arm hang contest.

Flexed Arm Hang Contest

i've experimented some foundations on my kids on the summer, well the strongest one completed the RC PE6 in 2 sessions. i've tested their maximal strength yesterday after the summer breaking, all of them more then 1 minute. the strongest crushed the other with 1 minute and 42 sec seconds. he is not normal. 

alex87 said:

i've experimented some foundations on my kids on the summer, well the strongest one completed the RC PE6 in 2 sessions ... the strongest crushed the other with 1 minute and 42 sec seconds. he is not normal. 

- That is almost as strong as the Canadian girl who just did 134 seconds in that recently posted video.  

- All kidding aside, nicely done Alex.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

hi Don-

I forgot to post in to say congratulations on your accomplishment! 

jason