Straddle Up and V up

Hello Everyone,

I am having challenges with the Straddle up,  however the V-up is no problem at all!  Does anyone else have this problem?

Yes, absolutely. My compression is pretty good, but my straddle flexibility is horrible. I'll spend quite a while working on the straddle up, but I think I'll really benefit from it (and from Jefferson curls as well )

Part of me wants to just say the hell with it and move on to the V up!

If only it were that easy. You have found a weakness, now it's time to attack it.

You'll never get your straddle press to handstand if you don't get a good pancake. Also makes planche training easier.

Fix your weaknesses.

Where should I start? What extra things should I do?

Depends what's holding you back. If you have the passive flexibility to sit in a pancake with your elbows on the ground then you need to work on your active flexibility.

If you lack the passive flexibility than you need to improve that. If you have good pike flexibility then you're probably tight and weak in the abductors/gracilis.

I am having really bad hip mobility as well, really tight and little strength in the low ROM I have. Working straddle stretches might be benefitial.

You're not alone. Swivel hips, skier/twisting squats, Cossack squats have all helped me.

I'm working on improving my passive flexibility using PNF stretching and by following Thomas Kurz horse stance method.

Strength work at my end ROM has had the biggest impact.

I am just starting this one and having similar issues.  One thing I am finding to help is braking it into a smaller movement with wall assistance.  I lie down on the floor with my butt right against the wall and legs in straddle position then I sit up and touch the wall and hold this position for a count or two.  I also sit up and do a touch pattern on the wall like: middle, high,low, left, right.  After a couple weeks of this I am able to sit up to a wider straddle and hold the top position in a much more controlled manner when I attempt the full exercise.

Does anyone have a strecthing routine I can do to get the flexabilty/strength I need?

Gymnastic bodies has S1 but we don't have a release date yet. It was scheduled to come out months ago so hopefully it's release is round the corner.

In the mean time Google around.

My own experience is that stretching routines don't really work like strength routines. For example say you're working on touching your toes, you could spend a lot of time without making any progress because the problem wasn't your hamstrings but your calves or maybe a fascia problem or a dysfunction with your lower back and hips.

My point is that stretching requires a more diagnostic approach to really yield quick results.

Reconsider your mastery of the windmill. I thought it was mastered. When I count make any progress on straddle ups I went back and spent more time with windmills. Corrected technique, worked up to a little more weight. When I went back to straddle ups they were much closer to proper rom.

Try taking a ballet barre class. One of the best lessons for active flexibility in the hips.

Murray Truelove said:

Gymnastic bodies has S1 but we don't have a release date yet. It was scheduled to come out months ago so hopefully it's release is round the corner.

I sooooo need this S1 Program, perhaps more than I needed F1.  Please take my money for S1 Coach Sommer

NameLikeNoOther said:

I sooooo need this S1 Program, perhaps more than I needed F1.  Please take my money for S1 Coach Sommer

Be careful of what you ask.

Mark Schoenhard said:

Be careful of what you ask.

I got into this for H1, but realized I would need F1 to accomplish that.  After starting F1, I realized I need S1 and I will submit to the fact that I will probably need M1 as well.  I have no fear and welcome the challenge

I wonder what we will need before Hungarian?