MN PE2

Can't seem to progress on this one much at all. I've greatly improved my hamstring flexibility in the last few months:

But still seem to be stuck at around the same height on the straddle ups. Jeff Curls are improving - I'm doing first couple sets with 5 lb DBs, last 3 sets with 10lbs. I have done them with 15s some and it feels fine, but figured I would just take it slower. I'm doing FS once/week, and press handstand mobilities twice/week. Any thoughts? Just keep on keepin' on? I will say that I feel like my upper body line has improved, i.e. chest being higher and back flatter than it used to be, so maybe I would see increased height if I went back to worse upper body form.

HI Patrick the problem here it is that you do not have improved too much the hamstring flexibility in fact you tend to round more the upper back rather than compressing, it is a typical compensation. Have you ever considered to use the front split course?

how is your IM1? I would see it

7 hours ago, Alessandro Mainente said:

HI Patrick the problem here it is that you do not have improved too much the hamstring flexibility in fact you tend to round more the upper back rather than compressing, it is a typical compensation. Have you ever considered to use the front split course?

how is your IM1? I would see it

I've been doing the front split series once per week, as well as the early press handstand mobilities 1-2 times per week. I'll upload a video of iM1 later, thanks!

Nice to hear that.

@Alessandro Mainente Here is the video of iM1. Did them just after a warm up and with light weights. Could probably go a bit deeper toward the end of a set. Do you see anything concerning? Knees are locked, it's hard to tell from this angle.

I think that you stall point of PE2 comes first from not enough dept in IM1, as you can notice from your video you stop the movement when you reach the floor with the finger almost in line with the heels (especially in the second part of the video). instead of that you have to reach behind you and not under your trying to move the lower shoulder in between the legs.

also in the second part you are more tight then in the first where you go deeper and you correctly tilt the hips to the side, also the shoulder in the second video it is not fully internally rotated.

What's happens in case in case of one side more tight than the other it is that the body adjust the movement (where both limbs are involved ) in function of the tight side. i'm not surprised by your stall on the PE.

If I can give a personal suggestion : look at your pike photo at the beginning, bend your knees and grab your legs behind the knees and be sure to hold the contact between  chest and upper legs. then if you feel tension stay there, if not try to extend a bit the knees but always holding the knees to the chest. tell me please how do you feel it.

5 hours ago, Alessandro Mainente said:

I think that you stall point of PE2 comes first from not enough dept in IM1, as you can notice from your video you stop the movement when you reach the floor with the finger almost in line with the heels (especially in the second part of the video). instead of that you have to reach behind you and not under your trying to move the lower shoulder in between the legs.

also in the second part you are more tight then in the first where you go deeper and you correctly tilt the hips to the side, also the shoulder in the second video it is not fully internally rotated.

What's happens in case in case of one side more tight than the other it is that the body adjust the movement (where both limbs are involved ) in function of the tight side. i'm not surprised by your stall on the PE.

If I can give a personal suggestion : look at your pike photo at the beginning, bend your knees and grab your legs behind the knees and be sure to hold the contact between  chest and upper legs. then if you feel tension stay there, if not try to extend a bit the knees but always holding the knees to the chest. tell me please how do you feel it.

Thank you for such a thorough answer. I am aware of some imbalance in my body that I'm trying to correct. Somewhere along the way my right side became more dependent on my left side: my right foot is slightly everted, right shoulder slightly lower than left, and my walking gait my right foot swings out just a bit. All this seems to have resulted in some low back pain on the right side. My right side feels looser than my left in my ankle as well as hamstring.

As to your suggestion, I feel the position in the upper hamstrings and lower back.

5 hours ago, Alessandro Mainente said:

LOL. You mean you can't wave a magic wand for me so I can obtain pike compression faster?

Come on!

(::shamefully walks back to PE1 with head down::)

Nope, absolutely. I think you have to work legs separately more like in IM1 to fix the difference. warmupping with the bent legs pike for a couple of minutes can gives you better results.

8 hours ago, Alessandro Mainente said:

Nope, absolutely. I think you have to work legs separately more like in IM1 to fix the difference. warmupping with the bent legs pike for a couple of minutes can gives you better results.

Thanks! Would you be liberal with increasing the weight here on iM1 as long as it's comfortable in order to force deeper into the stretch?

Yes, and of course until you can hold firmly the shoulder stacked it is fine.