Stall bar variation of MN progression

As suggested by @Alessandro Mainente i open a new Thread for the MN Progression.

I am being stuck on the negative hanging leg lift for a while, now. After my workouts on the negative hanging leg lift i have pain in raising the arms above shoulder height and have to roll my neck to both sides to kind of get my cervical vertebrae aligned.

But i feel i get better and better at this exercise which gives me hope i will master it someday

Here was one of my latest recordings

Hi Jochen, thanks for posting your video. You labeled this SL progressions, but I think you mean MN progressions.  I believe your problem is a lack of compression strength.  You are overcompensating w/ the shoulders to force the movement.  It should not be fatiguing to your shoulders, because you should just be hanging there.  All the work should be in the abs and the hip flexors.  I suspect you may have cruised too quickly past the old MN/PE2.  I would return to that and focus on the compression and full ROM, then I think you will see much better and quicker progress.  While it is frustrating to sometimes go back, sometimes it actually speeds up progress and will ensure you don't continue to have shoulder and neck pain w/ this exercise.  Good luck!

Thank you very much for your suggestion @Douglas Wadle. I suspect you are right that i am so long on this progression that i might have lost mastery in MN/PE2- i will go back and work on it, again. I have gone back several times and it has never been a mistake.

As to the "neck pain" - i don´t get neck pain - it feels more like i stretch all the muscles that run from the head to the shoulders and biceps so much, that i get the urgent feeling that i have to move my neck and then the vertebrae give a small "crack" by popping back into position and then my neck region (which is generally tight) feels way better!

Hey Joche, I do not understand generally if the goal of the post it is the MN or SL.

Alessandro, it was meant to be MN - but i can´t find a button to change the subject?

Hi Jochen,

I recommend holding off on training this until you can visit a physio about your neck/shoulder pain. Even if the pain occurs after the workout session, if you can attribute it to this movement then I suggest holding off until you can get a diagnosis. In the meantime, move back to a progression that doesn't exacerbate the issue.  

Hi @Everett Carroll,

i did visit a physio and he suspects it is a impingement in the shoulder because of my work where i have my elbows at shoulder height during the day and so thinks this area will easy be "annoyed". Did move back to the suggested MN/PE2 in the meantime. The static cat also is a little bit painful when moving down, but over the course of the stretch gets better and better.

On the other hand i seemed to get a nice stretch out if this exercises - as soon as i finished i was able to get some relief by moving my head right and left and it made a little sound and my neck vertebrae seemed to pop back where they belong. Also finally i am making progress in my handstand mobility and the thoracic bridge series so i hope to overcome this along the way. 

Great to hear you're making progress overall, Jochen. Be sure to avoid pain completely and listen to your body. I always suggest second opinions in these cases. Seek a more definite answer from the physician and be sure you get some sort of solution, ideally rehab exercises and clear definitions of what to avoid and what is safe to train. 

Hi @Everett Carroll,

did get a second opinion. It is a shoulder impingement. My shoulder pops to the front and then grinds the tendons. He showed me a external rotation exercise with a band and the elbow close to the body. He advises to stay away from dead hangs. Now lots of my exercises i should do or wanted to do seem to be off the table for me. Today i was doing the Thoracic Bridge series and it also contains some exercises where i felt i shouldn´t do them (while also some felt great and benefitial). Are there some exercises in the program that might help with recovery? Are there some exercises in the program i mustn´t do at all? Or should i try and do what feels good and not do what feels even like light pain?

Thank you

Jochen

Hey Jochen,

I suggest working closely with your doctor in order to stay safe. Ask them if there are any other positions to avoid for now and be sure to perform all of their recommended exercises. A good physio can help you properly return to normal function and eliminate impingement. 

49 minutes ago, Jochen Friedrich said:

Or should i try and do what feels good and not do what feels even like light pain?

Run anything that's borderline by your doc. Play it safe until you get a professional opinion.