What are your primary limiting factors?

I did a little exercise yesterday that helped me see where my main focus needs to be at. Sometimes I miss the forest for the trees, so I tried looking at the big picture. Taking each of the 7 elements, I write down what is the thing that is most holding me back, and what i need to do about it.

Single Leg Squat - Hamstring, slow and steady, almost rehabilitated.

Side Lever - Hamstring

Manna - Hamstring

Straddle Planche - Wrists, do H1 exercises before and after

Front Lever - Endurance, suck it the f*** up

Rope Climb - Endurance, suck it the f*** up

Hollow Back Press - Endurance, suck it the f*** up

Now I know that most of my focus needs to go into rehabbing my hamstring, and sucking it up. I kind of already knew this, but seeing it like this showed me how important it really is. If i can accomplish those things, then my primary limiting factors go away, and I can make much more progress. Maybe in the future it will change and my limiting factor may be technique, or inconsistency, or mobility. 

So, simple exercise. I'd be interested to see what others come up with.

SLS - Hamstrings or glutes, I just couldn't get the GHR when I first tried, right now I'm going through the iMs again to make sure they're actually mastered.

SL - Going good for now, and ABH was mastered before the changes (even though it took so long in the first place (endurance...)), so I'll see.

MN - Endurance, dat PE6 :'( Though I did get a breakthrough recently and am hoping it will continue, and when that's mastered, I'm confident at least PE7 and 8 will be relatively easy (hopefully PE9 too).

sPL - Protraction, so I went back and will see what's next, but probably strength with the SE>iMs.

FL - Endurance, still at the levers after so long, really got to suck it up, did get a breakthrough though.

RC - Endurance, definitely, went back too, hoping to fix it from the ground up.

HBP - The fact that I didn't properly master planche leans yet, making it harder than it has to be. Oh and endurance.

Basically, I have to suck it up, but after several phases of manning up and still getting stuck at some stuff, I decided to go back on said stuff to make sure basics were mastered. In the case of sPL, I'm quickly coming to where I was but with better protraction, but in the case of SLS and RC, I am now sure I did something wrong as I am struggling to remaster RC/PE1 with good tempo and struggling to get SLS/SE4>iM. 

So yeah, basics and endurance. Somehow, my inner detective tells me there's a connection. 

SLS (PE6 mastered) - None so far. Working to get really deep Hawaiian squats before venturing into F2 territory. By far the easiest progression for me

SL (PE6) - Still working on perfecting technique so not sure yet

MN (PE2) - Flexibility (no full pancake yet; probably need more active flexibility), technique (toe pointing while keeping knees straight), not sure about endurance yet

sPL (PE5) - Shoulder strength/endurance, sometimes struggle with PPT, still inconsistent and not leaning enough

FL (PE2) - Endurance, up to 5 x 30r now

RC (PE2) - Endurance, can do 5 x 10r

HBP (PE2) - Inconsistent PPT between sets, possibly endurance, so far focused on form rather than endurance

I think I just need to keep doing what I doing as all the exercises are improving.

Everything-- mid/lower traps. I will be advancing in pretty much everything exactly as fast as these adapt from here out

All things traps and forearms

(my son's troubles)

MN-active flexibility and hip flexor strength

HBP-endurance and strength

RC-endurance

FL-endurance

SL-muscle activation (how to activate the obliques?)

SPL-endurance

SLS-no big problems yet

MN: Hip flexibility and strength

HBP: Endurance and wrist problems

RC: My pulling sucks from not having had adequate equipment for a very long time.

FL: Tight hip flexors and core endurance

SL: One side stronger than the other

sPL: Wrist problems and endurance.

HS: lower/mid traps, mobility and body awareness.

For me:

FL PE/6: Core endurance. I'm also a bit tight in the iM, difficult to have the range of motion with legs together.

sPL SE/1: Trap strength for the iM, this is related to HBP.

HBP PE/3: I'm weak in the lower position.

RC PE/6: Endurance .

MN PE/2: Tight hip flexors, endurance.

SL PE/5: No issues here.

SLS SE/5: My left leg is weaker than my right. I could do the 5x5 in my sleep in my right leg but it's challenging for the left leg and I'm also cleaning up some form issues on my left leg SLS.

HS PE/11: Love this one. I suppose it'll become challenging for the traps when the schedule calls for more time. Currently my main issue is to feel PPT while upside down and also sometimes I have some trouble getting both hands to the required distance (which is related to the PPT issue).

HS:  Poor shoulder mobility and tight hip flexors

FL: Tight hip flexors

SL: Poor Thoracic mobility

MN: Tight hamstrings

SLS: Tight adductors

HBP: OK. Going very carefully/slowly after biceps tendonitis flare-up last year

RC: OK

sPL: OK

Good to do this analysis! 

I would also add: 

5) Adult desk-based jobs for those physically active.

6) Sport! As in those that are forward/ hunched over based (hockey, rugby, cricket etc), and with just a nod to stretching at training sessions.

Oh hey, also discovered my obliques are of quite different strength on each side, much more than I originally thought; blame a favourite side on takedowns and throws for this one I think. I am curious actually to know how widespread an effect this might have; I suspect that it may have been contributing to more issues than originally. Pushing myself on SL pulls felt like someone had shanked me in the base of the lats on the left the next day, whilst the right was fine. Will do a little reading on this today; anyone have experiences with unbalanced oblique strength?

Jon Douglas said:

anyone have experiences with unbalanced oblique strength?

*raises hand*

I was a bass drummer for 7 years. You know how we carry them when not playing? On the right shoulder. My spine is twisted, and visibly imbalanced. It would always hurt like crazy. But it led me to find gymnasticbodies and now I am pain free! Still imbalanced though. I was actually hoping the side lever progressions would help correct it lol. I'm not quite as far as you though.

Jason Dupree said:

*raises hand*

I was a bass drummer for 7 years. You know how we carry them when not playing? On the right shoulder. My spine is twisted, and visibly imbalanced. It would always hurt like crazy. But it led me to find gymnasticbodies and now I am pain free! Still imbalanced though. I was actually hoping the side lever progressions would help correct it lol. I'm not quite as far as you though.

Mm, could be from music too I guess. I have reasonably strong obliques so I never actually encountered anything that highlighted the difference in the courses, until recently when adding a lot more regular core work in and pushing for volume on the last three SL elements T_T well, everyone needs a project

Jon Douglas said:

Oh hey, also discovered my obliques are of quite different strength on each side, much more than I originally thought; blame a favourite side on takedowns and throws for this one I think. I am curious actually to know how widespread an effect this might have; I suspect that it may have been contributing to more issues than originally. Pushing myself on SL pulls felt like someone had shanked me in the base of the lats on the left the next day, whilst the right was fine. Will do a little reading on this today; anyone have experiences with unbalanced oblique strength?

Wow, I have felt those DOMS for a week now after correcting my SL PE 2 form. I cannot pike deep without expecting a huge soreness to appear, it is massive!

i have my weak side on my left, thats from spinning in one direction while doing bmx. thank goodness i was switch footed because the difference isnt much but man is it noticeable. the weighted oblique stretch with one foot raised on a platform really highlights the tightness while engaging my glutes. lights me up like crazy. once, I showed Mark Collins and Cory this too, I developed a bruise on my right leg after one day doing the oblique stretch so deeply that i felt a small pop coming from an area around mid quad on the ITB area. huge purple / green bruise for a few days.

side over arch, plank twists, arch ups have all improved this. the twisting arches tho, i know will give me a hard time. tried them and they absolutely slay me.

opening my shoulders with a better hollow has been pretty challenging to do while inverted. tight hip flexors make the line feel all funky sometimes when i open up completely and i compensate by closing a bit.

aside from this figuring out that i need to stretch my anterior deltoid more on the right side from this old scar tissue that i got from a dislocation. this is what was holding me back from progressing on dislocates.

SLS: SE1: Ankle inflexibility limiting ROM. i.e., limiting my ability to get legs parallel. 

Having been "stuck" on this PE for 7-8 months, all the while spinning my wheels and having the good fortune of injuring my right knee while trying to over-do things, I recently got a break-through: Ankle flexibility is the reason I've not been able to get legs parallel. (And not a genetic issue as I'd previously used as an excuse.)

FSs is now a BIG priority, because I need to move on to F2.

MN: Continue to work on active pancake flexibility, compression, and pike flexibility. (work-in-progress)

SL: Ok so far

HBP: Wrist flexibility (same as planche leans). Almost mastered PPP, hope the next PEs will give me a breather.

RC: Endurance. (On PE6)

sPL: Wrist flexibility not quite where it could be. Despite having mastered PE5, I figure the lean will get sharper when wrists get more flexible.

FL: Ok so far.