Killer Frog; Wimpy Bear

Has anyone else found a HUGE disparity between their ability to execute one movement over another?  I kill the the Frog.  The Bear kills me.

Totally agree.  I can do the Frog and Ape no bother but the bear is definitely a challenge.  My hamstrings are ridiculously tight so Pike and Straddle are also a big struggle for me at the moment.

I can do both, to an extent, and do find the frog marginally more 'comfortable' than the the bear, however I can't do either with excellent form.  I don't think killing it will be a feature of my frog until I can at least hop my feet past my hands.

Barry and Sam, I am right there with you.

What Are the stretches to help improve the progress on these?

I thought I was killing the frog until I took a video of myself... losing pelvic position and rounding the back in the deep squat. I would recommend shooting a video every time for a reality check.

I definitely have significantly more range of motion in my hips rather then my hamstrings.

I haven't had any issues with the Frog/Ape, but the Stiff Bear really shows off the tension in my hamstrings and calves.

Both are killing me  on a positive note I can only get better!

It has been another week and a half, how are you guys doing with these exercises now?
Are you finding your ROM increasing? 
 

Personally I have noticed an improvement, but I still have a long ways to go. My hamstrings and upper calves are super tight though, so it's slow going.

I can't say I notice much improvement yet. I'm pretty tight so will need to be patient and give it time. For me the biggest thing I'm learning about is where I'm tight and what needs work i.e. Basically everything

Not weird. Just makes it really black and white as to your strengths and weaknesses

I'm watching these threads with interest and taking mental notes. Can't wait to hear the excitement when the mobility starts to take shape

Keep fighting!

On June 4, 2016 at 5:19 PM, Nolan Phillips said:

It has been another week and a half, how are you guys doing with these exercises now?
Are you finding your ROM increasing? 
 

Personally I have noticed an improvement, but I still have a long ways to go. My hamstrings and upper calves are super tight though, so it's slow going.

Hi Nolan,

While kyphotic shoulders get most of the media attention, my personal experience is that hamstrings and calves are the first victims of desk patrol.  This becomes all the more insidious as the growing lack of hamstring/calf mobility can go unnoticed for years, until long after the problem has already become quite significant.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

It's something to be extra aware of if you have tight hamstrings and a reasonably flexible spine. It's very possible to compensate for the former with the latter, which only exacerbates the problem.  I have had to dial back to my stretches to far less than i had been used to, in order to start correcting forward bending mechanics.

Plus side, this is not intuitive or easy but it IS simple to a) diagnose from an outside perspective and b) fix with weighted mobility drills

Thanks @Coach Sommer and @Jon Douglas, I've just fnished day 24 and the mobility is still increasing.

Luckily my boss is also jujitsu guy, and he just bought two 5'x10' roll-out mats for the office so we can do some light training at lunch.

I've also been using those mats to go through my GST exercises. I'm trying to do the inch-work and a few other exercises daily.

Hi @Coach Sommer and @Jon Douglas

My name is Fabio, I practice full contact karate once a week but I spend 12-17hours a day sitting on my computer working. Despite my age and talent in karate when sparring, I have the title of the stiffest person my sensei has ever seen.  My sensei tells me to stretch everyday but I have not seen much results until I started gymnastic bodies. 

This is week 2 for me and I'm proud to say that mobility is taken shape. I still feel a lot of pressure on everything that I do. I sound exactly like a bear when doing any of the workouts. But I'm proud to say that I'm starting to understand a little bit better the difference between pain and pressure. 

Yesterday I was able to test myself against other people around me and compare the different levels of stiffness and mobility.  My pregnat wife has a brown belt in karate and she was able to perform the week 2 exercises without breaking a sweet. The second person I tested the workouts was my brother who is a beast in the gym. He felt extremely uncomfortable just laying on the ground with palms down on the floor. His biceps felt like they were about to erupt.  

Here are my questions:

1) When the fundamental program is over in a month, and if I notice that my body is not performing on the same level as the athletes in the video, does that mean that I should restart the videos from the beginning or move onto the foundation courses? My goal is to stop being like a walking zombie as you mentioned.

2) Also, next week I will have access to a gym and I'm itching to shed off my "dad bod". I truly believe in your program so I would like to know if I should just perform this exercises in the gym until I regain mobility and flexibility, or it is ok to start light weights to help me loose the unnecessary weight in my body. I'm currently at 183 pounds, my height is 5' 11".  

P.S. Does it help if I post pictures of me performing the poses ?

After Fundamentals, its time to move onto Foundation to start methodically addressing one tight link after another. It would be a good idea to keep up with Fundamentals movements for warmup and possibly as a morning/ second workout of the day

On 6/9/2016 at 2:05 PM, Jon Douglas said:

It's something to be extra aware of if you have tight hamstrings and a reasonably flexible spine. It's very possible to compensate for the former with the latter, which only exacerbates the problem.  I have had to dial back to my stretches to far less than i had been used to, in order to start correcting forward bending mechanics.

Plus side, this is not intuitive or easy but it IS simple to a) diagnose from an outside perspective and b) fix with weighted mobility drills

I feel I'm in the same situation with flexible spine, tight hamstrings/calves/knees. I also feel my bending mechanics are all messed up like I have an additional joint in my lower back as compensation. 

I am really enjoying the fundamentals, looking ahead - is foundation the place to start correcting these issues?

2 hours ago, Josh Claar said:

is foundation the place to start correcting these issues?

Yes. After Fundamentals is complete, F1 and the stretch courses are the absolute best next step. You'll be armed with the daily limber and all the necessary knowledge to successfully begin addressing these issues. 

6 hours ago, Everett Carroll said:

Yes. After Fundamentals is complete, F1 and the stretch courses are the absolute best next step. You'll be armed with the daily limber and all the necessary knowledge to successfully begin addressing these issues. 

Thank you, is one better to start with than the other? I'm not sure I can afford both right away. 

Hi @Josh Claar,

If your priority is overall strength and mobility then I would definitely go with Foundation One first.

22 hours ago, Leo Trinidad said:

Hi @Josh Claar,

If your priority is overall strength and mobility then I would definitely go with Foundation One first.

Thank you!

On 6/9/2016 at 11:05 PM, Jon Douglas said:

It's something to be extra aware of if you have tight hamstrings and a reasonably flexible spine. It's very possible to compensate for the former with the latter, which only exacerbates the problem.  I have had to dial back to my stretches to far less than i had been used to, in order to start correcting forward bending mechanics.

Plus side, this is not intuitive or easy but it IS simple to a) diagnose from an outside perspective and b) fix with weighted mobility drills

Me exactly.  But I'm finding that as I'm more able to engage hip flexors to pull me down, the stretch on the back thing is reducing.  I suspect I have the perfect storm of weak core + desk jockeying to exacerbate the tight hamstring thing.  

Interestingly enough, the weak core / tight hamstring issue was diagnosed in my son at occupational therapy - obviously inherited from his father.

I was surprised at how difficult the Bear movement was for me. Straddle and Pike were marginally better, but like others said I didn't have much trouble with the Frog and Ape. I have always tended to frequently use the "squatting" position for years to sit, though, even when I'm sitting on the couch. I suppose that may have helped a bit.

I also converted to a standing desk about a year ago, so my hamstrings may have possibly been even worse before, as hard as it is for me to believe that.