Schlaffmann's Log

Howdy forum!

I just want to start off by saying that you guys have been very supportive with all your knowledge and it was serendipitous to find coach Sommer's work! I am hoping to participate in the online forum more in the future. Second, a little info about me:

Age: 20

Height: 6'1

Weight: 170lbs

Location: Southwest Colorado

As for my post, I have been working on a BtGB workout for three months now, based off of killroy 70's legendary routine. I was new to the world of workout routines in the beginning, so getting into the groove was a challenge. Plus all of my workouts are outdoors, since I am living off the grid. The only equipment at my disposal are a metal pipe bolted about 3 inches from a ceiling, a couple of five-foot-high two-foot-wide parallel bars I built out of thick pine, a pair of rings that hang from a 8 foot loft, and soon a couple of parallets. Here is my current routine:

First: Jump rope warm-up

MTRF: advanced frog stand 12 seconds x 5, handstand with wall support hold 20sec x5, advanced tuck/straddle back and front levers 12second hold x5 each.

On Mondays: 5x5 XR pushups and 5x5 front lever rows (feet elevated to ring height for both) and 5x5 single leg squats.

On Tuesday: 5x5 inverted chin-ups to 90 degree (almost) and 5x5 dips on rings.

On Wednesday: REST.

On Thursday: 5x5 L-Sit Chin-Up and 5x5 HeSPU negatives and 5x5 single leg squats.

On Friday: 5x5 inverted chin-ups to 90 degree (almost) and 5x5 dips on rings.

End with 3x10 wrist push-ups from knees/no pike.

Plus various stretches (working on the front splits).

I was wondering if anyone else works out primarily outdoors in a cold climate. My current workout assumes I am wearing no shoes and it is fairly warm outside (above freezing). Some days, it gets so chilly, that I am forced to do my workout with full winter gear in single digits. The worst element IMO is winter boots, since they boost the difficulty of planche and lever work almost too much. What do you advise?

Thanks for commenting,

Charlie W

PS: Seratonin, your new video is very inspiring. Keep up the good work!

PPS: killroy70 routine: http://gymnasticbodies.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=1957&p=12334#p12334

Back for another post. Lately, my elbows and wrists have been very sore from my training, and have come to realize, thanks to slizzardman and others, that i have been pushing myself too much especially in the transition to straddle in levers, and advanced planche work.

I will be working mostly on pre-hab/rehab for my wrists and elbows. I just got my rice bucket filled, and have been having fun with it. I am still following a four-day workout routine, with only basic FBE work for longer periods.

It's such a bummer to not be able to work out, but at the same time, it's great to feel one's strength return after a short period of rest.

Today, I decided to start a new Steady State Cycle. There are a few reasons behind this. My wrists and elbows are recovering, slowly. My planche and lever work has plateau'ed and they apply too much tension on my arm joints. I would rather wait until they are stronger before working on them. For now: Manna work and Straddle Ls.

First: Warm-up: Jump rope, Hindu push-ups and Hindu squats. 1 minute of work and rest. End with shoulder elbow and wrist specific warm-ups.

MTRF:

-MSH low 6s x 10

-Handstand stomach facing wall 20sec x5,

-Straddle L PB low/one hand center 6s x10,

-False grip ring/bar hangs 6s x10.

Mondays: 3x5 XR pushups and 3x5 front lever rows (feet elevated to ring height for both) and 3x5 single leg squats. Back bridge wall walks x10.

Tuesday: 3x5 inverted chin-ups to 90 degree (almost) and 3x5 dips on rings. Wall Runs x 1m total.

Wednesday: REST.

Thursday: 3x5 L-Sit Chin-Up and 3x5 HeSPU negatives and 3x5 single leg squats. Back bridge wall walks x10.

Friday: 3x5 inverted chin-ups to 90 degree (almost) and 3x5 dips on rings.Wall Runs x 1m total.

End: 10x wrist push-ups from knees/no pike, 10x dorsal push-ups, 10x 1st knuckle push-ups. Liquid steel wrists by the end of this SSC? I think so.

This routine has a similar layout to my previous one. I decreased the number of sets in exchange for more exercises that focus on flexibility and joint health. I may also skip a day of working out, if I have a very physical day at work.

Please Comment.

Good news: My handstand is making significant progress. I can almost hold a quality free stand for 5 sec when kicking off the wall. I also feel that my straddle L is making progress, and feel the Manna work in my abs and triceps.

Bad news: The point of my post. I must have been pushing myself too hard in dips or PPP because my right shoulder is in pain and is clicking. My left shoulder feels the same way, to a lesser extent so I feel that I may be distributing my weight unevenly. Monday, I started working with a resistance band to strengthen my shoulder girdle and develop some shoulder stability. I felt great. Today, I was mucking stalls and bam! I felt a tearing right in my shoulder socket, as if my arm were going to pop out. It was painful! So now I type this message with a cold pack on my shoulder. Time for some rehab!

Here are the two videos that will guide me through my shoulder rehab and wrist prehab work:

http://gymnasticbodies.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=3450

http://idoportal.blogspot.com/2009/07/preparations-for-our-daily-training.html

They are both from two of our skilled board members Ido and Slizzardman. Cheers!

This is a followup to my last post. My workout for the next three weeks will be focused on shoudler rehab, leg work, and front and side split work MWF. The workout begins with an Ido scapula routine, then leg work and stretching, and for the rest of the day I follow slizzardman's routine in a GTG schedule (basically whenever I can). I am currently doing the exercises with a 40 lbs lifeline resistance band, and forsee increasing the resistance in the near future. I also take 4g of Flax and Fish oils each and one MSM capsule daily, and am consuming lots of gelatin.

After my first week of rehab, I already feel that my shoulders are feeling better. Only two more weeks to go! I'm looking forward to being able to work on my front and back levers.

Update:

Two weeks of successful rehab sessions have made significant progress on improving my shoulder stability. I would do Ido's shoulder warm-up and prehab twice or thrice per day MWF. Then at multiple unspecified times during the day (like when I remember to) I would do four of slizzardman's shoulder stability excercises (listed below) with a Lifeline resistance band.

Basically:

Ido's Routine:

With 1x 40lbs resistance band standing, with an attachment 4 feet behind me at waist height.:

10x external shoulder rotations with band in front of me

10x lateral pushing with band behind back

10x small circles, 10x small circles other direction, 10x forward and back, end with 10s static hold and 80% ROM stretch with arms above my head, in a T, and by my sides/behind hips.

(1s out, 1s negative for each)

Slizzard's Routine:

With 1x 40lbs resistance band standing, with band held in the center:

6X Pull from above head to T position behind head

6x Pull from hands at shoulder height to T position in front

6X Push from hands at waist height to T position in front

6x Archer's pulls on each side

(2s out, 1s hold, 2s negative)

My arms feels a lot better, and so do my wrists and elbows. I was able to hold a solid 5 second tuck planche on the floor friday with no pain. Unfortunately, my right shoulder still click or pops when I type on my laptop.

I plan on taking next week off to let my joints recover from the pre-hab (if that makes any sense). Plus I will be traveling and working out after a red-eye night on the plane is not fun!

On a side note, I am looking forward to doing some swimming for more joint pre-hab and rehab.

Posting my past three workouts for last week in three seperate posts. I'm in France now, and typing on a French keyboard is tough with no spell check. Please bear with me.

Got back to NYC last wednesday and my workout ritual is all off. Luckily I have a jungle gym near my building that I can use with little traffic during the week.

Sunday 3/14

Begin: Wrist warm-ups and Ido's resistance band work.

5x 10s Handstand holds with stomach against the wall

5x 6s L sit

5x 6s tucked front lever

5x 6s tucked back lever

3x3 SLS with full ROM

Stretchs: Good mornings, lunges, front splits and side splits (as far as I can go). Using the tension-relax-tension that Pavel Tsatsouline teaches.

Comments: This is my first week doing lever work again after a seven week sebatical. I feel like have taken a few steps back since I haven't been able to maintain my previous work. However, doing the lever works feels really good. I feel that my arms are stronger now and can handle the duress better. I'm looking forward to making some good progress. Shoulders have been healing nicely as well. I realize that most of FSPs do not add up to sixty seconds, but having to rest for 9 minutes per set is not time effective. I doubt it will affect me too much, since it allows me to focus on maintaining perfect form during my reps.

Tuesday 3/16.

Begin: Wrist warm-ups and Ido's resistance band work.

First Half:

5x 10s Handstand holds with stomach against the wall

5x 6s L sit

5x 6s Tucked Front Lever

5x 6s Tucked Back Lever

Second Half

3x5 Straddle HeSPU negatives

5x5 L-sit Chin-Ups

5x5 V-ups

Stretchs: Good mornings, lunges, front splits and side splits (as far as I can go). Using the tension-relax-tension that Pavel Tsatsouline teaches.

Comments: Feeling a little sore from sunday's workout, especially above my elbows because of the straight arm front lever work. I incorporated some FBEs into this workout to increase my load a little. I emphasized on chin-ups today to make up for a lack or pulling exercises in the past weeks. My splits are steadily making progress. I had to seperated the workout in two because the FSPs left me low on energy. Both took about one hour. I made sure to warm up for both too.

I arrived in France Friday the 19th around noon. With only 4 hours of sleep on the plane, I still managed to workout though starting at midnight. I brought my gym equipment with me: PVC parallets, rings, yoga mat, resistance bands, so I'm ready to head off to South Africa in two weeks and continue the BtGB program!

Friday 3/19.

Begin: Wrist warm-ups and Ido's resistance band work.

5x 6s Advanced Frog Stand

5x 6s L Sit

3x3 SLS with full ROM

Stretchs: Good mornings, lunges, front splits and side splits (as far as I can go).

Comments: A quick workout because of the timing. I was amazed that I was able to hold an advanced frog stand with my knees on my elbows without discomfort. They weren't exactly behind the elbows, rather near the sides. I am hoping to get a good standing pike soon. I will need a lot of rest this weekend to get over this jet lag.

Monday 3/22.

Begin: Wrist warm-ups and Ido's resistance band work.

5x 6s advanced frog stand

5x 6s L sit

5x 10s handstand with back to wall

3x3 SLS with full ROM.

Stretches: None.

Comments: I still haven't found a chin-up bar or surface to use for hanging exercises and that bums me out. Everything in Paris is so old, that if I were to apply my full body weight to it, it would shatter. At least I have my PVC parallets. I've decided to only work on hard stretching on Wednesdays for a good half-hour, following Coach's advice. I was beginning to feel strain in my tendons behind my knees after walking five miles through the Louvre today. I believe it's from my MWF stretching. Just that cut out a good half hour out of my regular workouts. I also checked my counting under tension with a stopwatch app today and found that my counts have been good. What a relief.

Missed my workout yesterday. Bummer. I may be able to make it up today, but between touristic activities, I doubt it. I guess this can be a two workout week then. Despite not having worked out strengthwise I have walked at least 20 miles since Saturday, so it's not like I am in poor shape.

Friday 3/26.

Workout:

Wrist warm-ups and Ido's resistance band work.

5x 9s advanced frog stand

5x 10s L sit

5x 12-20s handstand with back to wall

10x Wall Extensions with flat back

3x10 piked knee wrist push-ups

15 hindu squats

3x3 SLS with full ROM.

Stretches:

3x Good Mornings

3x Lunge

3x front split from back knee

3x groin stretch/middle split

(I need to look up the names of these exercises and edit them when I do)

Comments: I held an aggressive L-sit for 20 seconds and an advanced planche for about 16 seconds. So I've upped the time under tension to 9 and 10 seconds respectively to bring my FSP total TUT closer to 60 seconds. My handstands are doing really well and are requiring less strength and more skill now. I am very proud of this development. I also held my first standing pike last night and was able to kiss my knees. I still have a good way to go still, since I have a fairly arched torso when I do it. Next time I get a hold of some weights, I will begin Weighted Pike Stretches instead of Good Mornings.

O man are my legs and abs sore from yesterday. I just walked around Paris for the three hours, and I need a long weekend break from exercise to recover. Still looking forward to working out on Monday though. I think I might do some light running and sprinting in the Jardins de Luxembourg on Tuesday for a little added cardio.

Good to see you are improving

Thanks Razz! I appreciate the support.

Monday 3/29

No Workout today. My body is too tight and fatigued, especially my upper legs. To make matters worse, my shoulders and knees are acting up and I can barely walk properly. That's why I'm taking the day off. I'm guessing this is the result of a hard workout with hard stretching (Friday) followed by late nights, too much alcohol, and sleep deprivation. Maybe too much walking on concrete too. I am really hoping to feel better by tomorrow. To make up for this I will workout TWF. Hopefully I have enough work capacity for it.

On a plus side, I ordered my Fish Oil from Charles Poliquins' website. Should be a huge leap in quality over my current generic GNC Fish Oil. Ido's article scared me. Hopefully it arrives before I leave for Africa, since I have no idea how efficient the EU FedEx is.

Tuesday 3/30

Workout:

Wrist warm-ups (dorsal push-ups>wrist push-ups>first knuckle push-ups>finger push-ups>Fingertip Hopping [x10ea]) and Ido's resistance band work (x3).

5x 9s advanced frog stand

5x 10s L sit

4x 15s handstand with back to wall

10x Wall Extensions with flat back

2x10 piked knee wrist push-ups

Stretches:

None.

Comments: Good work out today. It made up for last nights failure. I'm feeling fresh still now that the workout is over. Hopefully I won't be too sore in the morning. I decided to postpone all leg work until my legs are fine. I also recorded my L sits and Advanced Frog Stands. I will try to post them soon. I find it very difficult to do wrist push-ups during a warm-up, I prefer to keep them for the end when my wrists are fired up. Also my R wrists has been feeling a little painful at the base of my ulna, as if I am pinching a nerve. Hopefully it will go away. I need to find a chin-up bar soon so I can do some pull work, Jeez.

Wednesday 3/31

Workout:

Wrist warm-ups (dorsal push-ups>wrist push-ups>first knuckle push-ups>finger push-ups>Fingertip Hopping [x10ea]) and Ido's resistance band work (x3).

6x 9s advanced frog stand

6x 10s L sit

4x 15s handstand with back to wall

10x Wall Extensions with flat back

2x10 piked knee wrist push-ups

Stretches:

None. edit: Well I did begin playing with Ido's squat clinic to fix my unstable knees. They are fun stuff, nothing too hard. I like the music that goes along with the video especially.

Comments: I held my first 50s handstand against the wall today. I was brutal, though I think I could have held it for 10 more seconds. I was rock solid until about 30 seconds when I started to shake and spasm quite a bit. I will stick with 15s reps for now. I accidentally upped my number of sets to 6 with the other two FSPs because my camera was bugging and had to do an extra set. I was feeling pretty tired by that time, but the footage came out great. I will post this one or the next (I need to shave). Wrists hurt less today though I had to adjust the position of my thumb on the PVC to alleviate some pressure that was causing me pain. Tomorrow will be a good rest day.

Salut Schlaffmann,

did you already get your fish-oil from Mr. Poliquin? And did you notice any differences yet?

Mine arrived today.