Poor Pancake - Is this really where my journey should begin?

One of the things I'm most stressed about in my GST work is how non-existent my pancake is, and how I feel there's little progress being made since I started Stretch Series 2.5 months ago. A couple of weeks into the program, I realised that everything I was doing until that point was wrong, i.e. I was doing the classic cheat of going PPT instead of keeping an arched back just to allow me to "reach" far enough with my hands.

So reading up a bit on the forum about it, I understand I need to elevate myself to the point where I can stretch whilst keeping a straight back. I just wanted to show you all how bad it really is, and get a sense check of whether this is really what is meant here? Even in this vid, sitting on a chair, I still would say my back is bending to compensate. I can feel a stretch in the legs, but it doesn't feel like it's "stretching enough for progress" if that makes any sense. I'm so immobile in hips/adductors/quads/glutes basically it feels I can't even get to the point of improving! 

Ok, rant over. I know I just need to be spending the time here (to quote Coach). But what I really want to know is if I'm spending my time wisely/correctly in this vid, or if there's some other thing I should try to allow me to make progress.

If not, just say so, and I'll just zip it up and continue the work. 

Personal suggestion , sit on the chair and think about to assume the anterior pelvic tilt actively (push your ass out) without bending forward. your lower limb restriction is very very bad. do this variation daily, more times in a day.

Hey Daniel, keep working at.  My pancake was similar to yours when I started and I had to spend a few months working off a bench.  Now I'm on a stepper and finally feeling like I can APT much easier.  Last week I started doing one of @Mark Collins iliac and psoas releases each night and had a huge jump in progress in pike and pancake. 

Really fight to keep your upper back straight to put the stress where it needs to be.  Alessandro's cue to push your ass out is exactly right, its exactly what it feels like.  Use as high of a chair as you need to until you can feel like your able to create some arch.  Getting lower by rounding is not going to help anything it will lessen the stretch.  

You have come to the right place.  Keep working, and stay patient. 

Are you also doing foundation? 

The mobility work in the F series is also very effective.

Thanks for the guidance @Alessandro Mainente, and for the encouragement @Ryan Reynolds - been looking at that psoas release too and going to start incorporating it. Let's see. How long do you do the releases for? And every day?

@Mikkel Ravn - Yep, F1, H1, H2. Fun and games. 

One night I will do the psoas the next night I will do the iliacus while watching a bit of TV in the evening, I've been also sitting in a few different positions to work on hip internal rotation.  Nothing timed or intense, just get on the floor and switch position every commercial break or so.

I am also very limited in this position. In middle split my legs open just barely to 90 degrees. When sitting on the floor in this position when I started, I wasn't even able to keep my torso upright and my lower back had to round. Now I'm able to sit more upright and attempt a lean forward, but it's more muscle holding me in position that a nice lean forward with gravity helping.

For all the stretch exercises that are meant to be done on the floor in pancake position (swishing hands from side to side, bouncing hands, walking hands etc), can I do these while standing up with my legs spread and leaning over? Does this give me the same benefit?

9 hours ago, Gary MacLeod said:

I am also very limited in this position. In middle split my legs open just barely to 90 degrees. When sitting on the floor in this position when I started, I wasn't even able to keep my torso upright and my lower back had to round. Now I'm able to sit more upright and attempt a lean forward, but it's more muscle holding me in position that a nice lean forward with gravity helping.

For all the stretch exercises that are meant to be done on the floor in pancake position (swishing hands from side to side, bouncing hands, walking hands etc), can I do these while standing up with my legs spread and leaning over? Does this give me the same benefit?

I too am doing these standing up. I can do them sitting but my back is rounding. I find it better for keeping a flat back to start with it standing.

What I'm thinking could be totally off (and coaches, please correct me if so!) but I think you should do it on the ground, even with rounding in your back.

Granted, I have a much deeper ROM than you do, but when I'm doing those pancake exercises one of the sensations I feel is not just a stretch in my adductors, but activation of those muscles to stabilize as my torsos moves about. 

If I did it standing, my adductors wouldn't have to stabilize in the same way. I think that activation is part of what makes it an effective stretch. 

I think this is a situation where coach would say work on compression first (getting chest down), then working on straightening your back. 

10 hours ago, Julia Quigley said:

I think this is a situation where coach would say work on compression first (getting chest down), then working on straightening your back. 

Thanks for sharing your thoughts Julia!

But aren't you just using your back to get chest down, and is that really that good for you? I don't see how this improves my leg/hip mobility. And how could I, once I've "cheated" my way to get chest down, be able to then work on straightening my back? As soon as I would keep my back straight, I would be back to the same ROM as in the video above. Or at least so I fear.

Would be really interesting to hear the coaches' thoughts on this!

Actually the best solution for tight people is reach the elevated pancake with straight back. perform it on the floor with rounded back and chest to the floor could lead to sciatic nerve inflammation. stay arched. my personal suggestion is perform the pancake exercises with bent knees first and then straight out the legs.

I've had people slightly push on my back (as long as they know what they're doing) or pull me slightly by the arms to just get me slightly further while keeping the back in proper position. So I guess partner stretching is what I'm suggesting? I agree with the others though that this one just seems to take a while. I've been working on it for many months now and i noticed the other day  that for the first time i could stay in APT and comfortable rest my elbows on the floor. That's a huge deal for me. But it's taken a while! Keep at it!!

I'm glad Alessandro came in and saved you guys from the sciatic inflammation you could have gotten from my advice! 

2 hours ago, Alessandro Mainente said:

Actually the best solution for tight people is reach the elevated pancake with straight back. perform it on the floor without rounded back and chest to the floor could lead to sciatic nerve inflammation. stay arched. my personal suggestion is perform the pancake exercises with bent knees first and then straight out the legs.

Yes until you can at least sit up perfectly straight and come forward at least a little bit form just the hips (i.e. flat back) best to keep a straight back.

If it's really bad put your hands behind you and just focus on rolling the back of  your hip up away from the floor. 

If it's medium bad, stretch straps around the feet or better yet around a head high rung on wall bars can help you get some leverage to flex from the hips. 

2 hours ago, Kirsten Stewart said:

I've had people slightly push on my back (as long as they know what they're doing) or pull me slightly by the arms to just get me slightly further while keeping the back in proper position. So I guess partner stretching is what I'm suggesting? I agree with the others though that this one just seems to take a while. I've been working on it for many months now and i noticed the other day  that for the first time i could stay in APT and comfortable rest my elbows on the floor. That's a huge deal for me. But it's taken a while! Keep at it!!

Partner stretch is recommended only if partner knows how to make some assistance.