kman's training

10/19/09

I solely did handstands today. I am trying to get to a 60 sec. hold. I don't know how many times I did handstands because I figure it's no use in keeping track since I am only doing that exercise until I get 60 sec. freestanding. I used the wall today but when I get 60 sec. on the wall then I will go for 60 sec. freestanding. My wrists hurt a lot from all the handstands and my elbows also. When I feel pain I just stop and do something else for a while like juggle my soccer ball and then I attempt more handstands afterwards. I hope this pain in my wrists/elbows go away fast. Also another thing that really hurt a lot while I was doing the handstands was my lower back. I also hope this improves as my training continues.

10/20/09

Handstands again. I can now do a 60 sec. handstand hold on the wall!! Check! Yay!! I'm already achieving goals on my checklist. Next goal is the 60 sec. freestanding handstand.

I would recommend training the wall HS beyond a mere 60s.

Your joints are feeling it because those holds are too close to your max hold so it's too much stress on your joints. Find your max hold and train at 50% of that.

Your lower back is hurting because you are either arching or your lower back isn't as strong as it should be.

Instead of 60s on the wall HS, you may think about doing "Wall Runs" instead. You can also do a form of Wall HS where you tap your feet and off balance from the wall to simulate a free-HS.

I would recommend training the wall HS beyond a mere 60s.

Ok, so what should my goal be for the HS hold? If not 60 sec. then what? Also, I will move to the wall runs but I must master the HS hold first. I am only doing one at a time. I don't multitask well as you can see.

Your lower back is hurting because you are either arching or your lower back isn't as strong as it should be.

I think it is both. When I re-read my initial post in the "Getting Started" area I noticed that I forgot to also mention other areas besides my rotator cuff that are very very horrible as well. I guess I did this because I figured that gymnasts only really care about upper body strength but I guess I'm wrong so I'll list the other areas also.

My lower back and wrists are very very weak. These two areas for me are in almost constant pain. Even now. I even stopped wearing shoes in an effort to minimize strain on my back and I tried to stop using the computer so much so I won't develop Parkinson's disease. I only run barefoot now and mostly I walk around barefoot unless I go to a store or something. Next, my abs are extremely weak. It's because I never exercise them, I guess. I'm not in any pain in that area much but I know that they are very weak. Finally, my knees are in bad shape. Being that most of my life I have been primarily a runner, I don't feel that my knees are weak but rather I am not/have never been doing specific knee-strengthening exercises as preventative maintenance to cope with the constant stress my knee is subjected to from me running around barefoot all the time and me playing soccer so much.

Gymnasts need not only upper body strength, but strength throughout the entire body. For event specialists on apparatus, they may need more upper body strength than lower body strength but they still need midline/core strength. You're not going to have good form if you're weak through the middle.

To note I've found that my ability to do wall runs at the end of a workout is dismal. I consider wall runs, dynamic/active work vs just holding a wall HS.

To note, how easy wall HS is sort of depends on your shoulder flexion ability. With my boys who have better shoulder flexion, they have held a wall HS for 3m+. Bare in mind, they are still beginners and their HS ability on floor isn't that great. It's ok at best. For one of my boys and myself (his shoulder flexion is worse than mine), it can be a very trying exercise when doing it stomach to wall.

Doing it back to wall, tends to be easier for him and me because we can arch our backs which makes up for the lack of shoulder flexion.

Start the wrist prehab series as part of your warmup and cooldown and it would probably serve well to add in some rotator cuff work at the beginning and end as well.

If your abs are weak, your lower back will tend to be weak as well. I recommend starting to work on a tucked or straight body lever. If you don't have anything to brace yourself to, doing skin the cats will work as well besides hollow and arch body holds/rocks and perhaps tucked L-sits.

Your knees are weak because you haven't been squatting. Start with deck squats or perhaps a graduated SLS (negative).

so I should be able to at least hold a HS for 3 minutes then. ok thanks.

also, i noticed you mentioned back against the wall HS and stomach against the wall HS. I will develop a 3 min. hold for both before I proceed to the freestanding HS. thanks

The wall HS only develops the strength and techniquefor the HS. It doesn't really teach the balance for the HS which is gained by simply doing lots of HS on the floor.

You should be doing both. Warmup with wall HS, practice a bunch of kicking to HS and work some more wall HS as your conditioning.

There is a thread ongoing where it is stated the Chinese train the wall HS for 30 minutes and sometimes more as a disciplinary action. Coach Sommer has said he trains his boys to be able to do 10m of wall runs instead of 20m of wall HS, but I have the numbers not quite exact. It's something to that effect.

At your stage of experience, I would not train the back to wall HS. There is an appropriate way to train this and perhaps I should video it when I can one of these days.

There is a thread ongoing where it is stated the Chinese train the wall HS for 30 minutes and sometimes more as a disciplinary action. Coach Sommer has said he trains his boys to be able to do 10m of wall runs instead of 20m of wall HS, but I have the numbers not quite exact. It's something to that effect.

What thread is that? 30 minutes of wall HS??!! :shock: Wow! that is intense! ok, i'm going to try and mimic that then. I know, I know. I'm not a Chinese fighting monk or anything like that but like I said I do have all day to train so why not.

I will get to the 10 min. of wall runs after I finish with everything regarding the HS.

At your stage of experience, I would not train the back to wall HS. There is an appropriate way to train this and perhaps I should video it when I can one of these days.

You're probably right here but I'm not strong or confident enough to train the stomach to wall HS YET. I will get there but I tried it once and it was scary. I would rather practice the freestanding HS than the stomach to wall HS. but after the back to wall HS is mastered then I will move to the treacherous stomach to wall HS. :oops:

10/21/09

I did back to wall HS only. I did some kick-ups to HS and some ugly HS presses to tire out my arms faster. I did this because in the wall HS position I didn't really feel my shoulders getting tired much and I was getting bored just being in that position so I tried to make my muscle fatigue. Now, that Blairbob has informed me about 30 min. wall HS, I will have more patience and try to concentrate while in the wall HS position. thx blairbob!

umm, I noticed that my lower back isn't hurting anymore when I do my wall HS work. my wrists still hurt but I guess that is to be expected. I feel like I'm getting stronger by the day. I'm staying positive and trying to make sure I continue to focus and practice everyday consistently.

10/22/09

Today I noticed that my wrists are really getting stiff and sore from the continuous HS only training. Therefore today I didn't use my wrists to do my usual back to wall HS training. I used my elbows only. This way I give my wrists a much needed break but now my elbows ache from the pressure. It doesn't hurt really but it aches. I am just fearfully that I will incur a stress fracture in my wrists or elbows from the continuous training. My shoulders/arms don't hurt at all really. I feel them getting tighter but that's about it. If my wrists don't feel strengthened in the morning then I will continue to use my elbows vice my wrists to do the HS holds.

This is a sign of tackling too much HS volume too soon.

30m wall HS isn't done over night. Think 10 years.

Short term goals would be 30-60 more seconds per month.

Give yourself and your body enough rest.

Blairbob,

I would love to see a video of how to correctly perform the back to wall handstand if you ever get a chance.

Kman,

have you tried wall HS on parallettes? Might be a nice variation for your wrists?

Blairbob said:

This is a sign of tackling too much HS volume too soon.

30m wall HS isn't done over night. Think 10 years.

Short term goals would be 30-60 more seconds per month.

Give yourself and your body enough rest.

sadly i have an excessive personality and I can't focus on anything else until I master the HS hold. :oops: You are correct though and I will try not to push myself too much but I am just so determined to get it down as quickly as possible. But even at the rate you mentioned above, 30-60 seconds a month then I'll have the 30 min. wall HS hold down in less than 3 years.

One thing I worry about though is my ultimate goal. There are a lot of moves that I want to be able to do that are related to breakdancing/gymnastics and I wonder is my "one at a time" approach really the way to go. What I am hoping is that after I get the 30 min. wall HS hold down, then my hope/expectation is that the strength that I have gained will allow me to master other necessary moves i.g. L sit, V sit, manna, flares, plances, HS presses, etc. very very quickly.

have you tried wall HS on parallettes? Might be a nice variation for your wrists?

heeyyy! that is a good idea! I hadn't thought about that. But I am poor and I don't think I can afford parallettes but I will look into it. I might also try doing wall HS using my fists, you think? That would also take the pressure off of my wrists. hmm...

You know, I've been thinking about doing other exercises that the ultimate in each area of my body but won't affect the other exercises. (if that makes sense) Because like I said I don't multi-task very well at all but when I train the wall HS I usu. do it 2-3 times and then go and study. I would continue to do the wall HS but like I mentioned in another thread, I have never done specific strength training. I have always been a runner only. So the feeling I have in my wrists and elbows is new to me. I don't know if it signifies strength forming or it is a sign to stop and rest. But I know instead of studying in between my sets I could be doing other exercises that won't affect my wall HS hold. I have been brainstorming and also thinking about the exercises Blairbob posted. When I was in the Navy I use to do 400-500 pushups 3-4x a week. Maybe I could do push-ups for my shoulders, wall HS for my wrists, door pull-ups for my back, one-legged squats for my knees, and planks & 6 inch leg for my abs. If I do this then I think I will be much more focused and able to continue to exercise between my wall HS hold sets without getting too confused which always happens if I try to do a lot of different exercises at one time. The only problem is I won't be able to keep a record of the number of reps I do because I am sure I will get confused and lose focus & motivation. But I will still post my account of doing them here.

10/23/09

Wall HS hold using my elbows only while wrists rest & recover (R&R).

Kman, working 1 thing at a time isn't a good idea for a beginner. In fact, it's a shitty idea. You need to build your basics in all 3 planes for pushing and pulling just for your general body health besides basics.

Kman, you can also build cheap PVC parallettes for about 10-20 bucks. All you need is the pieces, no glueing is necessary.

Keeping track of reps is helped by using a workout log and pencil. Jot everything down while you workout.

For basics, you can simply go do HS, 1 pull, 1 push, 1 legs, 1 core and then go do whatever you're doing. Do this in rounds.

Running is awesome for becoming obsessive and crushing ourselves. One of our coaches, a former olympian, notes she keeps on running 9 miles a day, every day despite her lack of ability to sleep and how much pain it causes her. This isn't bravery, it's stupidity.

Realize that or ask someone with a shinai to help you realize that.

Kman, working 1 thing at a time isn't a good idea for a beginner. In fact, it's a shitty idea. You need to build your basics in all 3 planes for pushing and pulling just for your general body health besides basics.

For basics, you can simply go do HS, 1 pull, 1 push, 1 legs, 1 core and then go do whatever you're doing. Do this in rounds.

I will implement the new scheme starting tomorrow then.

Kman, you can also build cheap PVC parallettes for about 10-20 bucks. All you need is the pieces, no glueing is necessary.

good point. I found a guide here that I will attempt to make although using a pipe cutter sounds scary but maybe I can ask someone to help me with that.

http://celtickane.com/projects/homemade-parallettes/

Realize that or ask someone with a shinai to help you realize that.

I think I got it hopefully. A shinai might hurt. ouch!

10/24/09

Didn't do much at all today since I had a dance performance to go to. I did:

60 sec. back to wall HS hold using elbows (1 rep)

30 sec. elbow plank

5 door pullups

20 standard finger pushups

10 ugly one legged squats (1 rep each leg) (actually I did the best I could since I am nowhere near being able to do a proper one legged squat)

I did a bit of grip strength training also -> 5 sec. door pullup hang holding onto the towel instead of the door (I can't wait to get a super strong grip! A lot of the Polynesian guys here in Hawai'i are naturally big and have huge, powerful hands. I will work hard to get that also. )

So, I guess today was my break day. I intended on Sunday being my break day but I don't want to push myself to injury so I just allowed myself to rest today on the whole. The hard part is how long do I rest without overdoing it.... :? Oh well, I practice soccer by myself everyday anyway so at least I shouldn't get fat.

10/25/09

elbow back to wall HS hold (4 reps)

6 door pullups

20 sec. elbow plank hold

10 ugly one legged squats (1 rep each leg)

10 standard finger pushups

50 sec. door pullup hang holding onto the towel instead of the door

I probably should have done more HS holds today but kinda losing motivation for the HS hold but I'm still making sure I at least sweat everyday. Once I can walk in the HS then I probably do that much more. I practiced soccer today. (juggling)

10/26/09

elbow back to wall HS hold (5 reps)

5 door pullups

30 sec. elbow plank hold (1 rep)

10 ugly one legged squats (2 rep each leg)

20 standard finger pushups

30 sec. door pullup hang holding onto the towel instead of the door

Kman, I didn't practice walking in HS for over 5 years and until recently I just sucked at it. Don't wait that long and start working HS Wall Runs until your free HS is decent enough.

start working HS Wall Runs until your free HS is decent enough.

Ok, sure I will start doing HS Wall Runs tomorrow. What should my goal be though? You mentioned earlier that Coach Sommers has his students do HS Wall Runs for 10 min., right? Is that what my goal should be? Also, I will have to start off doing those very slowly because HS Wall Runs are difficult. I tried one the very first day you posted here about them and I couldn't even do one.

Also, what should be my goal in regards to your comment "until your free HS is decent enough." Should I aim to do a 30 min. freestanding hold just like my goal with the wall HS hold? Right now, I can do a freestanding HS for about 10 sec. with bad form (legs are bent) and about 5 sec. with good form (legs and arms are straight). Also, I can walk in a HS for about about 10 sec. with bad form and I don't think I am strong enough do any with good form.

Edit:

I tried one the very first day you posted here about them and I couldn't even do one.

Ok, nevermind. Just as I finished typing this message I attempted to do HS wall runs and I did four. I think I figured out why I couldn't do even one the first time I tried it. It is because initially I tried to do HS wall runs while in a back to wall HS hold. That is not how they should be done according to the video Coach Sommers posted on youtube. They should be done in a stomach to wall HS hold. When I did them in a stomach to wall HS hold then I was able to do them just fine, the only thing that stopped me from doing more was the wrist pain that I have been trying to recover from for the last couple of days. Also, I know this is random but I would like to point out that I would advise those who are training for the HS, please get to a level in which are comfortable with the back to wall handstand BEFORE you start training the stomach to wall HS. I believe it is easier to get injured if you crash unexpectedly due to weaken wrists while training the stomach to wall HS, so stick with the back to wall HS until you are comfortable then move to the stomach to wall HS.

10/27/09

elbow back to wall HS hold (4 reps)

wrist back to wall HS hold (3 reps)

1 door pullups

30 sec. elbow plank hold (1 rep)

10 ugly one legged squats (1 rep each leg)

20 standard finger pushups

20 sec. door pullup hang holding onto the towel instead of the door

I started back using my wrist for the HS holds today after 2-3 days of rest. My wrists still don't feel like they are ready to be used for intense HS hold training so that's why I continue to use my elbows and only do a small amount using my wrists. Seems like my elbows can take quite a lot of beating for now. I feel slight aching/pain in my elbows from all the HS hold training but it isn't anything that's serious. (yet) hehe. Only one door pullup for today. Pullups usually aren't that bad for me on a regular pullup bar but doing them on a door is tough on my hands. I like the pain though since I know that my hands are getting stronger and will get accustomed to the pain.

On another note, I was thinking about resuming my schedule of kicks and stretching that I had been working on but stopped due to lack of focus. (I get so confused when multiple things are thrown at me. haha) Anyway, what I had been doing is trying to train towards my goal of being able to do all three splits -> (1. vertical with both legs and the 2. side split). Also, I want to be able to do the standing splits -> 1. front (both legs), 2. back (both legs), and 3. side (both legs) So, my method of achieving all these was to do:

1. 100 kicks in each direction [1. front (both legs), 2. back (both legs), and 3. side (both legs)] which equals 600 kicks

2. 60 sec. hold [1. front (both legs), 2. back (both legs), and 3. side (both legs)] = 6 min.

3. 5 min. stretching split hold [1. vertical with both legs and the 2. side split] = 15 min.

What do you think my training plan considering my ultimate goals listed above? I plan on starting this regimen again tomorrow. Like I said, I have been doing this regimen off and on for about 2 weeks but I just keep losing focus for one reason or another. With me, posting my training here I find myself being much more focused and I'm holding myself accountable for my training.

10/28/09

elbow back to wall HS hold (4 reps)

wrist back to wall HS hold (3 reps)

20 door pullups

20 sec. elbow plank hold (1 rep)

10 ugly one legged squats (1 rep each leg)

20 standard finger pushups

30 sec. door pullup hang holding onto the towel instead of the door

I also did the below "split regimen" today.

1. 100 kicks in each direction [1. front (both legs), 2. back (both legs), and 3. side (both legs)]

2. 60 sec. hold [1. front (both legs), 2. back (both legs), and 3. side (both legs)]

3. 5 min. stretching split hold [1. vertical with both legs and the 2. side split]

I did 20 door pullups today. haha! my hands are getting stronger everyday. Umm, I also did my "splits regimen" starting from today onwards as well. It felt good. hopefully I will be able to successfully do all 3 splits in a month or two with this regimen. I'm not sure how it will take me to be able to do the standing splits but I'll keep at it. My wrists are taking soooo long to recover and get strong! This is soo frustrating!! I want to do HS using my wrists not my elbows only. Everytime I try to use my wrists they hurt so bad. I'm just waiting for them to recover then I can put them to work again.

10/29/09

elbow back to wall HS hold (4 reps)

20 door pullups

20 sec. elbow plank hold (1 rep)

10 ugly one legged squats (1 rep each leg)

20 standard finger pushups

30 sec. door pullup hang holding onto the towel instead of the door

split regimen

1. 100 kicks in each direction [1. front (both legs), 2. back (both legs), and 3. side (both legs)]

2. 60 sec. hold [1. front (both legs), 2. back (both legs), and 3. side (both legs)]

3. 5 min. stretching split hold [1. vertical with both legs and the 2. side split]

10/30/09

elbow back to wall HS hold (2 reps)

20 door pullups

90 sec. elbow plank hold (1 rep)

10 ugly one legged squats (1 rep each leg)

20 standard finger pushups

60 sec. door pullup hang holding onto the towel instead of the door

1. 50 kicks in each direction [1. front (both legs), 2. back (both legs), and 3. side (both legs)]

I didn't do the entire split regimen today since I was lazy. :|