MN/PE2 & iM, Straddle Up

https://youtu.be/XGYx8CjSgqk

I wish I could fold my upper and lower body more.

And how can I know whether I'm curling down one vertebrae at a time or not?

I don't feel it right. 

That's not bad. Focus on a variation of PE2 by holding and compressing at the top of the movement for a few secs - warning, you may get (good) cramps. For the iM, get yourself up on a block as you are already reaching the floor. When you curl down, tuck your chin in and curl slowly - I find it helps to imagine I'm curling into a snail's shell. You should feel comfortable doing the curl but feel an uncomfortable stretch in the calves/ hamstrings.

The thing that helped me most was doing a lot of active straddle pulses before my PE2 working sets. 

Cheers!

Sean Hunter said:

The thing that helped me most was doing a lot of active straddle pulses before my PE2 working sets. 

 

Cheers!

what is active straddle pulses? 

is it included in Foundation?

LateStarter@46 said:

That's not bad. Focus on a variation of PE2 by holding and compressing at the top of the movement for a few secs - warning, you may get (good) cramps. For the iM, get yourself up on a block as you are already reaching the floor. When you curl down, tuck your chin in and curl slowly - I find it helps to imagine I'm curling into a snail's shell. You should feel comfortable doing the curl but feel an uncomfortable stretch in the calves/ hamstrings.

that's not bad... thanks. 

then what is good enough to be considered as mastery?

how much angle should I make when I fold? 

Are you working on your pancake? It is very hard to get mastery rom without having the passive flexibility for it.

I've made the most progress with this move since the stretch courses are out..just saying! Straddle pulses are very good and I also do them before my MN work, but without solid pancake flexibility mastery seems to be impossible to achieve

I wonder if it really is a good idea to ad pike pulses and straddle pulses long before eve mastering a "simple" tuck up. What is coach sommer opinion on that?

Hollow Man said:

I wonder if it really is a good idea to ad pike pulses and straddle pulses long before eve mastering a "simple" tuck up. What is coach sommer opinion on that?

Oh, It seems straddle pulses is included in new stretch series. 

I 'm going to buy it, but I have same question as you do. 

... then how can we summon coach sommer here? kk 

Hollow Man said:

I wonder if it really is a good idea to ad pike pulses and straddle pulses long before eve mastering a "simple" tuck up. What is coach sommer opinion on that?

Different focus. Pulses might give you cramps but you aren't going to get a strength workout from them. They'd be a good thing to add here and there.

As active flexibility elements, they are also not part of (passive-focused) Stretch series. Stretch series will definitely go a long way to removing ROM barriers, but you will still need to build the str/active flex by working it directly.

As to the OP video;

Sit a little further forward when you get to the top-- on your butt, not on your tailbone/lower back. In your fourth rep you are struggling a little with the strength part but your ROM is visibly better-- you are balanced better as your upper and lower body come up together.

For example, I can balance OK at the top of a rep, but if I do fall, my weight goes forward, the way I am facing, not back. If I fall, I land in a sitting position, not on my back. See? Don't think 'UP.' Think 'FORWARD'. Think 'CLOSE the angle', not 'LIFT THE BODY & LEGS'

Find the creases in your hips and learn to pull from there to squeeze your legs the last little bit

Jon Douglas said:

Different focus. Pulses might give you cramps but you aren't going to get a strength workout from them. They'd be a good thing to add here and there.

 

As active flexibility elements, they are also not part of (passive-focused) Stretch series. Stretch series will definitely go a long way to removing ROM barriers, but you will still need to build the str/active flex by working it directly.

 

 

 

As to the OP video;

Sit a little further forward when you get to the top-- on your butt, not on your tailbone/lower back. In your fourth rep you are struggling a little with the strength part but your ROM is visibly better-- you are balanced better as your upper and lower body come up together.

For example, I can balance OK at the top of a rep, but if I do fall, my weight goes forward, the way I am facing, not back. If I fall, I land in a sitting position, not on my back. See? Don't think 'UP.' Think 'FORWARD'. Think 'CLOSE the angle', not 'LIFT THE BODY & LEGS'

 

Find the creases in your hips and learn to pull from there to squeeze your legs the last little bit

I accepted your point and tried. It felt quite different. Great. Thanks.

but I couldn't know this ques because of the demo videos.

In the demo videos both MN/PE1 and PE2, the athlete's BACK touches the floor before his feet do.

As a result I thought it is upper body exercise focusing on rectus abdominus, not hips and couldn't imagine forward motion.

I've been posting many questions since I bougt starter pack and found discrepancies between moderator's comment and video.

I wonder why there are not enough focus points covering these knowledge. 

If it were given from the beginning I would have worked out more efficiently. 

You also mentioned sitting on hips not tailbones or lower back. I can't see clearly in the demo video. 

what you mean is literally sitting on hips or just think like it whilst it is anatomically impossible to do so?

just to clarify.

I tried not to sit on tailbone but couldn't, only able to go a bit forward but still sitting on tailbone. 

thanks. 

Hanlim Lee said:

I accepted your point and tried. It felt quite different. Great. Thanks.

 

but I couldn't know this ques because of the demo videos.

 

In the demo videos both MN/PE1 and PE2, the athlete's BACK touches the floor before his feet do.

 

As a result I thought it is upper body exercise focusing on rectus abdominus, not hips and couldn't imagine forward motion.

 

I've been posting many questions since I bought starter pack and found discrepancies between moderator's comment and video.

 

I wonder why there are not enough focus points covering these knowledge. 

 

If it were given from the beginning I would have worked out more efficiently not wasting time. 

 

 

 

You also mentioned sitting on hips not tailbones or lower back. I can't see clearly in the demo video. 

 

what you mean is literally sitting on hips or just think like it whilst it is anatomically impossible to do so?

 

just to clarify.

 

I tried not to sit on tailbone but couldn't, only able to go a bit forward but still sitting on tailbone. 

 

thanks. 

Hanlim Lee said:

I accepted your point and tried. It felt quite different. Great. Thanks.

You're welcome. No problem!

Note that I am not nearly as good an athlete as in the video and I do not train under daily supervision; I can only contribute with my cues and trial-and-error experiences. Effective cues vary from person to person; someone that can manna relatively easily may not show exactly the same form as us beginners working our ways up for the first time.

Maybe someone with better anatomy background can answer the rest of your post.

Anyone have a link to a video about the "pulses"? (Straddle, pike, etc?) The names are unfamiliar and I am also getting confused. Thanks

My serious suggestion for your straddle up is Midlle Split stretch series.

prayingMantis said:

Anyone have a link to a video about the "pulses"? (Straddle, pike, etc?) The names are unfamiliar and I am also getting confused. Thanks

pulse is a kind of stretching that apply and de-apply tension and repeat them quickly. 

Alessandro Mainente said:

My serious suggestion for your straddle up is Midlle Split stretch series.

Yeah, I agree. That's why I bought all three stretch series and have been doing it for 2 months. It really helps. 

Thanks for the replies regarding the "pulse" stretching. I had the idea down, but I didn't want to just go randomly attempting what I thought versus what I am able to have clarified. Even though I haven't had the ability to purchase any stretch series yet, I am already convinced they will be worth pursuing in the near future.