Frustrated

Hi Forum:

I think I need a little encouragement or something. I've been doing the H1 series coupled with the Thoracic Bridge stretch for a while now (H1 over a year, TB maybe a year) and I just feel like I am not making any progress. H1 in particular is super-frustrating. I have been stuck trying weighted dislocates forever and I have just gotten nowhere. No matter how many times I start over, widening the grip, narrowing it, increasing weight, decreasing, my shoulder joint never stops clicking or grinding and, eventually, I just develop shoulder pain. No matter how much I try to open up my shoulders, whatever progress I've made is invisible and my strength in the bridge position is nonexistent.  In the TB, I can't get into an elevated TB for more than maybe 10 seconds before my lower back starts to hurt. Hip taps are impossible, I can't get one hand off the ground. Weirdly, I can do high bridges OK, but I'm sure I'm just compensating by arching my lower back. The weighted bar pulses and holds aren't a problem and holding the 30 second handstands against the wall aren't  a problem either, but I just can't get into a freestanding HS. 

Has anyone else had a similar experience? I'm starting to wonder if I'm just not built for these or am too damaged from years of CrossFit and martial arts. 

Usual advice is to see a physical therapist/physiotherapist, preferably someone who either has a background in gymnastics or who is open to what you're trying to achieve. AND, who can assess your thoracic spine and maybe mobilise some of the joints. I've had some success with the camel pose in yoga, as I can't bridge worth a damn either. My sequence is:

• roll the thoracic spine (usually pops a few of the facet/zygapophyseal joints on either side of the spine)
• cat/cow or child's pose/seal pose, held for a few minutes
• camel pose, held for a few minutes.

I *think* I've seen progress over the past few months.

With the dislocates, if they end up hurting your shoulder, restart again (sorry!) and eliminate most of the movement. So:

• press the stick forwards (as much protraction as you can), hold 30 seconds
• press the stick up (as much shrug as you can), hold 30 seconds
• press the stick up and behind you (shrug AND press backwards, not just "pull the shoulder blades together"), hold 30s
• press the stick behind you (press backwards)....you get the idea.

Sometimes movement itself can be an irritant. In tendon rehab land, we try to reduce or remove the "irritating" movement, while still allowing load into the tendon to condition it.

Actively pressing the stick forwards, forwards/up, up, up/behind, behind, behind/down makes the shoulder blade socket point in the direction of the arms, so the shoulder blade/rib motion takes some of the load, and the actual shoulder socket only takes part of the load.

Another way to visualise this is to imagine the stick is a pencil and you're trying to draw the largest circle you can on the wall to your side. But eliminate the movement first, and see if this helps.

Hi Christopher,  Since I've started my handstand journey with GB (2011) I'm still refining the form, also I don't have already reached the bridge form that I want and I began to work on it in 2011. there are structures in the body which limit the development of the range of motion if you stayed 15 years without restoring them. now,  how do you think to make huge improvements in one year? try to have patience, my friend. consistency always pays off, on sport and on life.

Thanks fellas!

Christopher,

In response to the last sentence of your post.............Sounds to me like you are an average, fit adult. Handstands and bridges are not something that are easy to learn as adults. The balancing part of standing on hands can be very difficult and shoulder flexibility takes a long time to develop. The problem with learning to balance on ones hands, unlike other things we might want to learn is that we can't perform as many repetitions as some other activities without injury. An example that I can think of is when I learned to snowboard a few years ago at age 49. Yes, it was difficult at first but one can spend several hours on a snowboard several times per week and consequently pick up a new sport. If I were to stand on my hands for a 6-8 hours (in sets of course), I would certainly develop some type of injury. We need to be patient with these skills. One year is not that long.

Wow, you guys are awesome. Thanks for the feels. Gonna suck it up and get back to work. 

1 hour ago, Alessandro Mainente said:

Hi Christopher,  Since I've started my handstand journey with GB (2011) I'm still refining the form, also I don't have already reached the bridge form that I want and I began to work on it in 2011. there are structures in the body which limit the development of the range of motion if you stayed 15 years without restoring them. now,  how do you think to make huge improvements in one year? try to have patience, my friend. consistency always pays off, on sport and on life.

This is the lesson I am learning, not to want it now, but to want it right. You have the way and the time, keep showing up and putting in the work.

This is very helpful for me today. I have been feeling quite frustrated lately about how little progress it seems I'm making despite being very, very consistent. I've been really questioning how many years I'll be stuck on f1/PE1 or PE2, and if I will ever actually be able to perform a single leg squat, hollow back press, rope climb, straddle planche, front lever, side lever, manna, handstand, press hand stand, front and middle splits. Of course I'm not giving up. I'll keep on with where I am, but today, even mastery of the steps I'm on seem like the impossible dream.

1 hour ago, Valerie Morwood said:

This is very helpful for me today. I have been feeling quite frustrated lately about how little progress it seems I'm making despite being very, very consistent. I've been really questioning how many years I'll be stuck on f1/PE1 or PE2, and if I will ever actually be able to perform a single leg squat, hollow back press, rope climb, straddle planche, front lever, side lever, manna, handstand, press hand stand, front and middle splits. Of course I'm not giving up. I'll keep on with where I am, but today, even mastery of the steps I'm on seem like the impossible dream.

I m in the same boat, pe1 and pe2 already for a year. Don t give up, i won t either although sometimes pesimistic thoughts come to my mind. I m not progressing in steps for a long time but i m starting to perceive i m stronger and my movements are more fluent and effortless. I m feeling something inside, don t know how to explain, kind of a higher muscle connection and contraction that is making myself to enjoy more my workouts. So even if it seems you don t  progress if you feel better keep doing it.

If your lower back start hurting during elevated bridge, make sure that you are squeezing your glutes, also how is your hip flexor mobility? I like to pair front split and bridge in the same workout as there is a lot of hip flexor stretches in front split. So I always do front split before bridge.

I'd like to emphasis something Nick said: "Usual advice is to see a physical therapist/physiotherapist, preferably someone who either has a background in gymnastics or who is open to what you're trying to achieve."

Preferably someone with a background in what you're doing. Read that again. I can't emphasize it enough. 

Even with running, what seems like a simple, natural movement, I went to three different physical therapy businesses before I found one that helped with some pain. The one that did had a therapist on staff who was a fellow runner. Now that I lift and CrossFit, I only go to a PT who has a fellow lifter/CrossFitter on staff. 

Too many general PT offices will say "Just don't do a bridge if it hurts your back." While a sports specific location, or even better, a gymnastic specialty office, will talk to you about the movement and understand what you need to do and what you might be doing wrong to compensate for weaknesses and imbalances.

A visit to a good PT may be helpful for the clicking in your shoulder. I get that sometimes and it tends to be a precursor to impingement when I'm working too hard. I call it "prehab" and visit quarterly to make sure we catch imbalances before they become painful problems.

Outside the PT rambling, yes, keep working at it. This stuff is a very slow progression. Also, use the form checks if you're not already. I thought I was doing elevated bridge pretty close to correct, but with a form check, I learned several tweaks to take it to the next level, and much closer to correct.

Good luck Chris. Keep us posted!

As you're in the NYC area I do recommend attending some of the HS classes offered at Transform Fitness. I have been training there for the last few weeks and the people there are very knowledgeable about these progressions and diagnosing injuries.

14 hours ago, Mark Schoenhard said:

T, not to want it now, but to want it right.

This is truly a kick-arse quote!

Shall use it with my clients - one in particular, who came in a few weeks back and unloaded on me because 1) "the physio didn't fix me" 2) "I've already been through all that" (I was assessing his problem and 3) he wanted me to magically make him better.

Shall also use it on myself!

I started tight too from years of lifting weights on and off. (weight training a.k.a. bodybuilding) Not to mention partial range of motion. I never stretched during those years. What helped me achieve my mobility today is because of consistency. Day in and day out. Going back and forth to the basics. Every time I go back to Foundation One, there is something that changes. Range of motion, more control, more activation, sometimes harder and sometimes easier. Foundation Series and Handstand One was already enough for me but when the Stretch Series came, I didn't know that my body can achieve more. I really love the Foundations and I know that when life catches up with training, I know where to go and thats PE1.