Someone that made his way through tuck/straddle ups?

So yesterday I was so happy on my local gym about to smash a new workout when suddenly realized there was a man on the mats doing some impressive full pike exercises. Top flexibility. I was quite impressed so I went to ask If he ever done something on gymnastics. He actually was competing at some point in diving. I asked him what advice could he give me for tuck up/straddle up as Im not yet getting the compression and/or flexibility I need.

Answer was a bit discouraging: ask me for my age and told me that it's very difficult for someone at my age (currently 30) to get at the same time flexibility and strength required for that. That must be something you do since you are a child or you wont be able to make it.  I dont know how much truth there is on his words but Im really sure there must be here people with 30 or even over that have achieved mastery of these without previous background on gymnastics, diving, or similar?

 

Would be encouraging to hear that

 

Thanks!!

Well I've managed to master Tuck ups starting from pretty bad compression ROM. My Straddle ups are about 1/2 way there, being held back by weak hip flexors and tight hamstrings. 

 

You can get the ROM required - just takes time and a lot of effort. I will prove it to you! 

Thats exactly what I thought when I finished talking with the guy: I dont know how but Ill prove you are wrong XD. What did help you the most with the tuck ups? Im still there and cannot get the knees to the chest yet. I combine them with knee raises on the bar, L-sits on the floor (to strengthen hip flexors, jefferson curls for pike flexibility and hamstring and calves flexibility but still no luck

There's a video on the forum somewhere of a gymnast guy warming up - the video starts with him entering the building, going up in the lift etc and he does a lying-on-the-back bringing knees to shoulders exercise - I do that, pulling the legs in hard. I also do 3 sets of tuck up holds - get into the top tuck up position and hold for 30s, all the while pulling your knees to chest (don't use your arms). It's a horrible feeling, but works 

Thanks a lot. I'll add that to the repertoire. I hope I dont end up overtraining with all this.

Thomas Kurtz talks about Olympic lifters who nearly all start as adults and gain tremendous flexibility. With a bit of adaption this can certainly apply to the specific flexibility needed in gymnastics.

I think for adults the emphasis needs to be on strengthening the end of their ROM instead of lots of passive stretching.

What do you mean by strengthening the end of the ROM, do stretching against resistance like jefferson curls, etc?

Building strength at your current limit of flexibility leads to increased flexibility.

The Jefferson curl is an example of loaded stretching though I think its primary purpose is strengthening the fascia that runs down the back. Single leg windmills and the horse stance would be better examples.

Cossack squats are an example of a dynamic exercise that improve flexibility by strengthening the end ROM. Kurtz uses wide, deep squats.

Background in martial arts but didn't start training anything remotely gymnastic till I was 19. Wasn't particularly flexible as a kid or teen.

Now find it comes pretty easily to me

I started at 17. I have a perfect pancake, and my pike isn't yet perfect but I can do leg-lifts where my feet go under the bar. 

 

It'll come, so long as you work hard, and work smart. 

I have tuck ups, but not yet straddle ups (I'm still developing endurance because at the last sets I usually fail at keeping straight legs). 

 

I started with crappy tuck ups but now I can bring the legs to the chest with almost no separation of the knees.

 

There's ton of threads discussing some supplementary exercises like straddle lifts while sitting down complemented with some hip flexor stretch or standing leg circles, but really the number one thing is to keep practicing straddle ups or tuck ups. Just keep at it, it'll take a lot of cycles but atleast for me this the one area which Foundation has benefited me more. I went from barely being able to touch my toes to being able to slap the floor. 

 

It'll take time, but it'll come. In the meantime aim for those hip flexor cramps when you get tired .

This sounds like someone who either doesn't know what he's talking about and/or who wants to keep all the gym attention to himself.

This sort of thing highlights the distinction between a proficient athlete and an athlete/coach. The former might be able to do some impressive stuff while knowing surprisingly little about how to teach someone else to do so as well.

Success in athletics involves a willingness to work hard and listen to a competent coach. Good genes, starting young, and actual knowledge of how to coach are definitely factors but I don't think they're as salient, particular outside of the ultra-elite level.

This means a person might have outstanding skills in a given sport without knowing much more than the average person about how to teach someone else to get there. Most of their knowledge may relate to the time and effort required to get where they are, while the details of how that time and effort should be spent are better understood by the forner athlete turned coach.

That's the benefit of listening to Coach Sommer. He has a track record of both doing the stuff at a high level and (perhaps more importantly) of guiding a lot of other people (of a wide range of ages) to do the same. People who don't know how to do something are usually all too happy to say that it can't be done.

I think the best approach is to model the athelete's dedication and discipline in training hard while learning the buts and bolts from an experienced coach. You won't find a better place for either of these than GB.

Thanks guys, really inspiring. Even if it takes me years Ill get this done. To be fair it shouldn't have affected me as much what a person says but it took me by surprise his reaction.

Time will say who is right and who is wrong, meanwhile Ill stick to my goals. Besides I have new tips now to keep working on these, so much appreciated!!   

Since my 37th birthday, I have obtained a full pancake, full pike, full left splits, full center splits (barely), almost right splits, and bridge with 2-foot kick over.  I started foundation and HS 3 months before my birthday and have worked flexibility once a week besides that.

 

For full disclosure, I did about 3 years of gymnastics as a kid, but I didn't have anything close to this flexibility then.