iM1 + iM2 + chest to wall HS

Hi coaches,

I work my way through PE2 consistently, superseting it with both iM1 and iM2 ... and I do have a question about those iMs ... I’m seeing some progress, althougt it is very slow. I think I know how the end goal should look like, I want to make sure I am doing those exercises right to get me there. 

Here are videos on both:

I work on those twice a week for 5-6 sets. 

My main question is - should I aim to work every set on my max range of motion or should I maintain grip width for let’s say 4 workouts and then narrow it a bit?

And another guestion - Can I consider my max ROM point where I can no longer continue to dislocate? Is this the place where I should be working?

And as a bonus formcheck ... please. I could not resisted the urge to actually go upsidedown on my hands and gave a go to chest to wall HS. Surprisingly, compared to last time I tried it (half a year ago or so) ... it felt much better.... what so you think of it?

Thanks :-)

50 minutes ago, Petra Kmecová said:

My main question is - should I aim to work every set on my max range of motion or should I maintain grip width for let’s say 4 workouts and then narrow it a bit?

And another guestion - Can I consider my max ROM point where I can no longer continue to dislocate? Is this the place where I should be working?

Hi Petra,

For your HS iMs, you should thrive to do them shoulder width. 

So, I think, in your first video, your shoulders are too wide, but it's hard to see due to the angle.

For the second one, I'm exactly where you are and I'm working a lot to make them shoulder width.

Hope it helps

Hey, thank @Étienne Lajeunesse. On both iMs I have work to do ...  definitely not shoulder width apart on iM1 :-).

What I was questioning, is the best strategy for those ... working on end ROM every set or ease it a bit (but still feeling guite some stretch) and work on same width for all set for multiple workouts.

I think that a lot of us can relate to the fact that ... how to say it ... we can feel the stretch ... and we can oh dear god feel the stretch :-D. And maybe working on that end range is not the best place to work :-)

1 minute ago, Petra Kmecová said:

 

What I was questioning, is the best strategy for those ... working on end ROM every set or ease it a bit (but still feeling guite some stretch) and work on same width for all set for multiple workouts.

I think that a lot of us can relate to the fact that ... how to say it ... we can feel the stretch ... and we can oh dear god feel the stretch :-D. And maybe working on that end range is not the best place to work :-)

That's a good question!  I don't bother to always do the extensions at the end range. By that, I mean a 7/10.  Don't go further.  Add some sets if needed and do it regularly in your daily mobility.  That's what I do

To be honest, for quite some time, I worked in the end ROM for last 2 maybe 3 sets. It was intense, but I always managed to recover from it - no problem. Results however - almost nonexistent :-(. First set, I have to start at the same width for 2+ moths.

So I started to wonder, if the well meant intensity is necessary. Maybe stepping back a bit will make those workout more enjoyable (less uncomfortable) and the progress will at least stay the same and hopefully be more visible.

As for daily mobility ... I stopped doing intense exercises daily (even with less intensity), because I do have a tendency to overdo those things :-D. Seriously, I’m on maternity leave, spending most of my day on the floor with kids (aka free time), playing around and what starts as harmless limbering ends up as quite demanding mobility session. I do have nice full body warm up, I do before every session (15-20 min., including shoulder extension exercise) and that’s it for the day ... works for me.

I know what it is to work on something for a few month without having concrete results!  Either you need to raise your volume or raise your rest time.  Wait for the coaches tips here, they could make the difference

I can't find the thread for the life of me -- I wish we could bookmark favorites. Anyway, Alessandro posted a great progression for dislocates and grip width that I've been using on this iM with some success. It goes something like this:

1st set, slow and steady at a moderate intensity (grip width)
2nd set, narrower grip
3 set, start at 1st grip, do 2 reps, narrow grip, do two more, narrow again do two more.

I don't have that exact, and I don't remember #4&5, but what I took from it was the back and forth between starting grip and going narrower, and by the end I am making a little progress, and now it seems I can start a little narrower. Now for this iM we're not doing a ton of reps like the dislocate, but I've been doing 3-5 each time (with the last rep being the 10 sec requirement) simply because my shoulders really, really, really need the work, while my inverted positions are much more comfortable. I also leave a PVC in my living room, so I can work on this and full dislocates while watching the football games.

Here it is : 

Yesss!!!! Thanks Etienne, that one! Very helpful breakdown there. Mix that with the pin from Coach Sommer about how the shoulders roll through the dislocate (that i just stumbled over this morning) and I think we're all on the right track.

Thanks @Jennifer Marie and @Étienne Lajeunesse. That is fantastic info :-). I might try to play with it a bit in my next HS workout.

I’ll wait what coaches have to say about our brainstorming :-).

Please @Jeffrey Bittner, in first post is a video of my iM for handstand ... can you please forcheck those as well? And maybe answer my additional questions. Thanks in advance.

Hey Petra,

You're off to a great start on both iMs. Awesome job starting off with good form based on your current mobility. Keep working on bringing your hands closer together on both of these exercises until they are shoulder width apart.

To answer your first question, I recommend focusing on the intensity of the stretch rather than the width of your hands. If you maintain a constant intensity each time you do this iM, it will improve. As your body gets used to the stretch, you will naturally need to move your hands closer together in order to keep the same intensity.

On both of these exercises your max ROM should remain in either shoulder flexion or shoulder extension, respectively. There shouldn't be any dislocating, or rolling the shoulders on either iM. You should still work to open your chest completely during your shoulder extension, however.

Nice job on your handstand as well. Try to hold a stronger PPT and push as tall as you can through the shoulders. As an indicator, there shouldn't be any space between your shoulders and your neck. This will also hep you to make sure that your hands aren't placed too wide.

@Jeffrey Bittner. Thanks for tour time to reply on those. I’ll keep on keeping on.