GB Members' Pancake Progress

I appreciate the comments and I am looking forward to seeing your progress as well. I also have a couple questions about mobility progress and what others have observed or experienced.

1) With the GB program, is it common for adults to gain the ability to fold forward (pike positions) sooner than the ability to widen the legs? (I am thinking with the organization of the early Manna iMs, this may be the case.)

2) My adductors are pretty tight yet, so sitting and stretching in straddle is around 90 degrees or so where the hands reach to the feet.

Is this wide enough? I would think you would eventually want to sit in straddle and be comfortable in all ranges instead of feeling tight around 90 or 100 degrees like I do.

Side note, that weight on my back in the first photo was just a trial to get deeper into the range. I stopped that as well as the overhead weighted bar after the coaches pointed out how crappy my form was with it rounding my back.

Thanks again everyone.

On December 18, 2016 at 2:49 PM, Ryan Bailey said:

Hi Everyone, I started this thread 1 year ago all concerned about how long things take to improve.  Things have changed...

I no longer care about time frames. ****** very important point

(Top pic: December 2015): All stretched out, max range after Middle Split Stretch series. At the time, I was happy to finally be able to sit comfortably with legs in straddle without my hip flexors and abs cramping)

(Lower pic: December 2016) A morning warm-up, not after a stretch session)

 

 

Thanks everyone for their inspiration.

Best of luck to another year of progress,

Ryan

 

I'm in awe of your progress because I know exactly what it's like to be discouraged by a "slower than I'd like progress." It just goes to show, as Coach so often says, that "anything's possible, as long as we put in the work."

Great job!

** Your question concerning how to widen the straddle. Here is a good tip for that. Go to the BodyTreeGST Instagram page (the Singapore Affiliate of GymnasticBodies) and check out the video where people are in the "Frog" position of MS Stretch Series, but have furniture sliders on either knee, and are moving their knees together then aft while still in Frog. It's a great way of strengthening the adductors and loosening them as well.

Ryan, did you do any supplemental work on this? Or did you just do the middle split series once per week? 

We should have a 2017 Pancake progress thread.

It would be neat to document January 2017 vs December 2017 pancake progress pictures.  I'd be down and will likely win the "most horrible starting mobility" award.

Awesome progress Ryan! The first picture in that progress of yours (in the first post), how long did it take you to get there? I only just started adding pancake stretches and tbh I can't even sit upright in a straight straddle position without my back rounding, so got some serious hip hinging stretching ahead of me.

12 hours ago, Kevin Easton said:

We should have a 2017 Pancake progress thread.

It would be neat to document January 2017 vs December 2017 pancake progress pictures.  I'd be down and will likely win the "most horrible starting mobility" award.

I like this idea, too. Would be good for all the stretch series.

and done. I created threads for each stretch series I think everybody should participate. It could be motivating and fun.

1 hour ago, Daniel Taylor-Shaut said:

I like this idea, too. Would be good for all the stretch series.

 

and done. I created threads for each stretch series I think everybody should participate. It could be motivating and fun.

Which stretch series uses the pancake stretch?

19 minutes ago, Malcolm Watters said:

Which stretch series uses the pancake stretch?

Middle split.

Sorry, I have been busy with work lately and unable to respond to the posts.

Hi Jon - Nice words and good tips on the frog stretch. I did look up that video. I have a problem in that I actually think I might hate the frog stretch... It is so hard and I am horrible at it. Probably means I should follow your advice.

Hey Cam -  To answer your question: no real "supplemental work" per se. No fancy 30 day YouTube tricks, or 5 minute/day pancake stuff, mainly Stretch series and of course, Foundation 1.

FYI

- Limbering: I did begin some gentle limbering of some of the stretch elements throughout the day that I would later "stretch" in the afternoon; I find this makes each stretch session more productive.

-Progression of previous iM:  I also slowly progressed both weight and depth of Manna iM's in warm up.  I did have some notes that correlated progress with these Manna Integrated Mobilities I can share if interested. This might address the question Jonas had about the first picture and timeframes. 

After 6 months of Middle Split Stretch series + 5% Body weight Stiff Legged Windmill (Hands on floor between feet) + 25% BW Jefferson Curl with wrist to toes, I could finally sit comfortably in somewhat of a straddle (like the first pic 2015) on the floor.

After 18 months of Middle Split Stretch series + 15% Body weight Stiff Legged Windmill + 50% BW Jefferson Curl with middle forearms to toes, I could finally start to feel some pancake type stretch work on the floor. (Like the second pic 2016). Still a long way to go though.

Haha Kevin and Daniel, you guys are crazy; 2017 progress would be great to see. You know what's funny is that I started this thread 1 year ago, embarrassed about my own mobility (afraid to share) and wanted to see others progress for my own motivation. So bring it on. It doesn't have to be a competition for everyone, especially when it has to do with connective tissue gainz, (as I mainly want to gain more strength and use out of what I have gained) but there is some benefit of putting yourself out on the forum and seeing what happens. Good luck everyone in 2017;  no rush .

15 minutes ago, Ryan Bailey said:

Sorry, I have been busy with work lately and unable to respond to the posts.

Hi Jon - Nice words and good tips on the frog stretch. I did look up that video. I have a problem in that I actually think I might hate the frog stretch... It is so hard and I am horrible at it. Probably means I should follow your advice.

Hey Cam -  To answer your question: no real "supplemental work" per se. No fancy 30 day YouTube tricks, or 5 minute/day pancake stuff, mainly Stretch series and of course, Foundation 1.

FYI

- Limbering: I did begin some gentle limbering of some of the stretch elements throughout the day that I would later "stretch" in the afternoon; I find this makes each stretch session more productive.

-Progression of previous iM:  I also slowly progressed both weight and depth of Manna iM's in warm up.  I did have some notes that correlated progress with these Manna Integrated Mobilities I can share if interested. This might address the question Jonas had about the first picture and timeframes. 

After 6 months of Middle Split Stretch series + 5% Body weight Stiff Legged Windmill (Hands on floor between feet) + 25% BW Jefferson Curl with wrist to toes, I could finally sit comfortably in somewhat of a straddle (like the first pic 2015) on the floor.

After 18 months of Middle Split Stretch series + 15% Body weight Stiff Legged Windmill + 50% BW Jefferson Curl with middle forearms to toes, I could finally start to feel some pancake type stretch work on the floor. (Like the second pic 2016). Still a long way to go though.

Haha Kevin and Daniel, you guys are crazy; 2017 progress would be great to see. You know what's funny is that I started this thread 1 year ago, embarrassed about my own mobility (afraid to share) and wanted to see others progress for my own motivation. So bring it on. It doesn't have to be a competition for everyone, especially when it has to do with connective tissue gainz, (as I mainly want to gain more strength and use out of what I have gained) but there is some benefit of putting yourself out on the forum and seeing what happens. Good luck everyone in 2017;  no rush .

 

Definitely no rush. If anything it'll keep me consistent.

Very motivational

Agree, very motivational and enlightening.  Thanks Ryan!

Good stuff, thanks Ryan!

I just checked out that video that Jon was suggesting.  Looks BRUTAL!!!!  I am going to give it a try next time I do some MS work. 

On 12/29/2016 at 6:36 PM, Daniel Taylor-Shaut said:

I like this idea, too. Would be good for all the stretch series.

 

and done. I created threads for each stretch series I think everybody should participate. It could be motivating and fun.

Thanks a lot for doing this, I started middle split today.  Holy crap!! I didn't think I was that tight.  Gonna be sore tomorrow 

Wow that's very impressive stuff!

One question to fellow gymnastics doing stretch series - does your tissue around your knee (mostly on the sides and back of the knee) hurt when doing intensively the series? I've this pain, especially if I try to  do it one the blocks because there is extra space between my legs and the ground. Do you know if it's normal?
I've been doing them for about 4 months now.

Please try to understand the limit between pain and light discomfort. the second one it is the goal.

Yes it's light discomfort and not sharp pain type of thing.

Andrea Spina explains exactly right what I'm trying to say in this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AOXlAREX_8

So shouldn't I do some of the front split stretches with slight bent knees to make it feel more in the hamstring although my knees wouldn't be locked?
 

it can be a possibility if you are extremely tight.

22 hours ago, Samu Riihela said:

Yes it's light discomfort and not sharp pain type of thing.

Andrea Spina explains exactly right what I'm trying to say in this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AOXlAREX_8

So shouldn't I do some of the front split stretches with slight bent knees to make it feel more in the hamstring although my knees wouldn't be locked?
 

I would do separate hamstring stretches. Stretching the hamstrings in a front split stretch is likely to provoke a serious fight-or-flight response. You want a basic position where you can learn to control the stretch and pelvic. My favorite is elephant walks. It has taken my pike from 90 degrees to 45 degrees pelvic tilt in 4 months.

I have always been reasonable mobile. Started doing pancake work when I bought the stretch series a couple of years ago. But the pancake mobility really took of when I added weighted pancake good mornings and I now can go belly to floor without warm up.

Thats me on the left btw

2 hours ago, Alexander Egebak said:

You want a basic position where you can learn to control the stretch and pelvic. My favorite is elephant walks. It has taken my pike from 90 degrees to 45 degrees pelvic tilt in 4 months.

Alex, can you explain your elephant walks please? google provided some "interesting" links but nothing that made sense in the context...

Thanks.

Pancake a year ago was nil, and by that I mean I couldn't sit up straight in a straddle.  lol.  Pancake today still is awful by good standards, probably around Ryan's initial picture although maybe not quite as good. I am guilty of lack of consistency on this movement, still I have improved somewhat.  I will echo what Ryan said in his first post... I have enough flexibility now to actually get a good stretch in the adductors.  Before I was so tight I couldn't even stretch that area properly!

1 hour ago, James Hill said:

Alex, can you explain your elephant walks please? google provided some "interesting" links but nothing that made sense in the context...

Thanks.

Basically you start standing forward folded. Bend your knees as much as you need to be able to get belly to quads. Then you try to straighten one leg at a time at the same time as you try to maintain contact between belly and legs. Really good limbering movement. You can do this both in pike and straddle position.

Thank you Tobias, I never knew it was called that but I usually do this every time I tie my shoelaces! Going to work it a bit more consciously from now on.