HBP/PE2 form check

Edit: over time, this thread has become like a diary of my HBP/PE2 progression. While I started as a form-check, I now I intend for it to chronicle my journey to mastery. Feel free to comment with encouragement/suggestions, watch it, or, of course, ignore me :-D. 

Here's my week 7 of HBP/PE2, 5x9. In addition to form comments, I'm wondering if I should repeat the week5-week8 microcycle, or push on to week 9-12 (given the clear form degradation in sets 4 &5)? Thanks in advance!

Zach Armijo said:

...

For the iM: do no give the initial twist in the torso. Twisting should only occur when you cannot get past a certain ROM.

 

BTW...very well done and refreshing to see a no bullshit back to back PE to iM form check set done

Hey Zach,

Not sure what you mean by no twisting the torso -- the course video shows a very high degree of twist. And actually, watching my video, and the demo video, I'm thinking "I don't twist enough". Can you explain more about what you mean?

And thanks : ).

Hm ... I feel like I'm getting conflicting direction here. Course video shows the athlete twisting nearly 90 degrees at the torso, but your direction is "just twist only as much as necessary to do the arm circle." Obviously you know what you're talking about ... I'm conflicted.

Can you explain "actively pulling full shoulrder ROM" (or direct me to a post discussing the topic) a bit more?

Ok, thanks.

Another bunch of questions: You'll notice that in sets 4 & 5 my form degrades. I've been reading in forums about failure, and "when to stop a set," and I'm wondering, "how bad does 'bad form' need to be to be considered 'time to stop & rest' v. 'push through, it's close enough?'" Also, you'll notice that I pike a few times at the end of some reps; does doing that constitute a rep that shouldn't be counted? 

Basically yes, if you know you are piking it's time to cut the set.

I personally give my students a two rep rule. So if the form or tempo breaks and they are unable to correct it next rep, they are done.

Generally, after a while you pretty much instinctively know when the form break is a slip up, or if you've just fatigued enough that you can no longer do them properly. 

Zach Armijo said:

Ok...in this iM, one is simply not just moving their arm in a circle. We want to actively pull the fullest ROM we are capable of with the weight. Perform the wall drill really quickly and you will see what I mean by staying parallel to the wall without twisting. To get full shoulder articulation, you will need to essentially keep the bicep pulled in tight to the head/ears. The wall will FORCE your shoulder to keep the same plane of motion, which will need to be actively pulled into the socket.

Here's me trying the wall drill:

I'm not entirely sure I'm working what you're telling me to work. I tried to keep the dumbell square to & just barely touching the wall during the full ROM, and extend the dumbell as far away from me as possible, with the least degree of torso twist I could muster. 

Hey Zach, would you mind checking my form as well please? 

P.s I didn't want to open another topic about this , so I'm sorry in advance if I'm interfering wamarler

Thank you!

Wow, i'm glad i've been reading about stuff i thought i've been doing correctly without a doubt. Actually i initially didn't follow the video correctly and i was doing kind of what you are advicing here. Then i went back to the video and "corrected" my form. Funny thing.

Thank you for that clarification!

What I look like after repeating the last microcycle. Putting this here more for posterity than anything. 

I did 5x9 again this week and to my frustration, the video is truncated after the 1st set. Since my 1x9 wasn't a problem last video, there's nothing new to add, so not posting the vid. But were the video available, it would shows 4x9 solid, as well as 6r of set 5. The last 3 were good by themselves, but rep 7 followed a decent pause (in the up position), and rep 8 followed a definite (albeit brief) piking after completing rep 7. I consider that to be strong enough to start progressing into the next microcycle.

Also, for this past microcycle I increased the weight of the iM to 8lbs (from 5lbs), so I consider that to be progress as well. Next microcycle, will stay on 8lbs. 

I really wish I would have seen this thread earlier, I've been doing the iM the way that was shown in the instructional video for for the past 6 weeks as I'm working towards mastery, meaning i'm rotating quite a bit as I make a circle, Should I start back at square one or what? I find the course video somewhat misleading if I'm not actually suppose to rotate that much.

Go back and re-read Zach's post, you will twist in this but work to minimise it. This is also an iM element that, IMO, should be kept in your permanent warm up rotation with the goal of continued improvement.

Ok thanks Cole. I have been doing something of the same nature but with out weight in my warmups following some of Dr. Andreo Spina''s FRC CARs, I actually do them throughout the day. Anyways I understand I will rotate a little, just feel the video was misleading since there was such a large amount shown. I will make the changes and post some form checks soon.

I have the same beef with the inconsistency between the course video & forum guidance. My ultimate takeaway is "it doesn't matter all that much." 

After my last week 7, and Coach's reply to Nash's thread, I decided "eh ... I wasn't perfect with 5x9, but let's try the next block anyway. I was close... and they're just pushups. I'm probably overthinking it."

This was the result. Interestingly week 10 (which I didn't film; 4x15) my first 2 sets were solid. Then week 11, only set 1 was solid.

My next block will be a deviation from the templates: thinking week 9 5x9r (45 total), week 10 4x12r (48 total), week 11 5x10 (50 total). Feedback welcome, if you feel like it.

I didn't video today, but my 5x9r was proper solid. :success kid:

lol im just getting more confused day by day :/

korija said:

lol im just getting more confused day by day :/

Can you elaborate on that?

Cole Dano said:

Can you elaborate on that?

Well did i understand this correctly, for the perfect form you need to have a: diagonal bodyline through the whole movement, and scapula protraction and depression at the TOP of the movement. ? 

You need to have a hollow/straight body. Obviously it won't be diagonal at the bottom, but it will be at the top.

Protection and depression at the top, just like a plank, which is basically what the top is. 

I can't help but think... because you're posting your replies on my form-check/progression-diary thread, that you're seeing aspects of my form that you think are incorrect, that I'm saying are correct. Or you're looking at my form and thinking it's canonical.

It would be better if you looked at the video published in the course material as being canonical, and gave me feedback here. If you want critique of your form, take your own video (you have a cell phone right? And access to YouTube?), and start your own thread . 

Good point, and my bad, it really is best to start a new thread rather than jumping in on someones form check thread. They are meant to be unique to each individual.

I am by no means an authority on these but in your most recent video it looks as if you are pulling the reps short at the top (not reaching full extension of the elbows and remaining somewhat retracted at the top). You also took quite a while between your sets. Not saying not to keep plugging ahead, just pointing out some things that need to be addressed before mastery is claimed.

Again, according to my untrained eye.