Lagging Rope Pull-ups

Howdy!

I am progressing very nicely through the Foundation series...except for the Rope Pulls.  Despite being in the P6~ range with no signs of slowing down (including Handstand 1), my rope-pulls just aren't moving.  Like at all.  I'm still on P2 (horizontal pulls) and am struggling to do 5 sets of 3 reps, and have been more or less since I've started a year or so ago.  I've restarted the routine, going back to P1 and working my way back up, and P1 is trivial.  Then I get to P2 and come right back to precisely the same sticking point.

Pulling movements for reps have always been a little problematic for me.  Perhaps not unsurprisingly, I can move weight just fine.  But for reps?  And it's not a specific area that's the problem.  It's not like I can feel my lats or my traps struggling to keep up or the burn gets to be too much.  It's just a general '...and we're done' from my body, and then nothing further can be done without sacrificing form.

And I can climb a rope fine!  We were goofing off at my kung fu school (not a good way to ever start any sentence) and I went floor to ceiling without using my legs.  So I feel like the issue isn't a lack of strength, but 5 sets of 3 seems problematic to the point of worrisome.

I've been around exercise long enough to have some ideas on how to remedy this, but I have a bad history of mixing and matching protocols, so I wanted to first see if we have a Gymnastic Bodies-approved method to address these kinds of stalling points.  I've had some success in the past with Pavel Tsatsouline's 'Fighter Pull-up Program' (basically a specific Grease-the-Groove protocol) for the standard pull-up.  That will probably be my approach if we don't.

Thanks in advance! 

Hi Robert,

Thanks for reaching out.

In order to assist you the best possible way it would be helpful if you could submit a video review. Also how is your current schedule and for how long have you been doing it? 

Rupert as Pauline said, not all movements are created equal or done to Gymnasticbodies standards. Please submit the video at your earliest convenience for our expert forum coaches, to help guide and correct you in your goal.

Wow, this turned into a whole thing!

Thank you all for the responses!  I am sorry it took so long to get this video posted.  Getting the opportunity, and then converting into a file type that would play nice, it all got complicated.  But, here's little o' me, doing a few rows.  I had to use ropes rather than rings, but otherwise this is what it's like.  And it's pretty standard: two reps, no problem.  Third rep, tricky or hard.  Maybe a fourth rep, but then that's it.  Really no burn; just a hard 'done'.

Hi Robert, 

The position you are holding in this picture looks great for a ground row. Can you share with us a video, please.

14 hours ago, Robert Aldrich said:

Wow, this turned into a whole thing!

Thank you all for the responses!  I am sorry it took so long to get this video posted.  Getting the opportunity, and then converting into a file type that would play nice, it all got complicated.  But, here's little o' me, doing a few rows.  I had to use ropes rather than rings, but otherwise this is what it's like.  And it's pretty standard: two reps, no problem.  Third rep, tricky or hard.  Maybe a fourth rep, but then that's it.  Really no burn; just a hard 'done'.

 

Have you tried doing rows on rings or a straight bar? I've never used ropes for rows, but is your grip slipping doing rows with ropes like that? Your "done" message sent by the brain could be the result of slipping grip. 

Ugh!  Y'all, I'm telling you, I'm cursed.  That's a gif, not a still picture...or it's not supposed to be.  I couldn't upload the mp4 video so I converted to a gif.

While I figure out the uploading issues (whimpers sadly), let me go ahead and address that I normally do the rows with rings.  I took the video with the ropes because a) the rings were tied up and not easily accessible while the ropes were right there and b) the grip definitely isn't the issue (I can hang for a minute or more from a straight bar with either hand).

Maaaaaybe the curse is broken?

@Robert Aldrich

For this progression, Gymnastic rings are ideal. Especially at the volume that the course outlines (5x15reps). This is the optimal range to condition your elbows without exposing them to bread demands. Which is needed for more advanced progressions like what you have shown in your gif.

While the movement pattern of the rope row variation is similar. The grip you are using places amplitudes more demand on your brachialis muscles and rhomboids. Both which typically play supporting roles to larger muscles like the lats.

I say to first master 5x15 ground rows before training the rope variation seriously.

Hey Robert if you are struggling with this exercise you have no chances to be prepared to use the rope. 

the longitudinal grip of the rope it is much more stressing on the grip and on the medial elbows muscles insertion, for this reason, no rope should be used until the end of foundations 4.

4 hours ago, Robert Aldrich said:

While I figure out the uploading issues (whimpers sadly),

Just upload it straight to Youtube from your phone, make it "unlisted" and share the link with us… should work from any phone. 

On 11/6/2017 at 8:53 PM, Suzanna McGee said:

Just upload it straight to Youtube from your phone, make it "unlisted" and share the link with us… should work from any phone. 

It took me forever to figure that out, but yes, I second this suggestion. Youtube app on the phone makes it so easy to do form check videos. I'm horribly incompetent with technology and found it pretty user friendly. Good luck!