ABH arch body hold questions about benefits

Hi!

I would like to learn more about arch body hold benefits!

I have a few questions about it, not because I do not want to practice this exercise, but while I can easily guess the usefulness and purpose of other PE, for this one I'm still confused.

So I wonder why this element was added in the course as a preparatory element for syde lever, and ABH rock as well? why is not sufficient, for example, to learn an easier exercise like salabhasana pose, that lets to strenghten the spine too?

I would like to reinforce my knowledge!

Thank you!

mauler said:

Hi!

I would like to learn more about arch body hold benefits!

I have a few questions about it, not because I do not want to practice this exercise, but while I can easily guess the usefulness and purpose of other PE, for this one I'm still confused.

So I wonder why this element was added in the course as a preparatory element for syde lever, and ABH rock as well? why is not sufficient, for example, to learn an easier exercise like salabhasana pose, that lets to strenghten the spine too?

I would like to reinforce my knowledge!

Thank you!

Have you read the sticky ABH thread? Some of your questions might be answered in there.

Other than that, here are some general thoughts I have about ABH and PEs:

- ABH is such a basic yet so useful exercise that it had to be somewhere in the program. SL seems like a jack-of-all-trades skill where you need to train many aspects of strength; push and pull in shoulders, a stable core, oblique strength, hip flexor strength etc. In my opinion ABH fits well into SL progressions, also considering the fact that Coach stated that his programs build strength from the core and out.

- A bad bodyline (which ABH helps to cure) have to be cured before going to specific SL work. Arching/hinging in SL will result in sliding backwards/forwards. Having a good ABH will help proper bodyline development, here focus is on curing APT.

- ABR is to reinforce the ABH position and to make sure that people have learned ABH properly (enough rom and contraction strength). So building more strength for the rocking and to make sure people have met the ABH standard.

- When I google the pose you mention, some pictures come up with only legs lifted and some with ABH just with hands backwards. Having hands backwards is easier in the sense that 1) you do not have to work on mobility in shoulders and 2) you center your gravitational point which makes the exercise easier. Why not work on everything in one exercise instead of limiting it by doing what essentially is an easier progression to the full version.

In short, it helps you learn to activate your posterior chain, and develops a fundamental body position. 

More specific points:

- helps to wake up your glutes! Lots of people have "sleepy" glutes; performing a good ABH requires you to activate them. 

- helps to develop active thoracic extension

- helps balance the body alongside HBH development

- makes sure your upper back and hips are strong before you do focused lower-back work (PE3 and 4)

- builds character 

- Unlike the HBH, the ABH doesn't make much of an appearance in the later elements of the Foundation series, but it's an important body shape to master for lots of dynamic movements, like the front handspring. 

1) Slows the hands of time

2) Allows you to move on to ABRs!

Sven Ravnstag said:

1) Slows the hands of time

2) Allows you to move on to ABRs!

That is all we need to know

Like the OP I would like to know more about the science of GB training out of curiosity - i.e. with regard to ABHs:

1) What are the benefits of isometric holds of 5x60s - do they develop the posterior change in ways that other P-chain movements don't?  Is there some specific reason we use 60s and not some other time domain for mastery(is 30s or 90s)?

2) I have heard ~60s static hold called occlusion training(blood flow reduced to muscle tissue during contraction) - is this accurate?  Is their some specific reason GB uses this training for beginner? what qualities is this training?

3) I remember learning(long time ago) that isometric training builds strength in the position you hold but most of this strength doesn't transfer to other positions.  Has the science on this changed? or maybe in GB training having super strong "arch position" is so important that we don't mind this trade off? (after all any training program has its priorities)

Mike Kelly said:

Like the OP I would like to know more about the science of GB training out of curiosity - i.e. with regard to ABHs:

 

1) What are the benefits of isometric holds of 5x60s - do they develop the posterior change in ways that other P-chain movements don't?  Is there some specific reason we use 60s and not some other time domain for mastery(is 30s or 90s)?

 

2) I have heard ~60s static hold called occlusion training(blood flow reduced to muscle tissue during contraction) - is this accurate?  Is their some specific reason GB uses this training for beginner? what qualities is this training?

 

3) I remember learning(long time ago) that isometric training builds strength in the position you hold but most of this strength doesn't transfer to other positions.  Has the science on this changed? or maybe in GB training having super strong "arch position" is so important that we don't mind this trade off? (after all any training program has its priorities)

Just to start out; I am no expert but I will still give it a shot. Anyway, Joshua Slocum usually comes in with a better explanation later, so no harm will be done I guess

1) The primary focus early in the progressions is in general building up work capacity and endurance so that you have a base upon which you can safely and effectively build layers of strength. Here the principle applies to both ABH and HBH. I think 30s would be too little to accomplish that goal as well as not being intensive enough. 90s is in my opinion too much and one could benefit way from moving on instead of keeping at it. And some people might plateau a lot, you can see how people how difficulties dealing with 60s - imagine 90s x 5... My conclusion is that 60s is the sweet spot of this skill for work capacity gains and endurance gains.

2) From what I know about occlusion training it is basically contracting muscles for a longer period of time, see RC PE 6 too. Not to confuse with having a device squeezing your arm so that no blood passes which has been popularized as a good way of gaining muscles, which goes under the same name, but does not involve isometric contraction. Occlusion training is basically endurance training if we talk about ABH. For qualities re-read 1).

3) I believe I read that strength in isometric holds transfers until a 30 degrees angle from the original position (of the muscles) has been reached. Of course this is thought out as a borderline from where further increasing the angle the previously achieved is not noticeably shown. Training static elements have some other qualities than dynamic elements which I would not even start to list now. But it is not really a trade off, because some exercises there is just not a possible static/dynamic variation. The focus of ABH is not having a strong arched position but rather building up a base like mentioned earlier. For the specific benefits of ABH there are many previous threads.

Good explanations so far. Just want to clarify that Occlusion training is in fact a method of training where blood flow is restricted to and from a specific area (which you are trying to work) and true Occlusion training requires the use of some form of tourniquet. The theory is that by restricting oxygen flow the muscles must utilize anaerobic energy pathways (and muscle fibers). This is very dangerous though and should not be engaged in outside of a research lab IMO.

Some people have begun using the term occlusion training for long duration static holds in the theory that due to the constant contraction, blood flow to and from the muscles is limited, thus producing a similar (though far less pronounced/intense) effect. It is not actually Occlusion training though in the truest sense.