Front lever/side lever/manna -progression

Hi!

Having followed a strict routine of foundation in 3 1/2 month I can see some really good progress in both upper body and single leg squat programs. I have almost progressed through F1 entering F2.

The core is though very very hard for me and for example @4*48 sek of Straddle Hollow Body Hold I almost can not breath of almost cramping in the abdominals.  (I am very strict with my form which offcourse makes it as tough as it goes but that should be a good thing)

I have been training in the gym for 30 years and I am a former martial artist with, what I thought, descent core strength BUT this has really humbled me ☺️

My body seems totally out of balance strength-wise, is this normal ? 

Should I increas the number of core-sessions ?

Hi Peter,

Thanks for reaching out and congratulations with nice progress so far.

It's completely normal to progress faster in some progressions than other. When it comes to gymnastic core strength it can be pretty though to begin with.I know these progressions are so much harder than it looks like and quite humbling especially when are quite strong ang athletic to begin with. Keep being patient and consistent with your training, once mastered these basics other harder movements will become so much easier.

How many times a week are you currently training Core? You might want to add another session a week. Also feel free to submit a form check, we'd love to follow you training progress  

49 minutes ago, Peter Ols said:

Hi!

Having followed a strict routine of foundation in 3 1/2 month I can see some really good progress in both upper body and single leg squat programs. I have almost progressed through F1 entering F2.

The core is though very very hard for me and for example @4*48 sek of Straddle Hollow Body Hold I almost can not breath of almost cramping in the abdominals.  (I am very strict with my form which offcourse makes it as tough as it goes but that should be a good thing)

I have been training in the gym for 30 years and I am a former martial artist with, what I thought, descent core strength BUT this has really humbled me ☺️

My body seems totally out of balance strength-wise, is this normal ? 

Should I increas the number of core-sessions ?

 

Hey Peter,

As someone who has also come from a martial arts background I found that I struggled with the hollow body holds as well.

I found that adding extra days can sometimes impede on recovery. I've discovered incorporating 3x30 second bent hollow body holds to every warm-up has made a world of a difference. Just enough to get the core working, but not enough to cause fatigue.

Try this for a few weeks and you will really notice a huge difference in your core endurance.

Thanks Pauline AND thanks Mikey!

I will try to get in some bent hollow body holds in my warmups which sounds like an excellent idea!

That's a great suggestion and just the tip I've been looking for.  For core I'm into PE2 on the other movements but still stuck on PE1 L5 for hollow body holds.  Can't get past the 4x36 sec.  I;ll try adding 3x15 or 3x20 to my "daily limber".

On 10/30/2017 at 4:27 AM, Ethan Grossman said:

That's a great suggestion and just the tip I've been looking for.  For core I'm into PE2 on the other movements but still stuck on PE1 L5 for hollow body holds.  Can't get past the 4x36 sec.  I;ll try adding 3x15 or 3x20 to my "daily limber".

Hey Ethan,

Do not worry. It is perfectly normal for certain exercises to progress more slowly than others. For many students, myself included, hollow body holds are the hardest of the core exercises and require high tolerance to abdominal cramping

Your idea sounds great. I wouldn't be surprised if you saw great improvements by doing them daily. At a much lower volume of course.