HBP/PE2 form check

@Keegan: thanks for the critique. When I make a mastery claim I'll make sure I show full elbow extension & shoulder protraction, and won't take longer than the iMs between sets. It's going to be a while, I think. 

Here's where I am now.

Since my last video, November 13, I've dropped 12lbs (225 then, 213 now). I've worked up to being able to do 5x12r for each week of a macrocycle, with 12lb weights for the iM intending to test mastery using 8lb weights when I got close. This video is from the last week of a microcycle where I was attempting 4x15r each week (keeping 60r constant, but increasing set size from 5x12r). On a whim I decided to try a 5th set (I'm not sure what came over me ... since I obviously didn't have the 4th set).

You have a few things to work on William IMO. 

After about your second set you have lost your solid body line.  First your shoulders are coming up then your hips. 

Second you should also be touching the ground with your nose chest and hips on each rep.

Third you should also have PPT when doing these your back is not flat it is arched.

Your obviously working your ass off at 15 reps you might need to dial it back a bit so your form doesn't degrade quite so much.

Thanks Ryan

Hi William, just wanted to say hi and sympathize with your push ups. They're a real struggle for me. One thing I can say about your form (and this time I hope to be closer to the truth, hehe) is that if you're trying to change a movement pattern, it really helps to slow down the movement, so you can better focus on the key points Ryan mentioned. You probably know that already, but sometimes we need to hear it from somebody else in order to apply it. Good training!

On November 14, 2015 at 7:26 PM, William Marler said:

 

 

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'm still working on this element myself (working on week 10 ATM), so take this with a grain of salt, but I would say you are pulling the ROM a little short (and rushing) at the top of your push-ups. You don't need to go into a push-up plank (sPL/PE3), but you should at least push up until you are at your natural full elbow extension/scapular protraction. 

Also, while you do a good job of going straight from the PE to the iM, you take too long between the iM and the next set of the PE; it should be back to back to back to back, until all sets are completed. The only "rest" should be the IM, then straight into the next set. If you have been doing all of your sets/weeks like this you may want to drop back a block/week or two and test it with no additional rest as this definitely increases the endurance/work capacity demands.

Regarding scheduling, you could try a modified template like you proposed, some people have had success using similar methods. Personally I have just been treating each week like a "mini mastery goal" and staying at each week until I can do all the sets with good form, then move on to the next week's goal. So, for instance my progress on Push-ups in recent weeks has gone:

1/29- 12,12,12,11

2/3- 12,12,12,12

2/10 (messed up on my scheduling)- 15,15,11,8

2/17 (deload)- 8,8,8,8

2/22- 15,15,13,7

2/26- 15,15,15,7

I will stay at 4x15 till I hit it, then start working on the 5th set. This does have me pushing till technical (and sometimes positive) failure pretty much every workout (minus the deload weeks of course), but I seem to be able to handle the stress pretty well and it also makes it feel like the deload weeks are actually not only welcome but also necessary (which they didn't really feel like when I was only really pushing hard on the third week of my micro cycles). I am also doing the 3x per week split like this:

Week 1:

Mon- H1 + A (FL, sPL, HBP, RC)

Wed- B (MN, SL, SLS)

Fri- H1 + A

Week 2:

Mon- H1 + B

Wed- A

Fri- H1 + B

etc...

Again, seems to be working well for me, but your mileage may vary. Good luck.

Interesting A/B scheduling plan Keegan ... I've seen that with barbell lifts, but never with Coach Sommer's progressions. I haven't tried it, but my gut reaction to it is that staggering that way would add too much every other week (something that isn't a concern with barbell lifts, since you control the progressive loading schedule with weight on the bar).

Acknowledged re: less rest between iM & work sets. That is something that is consistently difficult for me across all of the elements... it is a mental game. Some elements, some times I can make myself push through, other times I don't/can't. 

10 hours ago, William Marler said:

Interesting A/B scheduling plan Keegan ... I've seen that with barbell lifts, but never with Coach Sommer's progressions. I haven't tried it, but my gut reaction to it is that staggering that way would add too much every other week (something that isn't a concern with barbell lifts, since you control the progressive loading schedule with weight on the bar).

Acknowledged re: less rest between iM & work sets. That is something that is consistently difficult for me across all of the elements... it is a mental game. Some elements, some times I can make myself push through, other times I don't/can't. 

Regarding my scheduling template, it's actually one of the sample templates given in the course (in fact the first one given in the Foundation course). I did however choose to do my Handstand work on Mondays and Friday's before doing my Foundation work rather than on off days (Tue and Thurs) due to scheduling availability, which is a bit different. Since Handstand is more skill than true conditioning though it hasn't seemed to be any issue thus far.

Not taking breaks is tough for everyone I would suppose (especially at first when you are not accustomed to it), I know it was for me, but it's a critical part of the course template. Stop making excuses for why you can't do it and just do it. You are in charge of the mental game; you can either choose to take control and get done what needs to be done, or choose to let all of the little excuses in your head be in control and keep cheating yourself, but it's your choice either way.

Good luck.

This week was my deload week, a week I don't usually film, but I thought it would be good to see if I could focus on eliminating the corners I'd cut in previous videos that were called out in comments. In this set of 5x8r I attempted to pause at the top and bottom of each rep, simultaneously touch face-chest-hips to the ground (which I did; it doesn't look like my chest touches, but I promise it does), remove any pauses between the iMs and work sets, and hold a rigid body line.

Comparing this (granted: it's 5x8r, not 5x9r) to my OP, I feel like I look much better. I can still pick nits, particularly towards the ends of the last 2 sets regarding the rigidity of my body line, but I can also see noticeable progress.

First 4 sets were using 12lb weights on the iM. During the 4th set, I felt like I was using too much swing to get the weight up (not sure if this is reflected in the video though), so I dropped down to 8lbs.

Interested if anyone has suggestions regarding next microcycle. My plan was to go up to 4x12r, and work 4x12r until I could achieve them all as solidly as sets 1&2 in the last vid. I don't expect to achieve that in one week, or even the whole microcycle, and intend to achieve progressive overload by making sure each week is "more" than the last in some way or another (aiming for form, e.g. shoulders coming up before back, very clear at the end of set 5, since I'm aiming to follow this tempo until mastery). I'm wondering if a coach would advise a different strategy.

Nice! Looks pretty good to me. 

Like you said, you could not pick a couple things, but definitely better ROM and no additional rest between sets. 

I would say go for 4x12. But would defer to any of the moderators or more advanced members opinions should they feel otherwise.