FL/PE2 - hollow rocks form check

You will need to eliminate the leg kicking - so that the body moves as one unit. Do 3 reps while looking at the trouser crease between leg and hip, there should be no movement there. The only leg kick is the first one to start the rocking off.

Ok... So here is a video (with hopefully a better look at my back/pelvis) of my bent knee hold... My bent knee rock... Straddle hold and straddle rock.  I can bent knee hold for 5x60... But can't seem to rock without the hip kick.  Now what?? Lol my straddle hold feels solid but I have the hip kick with the rock here as well.

Part of the issue is you are only *crunching* from the chest in the static position which leaves your hip flat as well as you lower back.

If the hips aren't being pulled back into Posterior Pelvic Tilt, then attempting to rock is futile, it's the same as trying to rock a flat board, just won't happen, as you're experiencing.

I'd go back and do another pass on the static hold this time focused on keeping the tailbone any amount off the floor.

Doing it with greater amplitude (as in your first video) will help you get the feel for it. You don't want your head kicking in too, like in the second video 

Amplify it and slow it down, as soon as you feel you want to kick down with your legs, do the reverse and pull them up. So head and legs come towards each other rather than both going forwards towards your feet. This should help you feel your lower core working, once you get that, focus on it hard as your movement centre and keep the rest of the body rigid and in PPT.

Take the time (weeks/months) to get it right now and you won't be tripped up later doing the negative body levers - which will mean that you need to go all the way back here (like me )

Thanks so much Cole and Kate.  Both of you are correct. I must get this basic move down... And as I am noticing with much of F1... Having a good PPT is key to being successful. 

In walks my biggest weakness. PPT. Lol I don't have one.  I have not had a fusion but since the L4-5 Microdiscetomy 14 years ago... The spine in the general area has lost its posterior curve and if anything I have rotated anteriorly as a result of having to c-section births 12 and 8 years ago.

i am not sure the best way to go about getting PPT safely for someone in my situation.  I have been making an effort to tuck my pelvis in my everyday life when standing and working very lightly loaded Jefferson curls (2.5# and this week 5#). And I have been doing all three stretch series once per week for the past 10 weeks. 

Unfortunately I am getting some sciatica down my right leg recently. (When sitting and driving mostly) and am not sure if it is a result of my efforts trying to obtain a better PPT.  I remember years ago having been told I have bulging disc at L5-S1 and L3-4 but the L4-5 had a herniation the size of a "small Volkswagen" (Drs exact words lol) which is why after attempts at PT, vax-D therapy, chiropractic and the like I opted for surgery to relieve the sciatic pain (down my left leg) the was constant for over 6 months and disrupting my quality of life to say the least!

So I am not sure how much I should push the issue with fighting for PPT.  Like Cole said... That portion of my back is "flat as a board".

I am thinking perhaps some type of hanging (or lying) leg raise to work the low abdominal muscles since they are very weak from the two c-sections. I can not get those muscles to activate to pull the pelvis up in a static hold without the recruitment of another part of my body.

Uhg. Heavy sigh. I am at a loss right now. :-(

I am beginning to think that my sciatica may be from a tight piriformis muscle? Are there any ways to be able tell the difference with out X-rays or MRI?

Thanks!

Tracey

Hey Tracey!

Do not despair, there are others with the same problem... i did these rocks for the first time this week, unfortunately didn't film my first attempts. However the first ones felt and looked better (in the mirror) than the second time two days later, when my abs felt still a bit sore and i felt like a board, bumping on my tspine!

Try this:

- do some PPT/APT as a warm up: laying on your back with bent knees, feet on the ground, do not push with your feet but "pull" with your lower abs. Same thing with "cat/cow".

- then PPT with feet away from the ground (like PE1), but shoulder and head laid down: this way you cannot help so much with your upper abs.

On 8.6.2016 at 10:08 PM, Cole Dano said:

I'd go back and do another pass on the static hold this time focused on keeping the tailbone any amount off the floor.

For your piriformis/sciatic nerve: do some stretching of your hip muscles, glutes, piri, specially hams, with a neutral spine position (for example good mornings instead of jefferson curls) until the pain calms down. Calculate a lot of time to build up the mobility of your Lspine, but i don't think that one only segment makes your back flat.

good luck!

Tracey, 

I have very stiff lower back too, I mean practically straight as an arrow:) but I'm finding ways to navigate thru the progressions with the awesome crew of coaches and good tips around the forum. 

Any kind of modified Pigeon stretch is a must for periformis issues. Cheers!

I would not modify the environment with a prop for your Bent Rocks quite yet and I will explain why. I think all the months I spent doing BHBR helped me develop the feeling for what needed to be done. Of course, no harm in trying now. I have to thank @Zach Armijo for his guidance in my rocking journey. He always gave me something to focus on or improve and having something to work on makes me happy, oddly enough. 

At first my Bent HB Rocks looked awful. I spent almost 2 months practicing before I posted my first form check so they would not looked so bad. Like you, I felt I was going nowhere with this one, but I stuck with it and over the course of 3 month and practicing DAILY (3x/week plus 50% volume on the off-days) I noticed some small improvements, including a feeling of "give" in my spine, softer rocking and more control in my lower abs to hold the dish shape while in motion. Think about it, the rocking motion can actually help in loosening our spines with the help of gravity. But it takes time to figure it out for us because it feels like we have a rod for a spine. 

You have to look at it as an evolution, like something you’re cooking that just needs more time:) With more practice, you’ll be able to clean up details, kill the flicking of the knees, etc. You can study my journey here: 

was very helpful in suggesting to try an Ab pad (or similar) and placing it under my lower back instead. You have to experiment a bit with placement. You can see my set up here, this is what works for me now:

takes time, but you won’t regret it!

In Eva's case, she went to putting a pad under her bum to facilitate the rocks. This might be worth a try in your case as well.

I'm sure Eva can get you the link to her last form check.

edit: oh it looks like she already did in the post above.