SLS SE1 and iM Form Check

Hi,

Me again. Would appreciate feedback on this one.

This is my first ever attempt at Hawaiian Squats with integrated mobility drill. Needless to say I need to work them to get that balance. I went for 5x5 and it was much easier than SLS PE4 which I find confusing (except for that balance element). I also noticed my back curls at the bottom of a rep. I assume this is because lack of flexibility in achiles and poor ATP? (I'm working hard to get that ATP in Middle Split series and achiles flexibility in Front Split series). Is this a fault?

Mobility exercise doesn't feel like much even at the end of 5th set.

Thank you very much

PE: Slow down, and work on getting the passive leg parallel to the floor at the bottom.

iM: Slow down, and work on lifting and opening the hips throughout the entire movement. Otherwise the next iM is going to bite you hard.

Excellent points, Cole! Thank you very much.

I have a further question: I find it hard and challenging to externally rotate the passive leg and at the same time keep still on the active leg. Why is it important to keep it parallel to the ground?

The iM part looks confusing then but I will post an update later this week.

Thank you.

Start with slowing everything down and getting more control in the SE. The passive leg isn't that bad, and can be worked after control has been achieved.

The top of the iM is basically a shoulder bridge, getting the hips up will amongst other things, use more glutes.

Hi Cole,

Here is my update from the last workout

Tried to focus on keeping the passive leg parallel to the ground and slowed it down for more control.

As for iM, this time I tried to raise hips higher and felt moderate stretch in hamstrings and lower back.

What do you think?

Thank you

Better. The balance will need to improve of course for mastery, which will make it feel more comfortable all round-- this will come with putting reps in.

Personally I'd prefer your foot to be a bit higher on your thigh. I am aware that depending this might change the stretch and limit your squat depth-- to me this is the major point of the exercise and it should be drilled until at least a horizontal working leg is achieved with the off foot about midway up the thigh. That may be a little more than is strictly required but is a good goal at least I have some (yoga background) training mates who showed me this with the off foot all the way into the hip crease, off thigh straight up and down, with a full squat (thigh to calf). This is not required for foundation but is totally achievable, so aim high

Leg curl looking very nice to me. Keep that up.

The half lotus foot placement is actually easier on the glutes than foot near the knee. 

Basically an apples to oranges comparison as they are so different. Knee near the ankle for this PE. The other is fine for extra work.

Cole Dano said:

The half lotus foot placement is actually easier on the glutes than foot near the knee. 

 

Basically an apples to oranges comparison as they are so different. Knee near the ankle for this PE. The other is fine for extra work.

No kidding, I was always looking for the extra stretch as this is a tight spot for me.

I stand corrected, listen to Cole

Hey, it's been a while since I do them. I'm using 5x2 rep scheme just to get better at this movement and build reps a better learnt movement pattern. My newest discovery is that keeping core muscles tensed (abs, obliques, lower back, glutes) makes this movement much easier to control but harder to execute.
I have an important question: where am I lacking flexibility to stay upright? Achilles with calf is my primary guess but I might be wrong. I really want to improve on this one before moving on to much harder progressions. And I simply cannot imagine myself doing full SLS with torso bent this much forward. What should I do? Just keep on doing FS and MS stretch series?

So here's an update. I am using a weighted dumbell to get lower, without it I cannot go down until glutes are parallel with the knees.

And iM

Update:

This is going to be quite a long post but please bear with me.

I don't see much of improvement with this exercise, I still have to bend so much forward I even touch the bent leg with my chest. Without that torso bending I cannot go deep into the squat. I found that this particular exercise requires about one third of the strength I needed to perform previous exercise PE4. I go into the squat, then I hit the moment where I can no longer go deeper and I must compensate with this bending forward which takes away any strength developement, to my mind. I also can't perform this without tilting my hips followed by torso to that side which leg is working. I don't know if it is right, I'm just telling you what I feel strength-wise. I definitely feel my hamstrings improving from the iM (they even got bigger, haha) but no sensations after Hawaiian Squats are done. So here's what I did: whenever I hit that point where I could no longer go deeper without bending, I started to hold on a windowsill only as much as I needed to go to the required deep and still squating using only legs and hips strength. I have to admit that I must hold on strong at the bottom of the squat. This is what you will see in the video. And unless this is a good way to do it, I would much better prefer doing partial ROM squats where I would develop hips and legs strength and until I can go deeper and deeper into the proper hawaiian squat without any tilting or bending forwards.

Sorry if I make a life harder than it is but I want to make sure I will have it done the way it shoule be done.
Appreciate any help and inputs very much!

I use the 'windowsill method' quite often with students, it's a good auxiliary exercise to improve ROM.

On the freestanding, something is peculiar, let's start by only going down to what you feel as the natural end of the movement, just before you start to drop your chest.

Stop there, and just work the external rotation of the 'resting' leg.

The other, perhaps bigger issue to tackle here mobility wise, is Anterior Pelvic Tilt. Rather than leaning forward by rounding your back try to get keep a straighter back and rotate around the hip joint. I might feel like you have to stick your butt out to do this.

Thank you for a feedback, Cole.

I will now work on these issues and post an update once a month or two.

Hi,

Here's a quick update:

I am astonished by how mobility exercise helps with the hamstrings. In the beginning my legs used to externally rotate on the way up but now they stay more or less in the same place. I'm really looking forward to how I will finish this one before moving on to F2 SLS elements because now I can do SLS SE2 iM when in the past it was impossible for me to do that.

I still have to hold onto something but to a much lower degree. I worked on 4x2 or 5x2 rep scheme so today I tried 3x3.

Personally I would like to stay on the same rep scheme for one more micro-cycle. What do you think?

Thank you