SL PE1 + PE1>iM

Only on Step 2 but wanted to make sure I catch proper form early. Thank you for feedback!

Hi Brian,

Nice work so far. On your PE work on leaning back further. Your goal should be to lean to 45 degrees. As you twist the torso, be careful not to curl the upper back in order to get the weight to the ground. Work on keeping a straight spine.

Nice job on your iM. Can you post another video of your iM where your entire body is visible?

Yes I'll work on that video. Thanks for the pointers!

Hi Jeffrey,

Here I am a week later trying the PE on again for size. Just a question: should I maintain shoulder retraction or protraction? Also I'm using a 5# kettle bell, which is rather small (not as long as a 5# dumbbell); does this matter as it means I have to dip further to touch hands to the ground? Thanks for the pointers as always.

Hey Brian,

Nice improvement. You are doing a better job of keeping the spine straight as you twist. During this exercise the scapula should be in a neutral position. As you twist your knees are coming apart slightly. Work on keeping them together. Nice work!

Hi hoping I could get a spot check as I am upping reps. Feels like I've tightened the form up. Thanks!

Hi Brian,

Nice job! Still focus on keeping your knees together as you do this exercise.

@Jeffrey Bittner I can have some mild shuffling forward/backward of the knees against one another, right? Otherwise I tend to fall over.

Hi Brian,

Good question. You are allowed to slide the legs a little bit as long as they stay together. You can see in your video that the legs tend to separate as you twist to the left side.

Hi @Jeffrey Bittner,

I focused very hard on keeping my legs together and didn't let them come apart on my reps in this video (hopefully that's apparent from the angle). I did let them slide some, as you can see. However, I have to say, I still feel like I'm going to lose my balance. I don't know if I'm leaning back too much, or my legs are too extended, or I just need to focus on executing fewer reps until it feels right. 

Also, do you mind commenting on the specific muscles targeted for the motion (seems to be obliques, largely, but also lats). The proprioceptive feedback just doesn't feel 100% on, seems I should have a more solid base. 

One thing I did was to buy a standard 5# dumbbell to create the appropriate width of my arms in this exercise. The small kettle bell I was using before had me adducting my arms across my chest too much, forcing me to drop my hands at the end of the lateral motion. Basically I'm looking to make sure this feels right too, even if it mostly looks correct from your angle. 

I very much appreciate your comments to these ends! They're always very informative!

Hi Brian,

Nice improvement! It has come a long way since your last video. Overall, your form looks good. Go ahead and bring your feet in a bit closer to your gluts. Try to hit a 90 degree angle with the knees. If your lats are getting sore as you do this exercise, then you are most likely picking up too much movement in the shoulders as you twist. Focus on keeping the shoulders still while only using the rotation of your torso to get the weight to the ground.