WOD - 100723

Perform:

1x5 PL Box Press HS

1x5 Pike Box Press HS

1x10 Straddle Box Press HS

Walking HSPU Ladders

Finish with 2x10 Wrist Pushups

notes:

1) Rest 1-2 minutes between Press HS sets.

2) You may substitute a Chest roll to HeS + press up to HS for the PL.

3) Remember to adjust the height as necessary during the Box Press HS variations to ensure that the presses are sufficiently challenging.

4) If you cannot press to HS, then press to HeS.

5) If you are strong enough, replace the Box Press HS variations with Press HS from an L-sit on parallets or PBs.

6) If you exceptionally strong, perform the Press HS variations on the XR.

7) After the last set of Press HS; rest 3-5 minutes then start the Walking HSPU Ladders.

8 ) Begin with Box HeSPU; perform 2 reps then immediately do 6 steps of HS Wall Runs. Take a few breaths and then move on to Negative HeSPU performing 2 reps followed by 6 steps of HS Wall Runs, continue on upward through the HSPU progressions in this fashion until you reach the hardest variation you are capable of, rest 3-5 minutes and then reverse ladder back to the beginning. You will now have completed one round.

9) How many rounds you perform depends on the number of rungs that were in your ladder; e.g. you only made it to the first exercise, you will perform 10 rounds (20 . E.g. you made it to the 5th exercise, you will perform 2 rounds.

10) Adjust the reps in the Walking HSPU Ladder as necessary. If performing two reps at a time is too difficult, drop to one repetition of each variation. If performing two is too easy, increase to three, four or even five reps per variation.

I think I've been dreading this WOD the most of all I have never done any press to HS work before and I lack a lot of the basic skills necessary even for a scaled-down version of this WOD.

So what I ended up doing was this:

1) 10 reps of straddle RLL Wall HS (first time ever). I can't do a freestanding HS nor a HeSPU but I am able to easily perform HeS RLL so I figured this would be a good compromise.

After some experimenting with the position I was able to do it while leaning into the wall with my head and shoulders. I found that I could do it with straight arms (angled off from the wall) when I didn't shrug my shoulders but I couldn't perform the movement when I shrugged them. I have no idea why. I guess I'll just need to find the right technique - my lower back is plenty strong enough for this exercise but I just don't know how to activate my shoulder girdle in the right way.

2) Walking HSPU ladder. Two rounds (yes, only two where ten rounds would be required at my level):

2 reps of Box HeSPU - 6 HS Wall Runs - 2 HeSPU negatives - 6 HS Wall Runs (rest and reverse)

3) 2x10 Wrist Pushups on my knees

Hi

This is my press to handstand.

Should I keep working on it (get my elbowes more locked, get my shoulders more over my hands tec) with my feet on the ground or should I go back to where I elevate my feet?

Spent most of this WOD working on the Chest Roll to HeS. Managed to get a couple after playing with a while, but i used a bolster under my hips to get a little height.

I spent most of my energy with that, so the rest of the workout was not so spectacular.

I really gassed by the time the HePU came up, i did mostly elevated or box reps. The wall runs were just hand lifts, i tweaked my elbow doing the shoulder touch a while back so will go easy on these till the crunching stops.

Seen improvement in this WOD.

I can now do consistent chest roll to handstand for 5 reps.

However, still trying to find the best substitutes for the straddle and and pike presses.

HeS is too easy. I can do extra weight with this. I don't think these will help to much because the weakness is in my shoulder girdle. But then wall HS are too big of a jump. I can barely do these off a really high box!

Another substitute movement I came up with today while figuring out how to do this was sort of an intermediate between RLL from HeS and RLL from Wall HS. I did HeS on a box so I could straighten my arms like in a press HS, and I lifted my legs from that position. I liked this variation but compared to the Wall HS there's hardly any effort from the shoulder girdle since part of your weight is supported by your head and neck. I also tried a 'tuck PL press to HeS' with my head on the box but that was a little awkward

Took a page out of killroy's suggestion notebook and did 5x5 HeS Straddle Presses to sub for all the variations as I still just need to strengthen the basic movement. They were rough toward the last set, but I kept a pretty steady 212 tempo(313 in beginning) and I am feeling better doing them.

Needless to say I did 10 rounds of the Ladder. I tried box HeSPu, hips at 90degrees, and managed 1 in pretty good form. The rest I used a lower box and went slightly out as opposed to straight down doing 2 reps. I should be sticking with pike pushups for now I think. The wall runs felt a little more comfortable movement wise, still killer muscle wise.

I was also unsure about the rounds...if you only do 1 variation, is 10 rounds really: 2 box HeSPu, 6 wall runs 20 times...for the 'up' and 'down' the ladder? I barely made it through 10 so I couldn't imagine 20, let alone how long it would take.

The wrist pushups were my high point today as they felt very comfortable. I'm still on my knees, but I was able to put a lot more weight on them. I have, I believe, a tendon in my left forearm that 'rolls over'(don't know how else to describe it) the bone sometimes while doing these...it doesn't hurt but it's very uncomfortable and just wanna check in to see if this is normal or I should let up when that happens(it tends to happen toward the end of the sets when my wrists are getting tired)

Today's WOD:

Still getting used to different HS pressing variations, so this time I performed 3x5 pike HeS presses from an 8 inch box, which felt very solid. So then I performed sets of 5,4,4,5 of HeS pike presses feet to floor. I finished it all up with 8 HeS straddle presses. Last workout I only worked straddle as I was unable to do even 1 pike HeS press, so that fact that I did a few sets today was actually puzzling to me, but I'll take it! Anyway, quick questions about HeS presses:

I am under the impression that the difference between a HeS RLL and a HeS straight leg (pike) press is that with the HeS RLL you try to keep your upper body vertical and stationary while only moving your legs up down; whereas with the PRESS one is focusing on lowering the legs (while keeping them straight) but also lowering the hips down and then curling the legs and hips back up? If I'm missing something or if this is correct I'd appreciate some feedback.

Walking HSPU ladders: these were tough...

I did 3 ladders of:

Box HeSPU x 2

6 HS wall runs

HeSPU negatives x 2

6 HS wall runs

HeSPU partial (to 4" box) x 2

6 HS wall runs

Man. 6 rotations forward and back through that wiped me out. Great workout as I saw some improvement in my HeS pressing, but I'm still kind of in the same boat as other members here who have mentioned that when trying to execute the movement in a HS, I'm still not sure where the emphasis should be as far as muscle activation. I know my lower back is strong enough. Perhaps I'm still too weak in my shoulder girdle? Just have to keep at it I guess...

HeS RLL and a HeS straight leg (pike) press

With this restricted ROM, these two skills will both be performed with the torso vertical. The curling of the hips and back will only take effect when lowering further toward and out of an L-sit for the press.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

OK, this is where I was a bit confused, trying to differentiate between HeS RLL and HeS press. So I gather the two terms describe the same movement.

killroy70 said:

OK, this is where I was a bit confused, trying to differentiate between HeS RLL and HeS press. So I gather the two terms describe the same movement.

During that particular restricted ROM from a HeS to the toes to the floor; yes.

However once the ROM is extended past this the performance guidelines will change. Most people will only spend the beginning of their press HS development on press HeS variations; hence after that initial work is accomplished there will no longer be a cause for confusion.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

I could barely do the chest rolls (let alone press out of it, though I did a few more sets of those back at home, and they were much easier), and I felt like my handstand pushes have seriously regressed, which was very very frustrating.

5 chest rolls (no presses)

5 HeS pike presses

10 HeS straddle presses

2 box HeSPU (used a squat rack)

2 Negatives (had to use the wall, balance was atrocious today)

2 HeSPU's

2 elevated PU's (about five or six inches)

I'm not sure how well I did them, because I had to adjust the area, and turn around to do the wall runs). It's strange, but I seem to do the best work either at my house or the weight room at my university.

I can't do a freestanding straight arm press to hand stand of any kind, but can easily do l-sit to handstands with some bend in my arms(so in between a head stand and handstand). Would it be better for me to work on wall straight arm press to handstands, or do more bent arm presses to handstand at this point?

5 chest roll to Hes, pressed out of 3. I've gotten weak lol!

1 set of 5 wall HS press, straddle.

2 sets of 5 wall HS press, tuck.

Those wall presses are surprisingly hard, even in the tuck. I don't have enough compression or flexibility to do a perfect straddle, so those were somewhat ugly and tended to pull me off the wall at the bottom.

Ladder:

2 sets of 6 step wall run, 3 box HeSPU, 6 step wall run, 2 HeSPU negative, 6 step wall run, 2 HeSPU, 6 step wall run, 4 minute rest, reverse.

Man. That ladder totally wrecked me! I was drenched by the end of it.

slizzardman wrote:

Those wall presses are surprisingly hard, even in the tuck. I don't have enough compression or flexibility to do a perfect straddle

I think that the main problem is flexibility. I have no problem to do press to HS with wall support but I must point the fingers backwards and go back from wall with hands about 20-30cm. If I try without a wall, then I cant push up the hips in the vertical position because I lack the flexibillty in the back and hamstrings. If I lean forward then I have a problem with wrist flexibility because without wall I must turn back hands in normal position.

I had to do all the pressing from headstand.

I did the ladders with 2 box HeSPU, 10 second handstand hold against a wall, then 2 negatives, then 10 second hold and then reverse, but could only do that twice. If it feels like too much is it better to cut it down or just take a really long time and lot's of breaks to get the proper amount of rounds? If you cannot wall run is a hold against the wall sufficient?

This is a WOD were I feel a bit weird as I'm lacking flexibility strenght and hability( everything) but today I improved a bit with the ladder so I'm optimistic I'll get there!

-1x5 planche box press to HS this one is the one which I feel more difficult

-1x5 pike PIke PtHS. Pressing tuck and lowering straight legs more controlled than last time

- 2x5 Press HeS straddle. Better and more consistent far from being fluid yet.

Ladder: box press HeSPU 6 wall walks, 2 HeSPU partial rom, 6 wall walks, 2 HeSPU again, 6wall walks, 2 box PeSPU

4 times as I was running out of time, really tiring but added the HePU so there is an improvement!