sPL/SE1>iM Question

I've been working on this exercise for a long time and seem to be getting no where.  My biggest issue is being able to lower myself to a level position regardless of how forward I am.  

Tonight I was digging around and heard mention of the importance of protracted shoulders during this exercise.  I have not been protracting my shoulders and am guessing this is my missing link.  Any thoughts?

How is your HBP/PE3? If you have enough lean in your PPP where you feel the weight through the feet lessen then simply bending the knees to 90° should leave you in the right position I think. At least this is how I get into position

Protraction and depression are both very important as far as I know to maximise your leverage.

I would imagine that extra work on your PPP can only help, a video of this iM and your PPP may help see what's happening. Also I know some people like lifting the feet at the bottom of their PPP so get the sensation of just how much lean is necessary; PPP+ I believe?

Hope it helps

Max

jj ppp and ppp+. and doin that iM with litle help of bungee around waist for imagination only.

Hello Jon, I've just recently obtained this elusive position (took me almost a year) only last week. Let me give you my personal experience with this.

Pre-requisites: 

Make sure you have the previous sPL progressions and mobility. If in doubt post a form check. You really have to know how to protract and depress your scapulae strongly but you also have a good mobility in your glutes, which is ultimately what the position is actually for.

If you think you have mastered HBP/PE3 but don't have this, then you haven't mastered HBP/PE3 truly with enough lean (specially lean at the bottom). The better you are at HBP/PE3 the easier this one is. 

In my experience this position works the triceps, traps and upper chest quite strongly, so if you suck at pressing you might want to consider some assistance exercises like some dips, but at low volume, treating it as play at the end of the session, but don't attempt to program them.

Now as for the position themselves, this may vary for you, but I've found that the entry procedure is key and you have to find what works for you. I've tried:

• Going from the bottom of the PPP, trying to go into a plus by leaning and straddling.
• Going from a bent arm tuck planche and trying to extend the hips
• Jumping into kinda of 45 degree shoulder stand and lowering (kind of what the athlete does in the video)
• Going from a planche lean, protracting strongly and depressing and lowering (like a slow negative PPP) and trying to lean even further.

For me personally what works is the last one as it allows you to set your protraction and depression of the scapulae and really focus on not losing it as you lower into the position (you'll lose some, but the idea is to keep fighting for it).

There are 3 cues that for me are important:

• Protract and depress, your back has to help in the movement, specially the traps and muscles in your sides. It's hard to explain but your back should be "squeezing" :).
• Your hands ! Further back, lean more ! More, lean more, they need to be further back than you think they need to be. Yes, more you can actually do it.
• This for me was the "aha" moment ! If your difficulties were like mine, when you failed to hold the position the issue is that you find that you fall towards your legs, i.e., your center of gravity is behind your hands and rarely do you fall toward your face. What you want to be doing is instead of thinking of lifting your body, is actually fight that by kind of pushing forward. When you actually hold the position it'll feel more like you are hovering over a balance point with your weight trying to make you tilt towards your legs and your arms counteracting that. Much like the actual planche, it's all about the lean not pushing up. 

Ultimately, this is a position you learn, you have to keep practicing to get it. It's physical skill, no words can actually get you there. Personally I took almost ten months to get this and when I got it last week it was like one of those moments where then you can't actually figure out what was so hard about it. It definitely has a sort of "trick" to it. 

Currently right now, I still have to have some issues to iron out like PPT (even though it's not bad) and learning to breathe in this position (feels like a max deadlift sometimes). It'll give some massive pump in your triceps, chest and traps as well. And when you learn to hold, you'll see that the position is actually about your glutes  as you won't be able to cheat by losing hip extension.

Just keep at it, it'll take as long as it has to take and you'll get it when you don't expect it !

This is great info and I am 100% certain the HBP/PE3 is my issue.  I started GB a year a go and find myself backtracking as I learn about protraction and depression.  While you can fake it early on, the later exercise catch up to you quickly.  I'll head back to HPB/PE3.  Thanks for all of the help.

If you're just starting to realize the importance of the protraction/depression then you really should recheck your sPL progressions, since they are all about that position, in combination with PPT. It's a fundamental position in GST and the underlying structure of a huge array of gymnastic movements and holds.

7 hours ago, Travis Widmann said:

If you're just starting to realize the importance of the protraction/depression then you really should recheck your sPL progressions, since they are all about that position, in combination with PPT. It's a fundamental position in GST and the underlying structure of a huge array of gymnastic movements and holds.

I came to this realization in October of last year and have been working to correct it ever since.  I think I am very close to getting my first tucked planche.  I just now realized that the PPT is also very reliant on protraction and depression.  Thanks for the input.

Do not forget to read this three page thread: Bent Arm Straddle Planche Hold