Strengths and Weaknesses

For my purposes, this question/request is based on Basic Strength and possibly limited to static holds (that is up to those of you with more experience to determine - please).

In doing various movements or holding various positions, is there some way to evaluate where the weaknesses are?

Like, if the legs drop lower, then it is a ____ weakness. If the back cannot be held flat, it is a ____ weakness.

Is there some way to do something like a "weakness test" to determine areas on the body that are weaker and exercises that target those weaknesses? Or is this the purpose of having a coach so that the question is almost too unwieldy? Or might it simply be the purpose of BtGB to strengthen the entire body?

Thanks. :wink:

There's no way to really answer that as a general rule, you're better off asking about specific exercises. What are you concerned with?

slizzardman said:

There's no way to really answer that as a general rule

The question is awkward and fishing out of a lack of experience. Upon reflection, a distilled set of exercises that can show where weaknesses in the body are is probably not all that helpful and BtGB presents Basic Strength in progressions to account for such weaknesses and if work is done over time, the weaknesses will be resolved anyway.

I have been reading a lot and sometimes I fall victim to my own musings.

Thanks for your answer.

You need a few various tests. I use quite a handful on our periodic strength testing. However, bare in mind that some tests will have poor performances if the individual hasn't worked that movement much.

For FBE, begin with the easiest pushup and row variations and proceed from there. For FSP, begin with german hang and L-sit and proceed from there. As your strength improves, gradually progress onward to more difficult basic strength variations.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

Coach Sommer said:

For FSP, begin with german hang... and proceed from there.

German hang as an easier version of a tuck back lever?

@Blairbob - As a coach, you monitor your student's progress. You "test" their strength. But along the way, you tell them to adjust their position, to tighten this or that muscle, and you can see their weak areas just by looking at them.

My original question came from Chapter 8 of BtGB in the introduction to Straight Body exercises. The idea that there is nowhere to hide. If something is weak, it will show. While I am working on various other things, weaknesses can hide if I am not diligent to keep myself in the correct position. But, if I have an inherent weakness, then my body will naturally compensate to protect itself. And without a coach to say to lower this, or tighten that, etc., there is really no way to be sure. If the tree grows crooked, who can straighten it?

My original post was very awkward. Even when I read it, I am thinking, "huh?" Thank you guys for thinking through it with me.

You're over-thinking a little.

Work the statics as best you can, and do not move on until you have developed the ability to perform high volume sets of the statics, like three to five 20-30 second work sets of a particular static. Take planche, for example. Frog stand is pretty basic. Stay there until you can do an easy 45-60s. Advanced frog is a big step forward, because now you're working on straight arm strength for the first time in the planche position. You might not be perfect at first, so if you end up doing 7 second sets, don't increase your time past 7 seconds until those 7 seconds are perfect. To a very large extent you can self correct, and if you have any specific concerns, you can make a video and post it on youtube, then link it here in the Digital Coaching section and we will be glad to point out whatever it is that we see.

The same goes for dips, push ups, etc. This is just how true strength gets built! We're here to help, but right now the best help we can give is to tell you to get in there and do it. You don't learn how to build a house properly by reading every issue of Popular Mechanics and the entire Reader's Digest home library on framing. You learn by doing. The reading is great for information, but words can't tell you how the hammer feels in your hand, or what it feels like to use a nailgun. Those are things that you learn on the job.

This training is similar. You've got the book and you've got the forum. Now you need to start getting experience, and only YOU can do that. We can not help you there. Get started and learn as you go! We're here for you when you run into snags.

slizzardman said:

You've got the book and you've got the forum. ... Get started and learn as you go! We're here for you when you run into snags.

Thanks for the encouragement.