Patient Forward Progress

Been meaning to start a log for awhile & just hit a new SS cycle. So...

I'm 26, been training seriously about two and a half years. I've been using the GB site as a resource for about two of those, then doing SS cycles for nearly a year and the WODs for around six months. I started off doing circus training, specialising in corde lisse (vertical rope) and that's the focus still, and the thing that all the training is in service of. My background means I'm fairly good at pulling/rowing, but I press like a girl (unless it's a strong girl, then I press worse).

My FSPs as of 02/02/2011 are:

Stag Front Lever – 4 x 15 seconds

Flat Tuck Back Lever – 6 x 10 seconds

Floor L-sit – 3 x 20 seconds

Meat Hook – 6 x 10 seconds (alternating arms)

Goals 2011

1. ROPE

1. One-arm pull to meat hook

2. One-arm straddle-up

3. No hands roll-up (this)

2. RINGS

1. Solid (10 seconds +) straddle front

2. Same for back lever

3. 3 consecutive slow muscle-ups (can probably do this now; need to test)

4. One-arm chin (have negatives down)

3. FLOOR

1. Full ROM HSPU (HeSPU is fairly easy)

2. 1 minute floor L-sit

4. FLEXIBILITY

1. Any sort of progress with height of hip extensions (they're stuck at 90 degrees)

2. Straddle-L on floor

Quite a few things, but I'm close to many of these. Rope goals are the most ambitious because that's what I care about most. Looking forward to more criminally savage WODs!

Chose to take a little extra load this week as I'm away for work next week and won't get to train beyond maybe some L-sits and handstands in the hotel. So then:

06/02/2011:

Warm-up

Every Shoulder Exercise I Know

3x MU ---> forward roll MU ---> L-sit ---> shoulder stand ---> support ---> backward roll ---> flat tuck BL ---> straddle FL.

5x15 seconds flat tuck FL

5x15 seconds XR support

5x15 seconds German Hang

07/02/2011:

Warm-up

Every Shoulder Exercise I Know

3 x

1 Embedded BL + 5 Tempo XR Bulgarian Rows

1 Embedded XR L-sit + 5 Tempo Floor Push-ups

1 Embedded FL + 5 Tempo Body Levers (full lay down; stag up)

Embeds: front pull to windscreen wipers to inverted hang & lower to back lever; muscle-up to L-sit; 540 pull to front lever.

08/02/2011:

Warm-up

Every Shoulder Exercise I Know

FSP Warm-up

4x

20’ L-sit walks *

3 HeSPU

5 XR Dips to L-sit

15 Single Clap Pushups*

* Feet on a slide on the floor. Hands turned backward.

** Managed these on Round 1, but then had to swallow my pride (again – it keeps regurgitating) and scale them so that I was doing them from the knees.

11/02/2011:

Warm-up

Every Shoulder Exercise I Know

FSP Warm-up

4x

3x10 Assisted SLS

3x5 GHR

12/02/2011:

Warm-up

Every Shoulder Exercise I Know

FSP Warm-up

10 x 1 Cast Wall Walks *

1 x 5 HeS Pike Press **

1 x 10 HeS Straddle Press **

10 minutes piked wall-runs ***

* Was previously doing these as 2x5, but not with great form & wasn't really making any progress, so opted to do them extremely slowly and strictly. Will try 5 x 2 next time.

** Head elevated about 1 foot.

*** Read the WOD wrong, so did the wrong exercise here. Scaled back from doing the runs in handstand because I could never make it the full 10 minutes – did them in pike instead. Was compelled by inner nerd to record enough data to later draw a multi-line graph of progress.

This week have been pleased to get the forward roll MU for the first time, but am finding that my FSP warm-up is taking too long: 40ish minutes, or about five playthroughs of Martin Carthy's Famous Flower of Serving Men.