Been on RC/PE1 for 20 months - help!

7 hours ago, Cameron Williams said:

Hey Sean - not past these yet. Making progress though. Today I got 15,15,15,14,10. When I started this post I was getting 15,15,12,9. So even in the first four sets I've improved by 8 reps. 

Ill definitely post once I master this!

Daniel, I may follow your lead and re test mastery on some earlier elements. I think this is a great idea.

I mean it makes sense. It also reiterates that GB is not a linear evolution for the seven exercises. Also that, everything in F1 basically needs to become as easy as walking or breaking into a sprint on a moment's notice (say in a mad dash at an airport terminal). Especially so, with mobility and as strength increases later on with F2, and F3. It is frustrating but understanding that it should not only eventually become that easy, but that mobilities should never ever be painful frames everything differently. I suggest you give it a shot and look to the Foundation post on "breaking plateaus". I'm taking some small steps backward, but sometimes that's what's called for in order to make big leaps forward.

3 minutes ago, Daniel Taylor-Shaut said:

I'm taking some small steps backward, but sometimes that's what's called for in order to make big leaps forward.

Nicely stated.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

Daniel/Cam-Yes I did the same when I joined up with Gbpro. Some I backed up on cause although I had the form I didn't have the pacing Orench had. Mobility has always snagged me, but that's to be expected. So I figured I probably hit my first 5 sets at mastery and considered it done and moved on rather than milking the strength a bit. You and I are similar in terms of the PEs that I need more work on. I was on SLpe2 but I moved back due to shoulder discomfort just not ready yet so I'm going to give it a break. I will try to use a heavier weight for PE1 in case I have to cycle mastery one or two times till full recovery. Frustrating cause I can do PE2 but Coach talks about how he don't let his athletes move on quickly until there is nothing left to gain. Then they get to move on and they find the next exercise way easier, almost too easy, than they expected. I wonder if that's not the case with any PE people struggle with, myself included. Not glorious in any way to start out in foundation, sometimes I get caught up in that and want to get to the fancy moves, but an injury will make you re-evaluate that in a hurry. Previous, not due to GST.  It would be more impressive if I could effortlessly show my skill in the beginning elements I think, not to mention show I'm actually paying attention to course material in this way. 

On the other hand Coach said in the webinar said that you can't expect to hold on to all your strength in all moves as we travel along. So once you move on I dont' think mastery at any given time of a previous PE is expected except to be used as a warm up like your doing. Just spit ball'in here, no criticism and maybe I'll get corrected by a coach here.   

Cam- that awesome man. Looking forward to posting numbers like that at some point. Is it the extra deload work your doing on off days that's helping you think? 

31 minutes ago, Daniel Taylor-Shaut said:

I mean it makes sense. It also reiterates that GB is not a linear evolution for the seven exercises. Also that, everything in F1 basically needs to become as easy as walking or breaking into a sprint on a moment's notice (say in a mad dash at an airport terminal). Especially so, with mobility and as strength increases later on with F2, and F3. It is frustrating but understanding that it should not only eventually become that easy, but that mobilities should never ever be painful frames everything differently. I suggest you give it a shot and look to the Foundation post on "breaking plateaus". I'm taking some small steps backward, but sometimes that's what's called for in order to make big leaps forward.

Ha seems you and I are ride'in the same wave....didn't  see this post before mine...nice 

i almost want to call a challenge on this one even tho I'm far behind. To see who can call dibs with official approved mastery. Or has this happened already for you Daniel? Might help Cam get those last reps cause it would be real embarrassing to have the guy who beats him only have one good arm lol

....sorry make that a fat guy with one arm cause I think I'm 30 lbs over weight

I agree that strength at mastery in all moves shouldn't be maintained, but logically....if you can do FL/PE5 for mastery then FL/PE1 would probably be quite easy, no? Similarly, if you could do lat flyes (the very last >im for RC) then I imagine hinge rows or RC/PE1 would be easy peasy. The point you make of Coach not allowing his athletes to advance until there is nothing left to gain is what I'm getting at. Because RC/PE2 and SL/PE2 I think are relatively easier than their previous elements, if those previous elements are trained to the point where there's nothing left to be learned then I should be able to progress rather quickly. So basically one step back to make two steps forward. Of note, the elements I've gone back to PE1 on are not at step 1 by any close approximation. I'll be refocusing on them at Step 7 and if that's problematic, then I may drop to Step 4, if necessary. But by doing so, I'll be building back up stronger and progressing logically and intelligently. Something I hadn't been doing prior to Pro+ as I was coming at GB with a 'no pain, no gain' attitude (and it screwed up my AC joint  when doing HS/PE1>im and now I have to stretch my pec minor and bicep every day in order for it to not be sore and not limit my shoulder ROM).

Going further, I've hit stumbling blocks on MN/PE2 and SLS/PE3 and wanted to be certain that the mastery of those earlier elements was there. What I found is that my compression for MN/PE1>im could be improved, which lead to MN/PE2; and my glute mobility in SLS/PE1>im could be greater (which would make getting into SLS/PE3>im, and sPL>PE1>im --another element I'm stuck on-- likely a lot easier as the piriformis would be more mobile). These are just my musings, but noting that both @Zach Armijo mentioned how he will take time every few months to polish up earlier elements to maintain his  solid foundation; and that @Coach Sommer referenced GB Athlete Leo Trinidad having taken a similar approach to much success tells me that there is something to that. It's taken me this long to reprogram my thoughts on training, as well as to understand how the body is supposed to work and feel throughout these movements. Workings towards substantial progress by the end of the year.

2 hours ago, Sean Wood said:

Ha seems you and I are ride'in the same wave....didn't  see this post before mine...nice 

i almost want to call a challenge on this one even tho I'm far behind. To see who can call dibs with official approved mastery. Or has this happened already for you Daniel? Might help Cam get those last reps cause it would be real embarrassing to have the guy who beats him only have one good arm lol

....sorry make that a fat guy with one arm cause I think I'm 30 lbs over weight

You doing GB Thrive or any steayd state HR (heart rate) cardio? Losing those thirty pounds might do you well to making progress.

My issue is joint problems, namely in my shoulder. So, its slow and steady in my case. I'd call a challenge but that sort of a pissing contest mentality is what's gotten me into trouble and led me to be sloppy with my form and dishonest in my mastery in the past. So, I'm not biting. Sorry.

1 hour ago, Coach Sommer said:

Nicely stated.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

Thanks Coach.

37 minutes ago, Daniel Taylor-Shaut said:

You doing GB Thrive or any steayd state HR (heart rate) cardio? Losing those thirty pounds might do you well to making progress.

My issue is joint problems, namely in my shoulder. So, its slow and steady in my case. I'd call a challenge but that sort of a pissing contest mentality is what's gotten me into trouble and led me to be sloppy with my form and honest in my mastery in the past. So, I'm not biting. Sorry.

Well I guess I know who called dibs already lol...

Many good points, well taken from your previous posts thank you.  I think my humour attempt regarding the "challenge" statement got missed a little.  I did say "almost want too".  I'm not sure you saw my previous posts here but you guys both are far ahead of me in this element. The only way I could get ahead is if you both fell into a diabetic coma suddenly for a year...and then...maybe.  Besides how does a fat guy with one arm beat anyone at anything? Esepcially when he's eating with the other? 

Please accept my apologies if I have offended. A "pissing contest" is not what I would be looking for in any "challenge" here nor do I believe such an idea have any place within this forum as you do. Hence why I also added " with official mastery" meaning as per a GB coach.

I blame myself as I was chaneling some of the spirit from the nutrition forum to here, thus my use of the word "challenge" may not have been the best.  My comment was not driven from ego (my word not yours) but rather from spirit of fellowship and physical excellence together for fun, just so we are clear. Your decision to opt out is respected. If your good, I'm good, water under the bridge. 

Thank you, yes I just signed up to Thrive and am expecting results as with all things I experience here. Cardio wise I enjoy skipping rope, as per Coach, jogging some, and sledge hammer tire rounds, and boxing. I have had to temper this extra stuff a little until my recovery levels rise and as Thrive teaches me to dial in my nutrition. So primarily my energy is saved for Foundations. 

55 minutes ago, Sean Wood said:

Well I guess I know who called dibs already lol...

Many good points, well taken from your previous posts thank you.  I think my humour attempt regarding the "challenge" statement got missed a little.  I did say "almost want too".  I'm not sure you saw my previous posts here but you guys both are far ahead of me in this element. The only way I could get ahead is if you both fell into a diabetic coma suddenly for a year...and then...maybe.  Besides how does a fat guy with one arm beat anyone at anything? Esepcially when he's eating with the other? 

Please accept my apologies if I have offended. A "pissing contest" is not what I would be looking for in any "challenge" here nor do I believe such an idea have any place within this forum as you do. Hence why I also added " with official mastery" meaning as per a GB coach.

I blame myself as I was chaneling some of the spirit from the nutrition forum to here, thus my use of the word "challenge" may not have been the best.  My comment was not driven from ego (my word not yours) but rather from spirit of fellowship and physical excellence together for fun, just so we are clear. Your decision to opt out is respected. If your good, I'm good, water under the bridge. 

Thank you, yes I just signed up to Thrive and am expecting results as with all things I experience here. Cardio wise I enjoy skipping rope, as per Coach, jogging some, and sledge hammer tire rounds, and boxing. I have had to temper this extra stuff a little until my recovery levels rise and as Thrive teaches me to dial in my nutrition. So primarily my energy is saved for Foundations. 

Lol, no worries man. No offense was taken in the slightest. I just know that trying to oush myself is already something I do inherently so an external motivator would likely lead me to injure myself was all I meant. 

Yeah, Thrive has helped with energy and trimming the fat, no pun intended. Best of luck.

4 hours ago, Daniel Taylor-Shaut said:

Lol, no worries man. No offense was taken in the slightest. I just know that trying to oush myself is already something I do inherently so an external motivator would likely lead me to injure myself was all I meant. 

 

Yeah, Thrive has helped with energy and trimming the fat, no pun intended. Best of luck.

Thanks Daniel..I didn't make that awkward at all.. Feel free to make all the fat jokes you want at my expense in return.

Hey Sean - I would say that the 3 things we spoke about are all helping me progress:

1) Adjusting form

2) Deload volume on off days

3) Finishing failed sets after very brief breaks

Thanks Cam, good to know. I will look at slowly adding points two and three to my workouts as well. I just have to proceed carefully to not reinjure anything. Right now I'm working on perfecting my form and building strength slowly.

We all have our strengths and weaknesses.  I worked in futility on MN PE1 for 8 months before substituting in easier transitional exercises.  MN PE0.25= Single leg alternating knee ups (30 rep mastery, helping to strengthen hip flexors/adductors) and currently struggling throught MN PE0.5= Standing Tuck downs (15 rep mastery, Using gravity to assist with the thoracic compression). The point is I started almost 1 year ago, and I'm still not even strong enough to do Step 1 of MN PE1 with proper form.  Maybe you could try changing something up to help break the plateau?

3 minutes ago, Joel Savell said:

We all have our strengths and weaknesses.  I worked in futility on MN PE1 for 8 months before substituting in easier transitional exercises.  MN PE0.25= Single leg alternating knee ups (30 rep mastery) and MN PE0.5= Standing Tuck downs (Using gravity to assist with the thoracic compression). The point is I started almost 1 year ago, and I'm still not even strong enough to do Step 1 of MN PE1 with proper form.  Maybe you could try changing something up to help break the plateau?

I know that Coach has recommended iso holds in the same rep scheme as FL progressions. You could try doing that for time on off days @Cameron Williams, as grip strength is often a limiting factor in pulling movements.

Joel - thanks for your input man... I've made some good progress with the suggestions above... may add the holds, as Daniel suggested as well.

I find it's not my grip that gives out, but I my biceps/forearms fail. Either way, I think the addition of holds will help

Thanks guys

4 minutes ago, Cameron Williams said:

Joel - thanks for your input man... I've made some good progress with the suggestions above... may add the holds, as Daniel suggested as well.

I find it's not my grip that gives out, but I my biceps/forearms fail. Either way, I think the addition of holds will help

Thanks guys

Welp the biceps are connected to the forearms are connected to the fingers.

I hear what you're saying... it doesn't feel like a grip give-out though. Like when I used to do heavy dead lifts, and my hands couldn't hold the bar any longer at the end of sets and they would literally give out and drop the bar. It's not like that. It feels more like forearm/bicep burnout.

Are you saying there's no difference?

Either way, you're suggestion to do static holds is a good one

Im saying they're connected. In deadlifts the weight is lifted up with your body above the bar. In hinge rows, your body is underneath the bar, different mechanics. Were you also doing 5 sets of 15 reps with deadlift? Likely not.

haha no but I was lifting 315lbs, which thankfully is not the case with the hinge rows 

23 hours ago, Cameron Williams said:

I hear what you're saying... it doesn't feel like a grip give-out though. Like when I used to do heavy dead lifts, and my hands couldn't hold the bar any longer at the end of sets and they would literally give out and drop the bar. It's not like that. It feels more like forearm/bicep burnout.

Are you saying there's no difference?

Either way, you're suggestion to do static holds is a good one

Grip strength was (and to a degree still is) limiting me on these as well and the static holds have really been helpful here, so I really second that!

Small anecdote from "GB meets real life": I had to find out the hard way that I never really knew what "grip strength failing" really meant - until some nasty experience holding small retractors in surgery, for a prolonged time from a disadvantaged position (sound familiar?). Luckily, the procedure was finished just in time when I absolutely couldn't have held on for the sake of my life. A very enlightening experience in regards to what Coach means when he speaks about "shutting down mentally way before physically".

On Thursday, March 17, 2016 at 1:26 AM, Cameron Williams said:

That's awesome Mark - very encouraging. I wish I did it in 3 weeks as opposed to 20 months! But oh well, live and learn.

Cheers man

Cam

Edit - Mark, did you do 50% sets on every off day? Like if you're on the 3-day F1 template, you were doing 50% sets 4 days/week?

Sorry, I missed your edit. I did the 50% sets on every off day except Sundays, when I take a complete break.

Thanks Mark!

Did you do the sets at the same pace as normal workouts as well?

ie, set,mobility,set, etc, with no break time?

Yep, exactly the same pace with iM's in between.

Perfect, thanks 

Sorry Mark, one more question... when you say "off days", do you mean the days that you aren't doing this exercise?

Or do you mean days that you aren't doing any F1 work at all?