Help with MMPu/MMPr progressions

[Keegan Yentsch]

Hello everyone,

Today's WOD was the first one I've done that included a MMPu variation and a MMPr variation. This marks the first time that I have done any of these types of exercises and what I found was that while the Yewkis were manageable (in a tucked position), I decided to scale the PL dips down to Chest roll HeS and found them to be utterly impossible to perform (especially with a slow tempo). I honestly think that I would have done better with the PL dips in retrospect. The BTGB book however lists chest roll HeS as the easiest MMPr variation, while PL dips are quite far up the list.

My questions are:

1) Is it normal that different individuals might find different exercises along the progression easier/harder than others and therefore might the progression difficulty be different for different people?

2) What would be the best way to build up to being able to do a solid Chest roll HeS if a regular repetition is not possible?

I know that different exercises work different muscles and I don't want to jump way ahead and miss building a strong foundation by first mastering the ""easier" exercise variations.

Thanks for anyone who can offer any insight/advice.

Keegan

[Aaron Griffin]

Arch rocks?

[Joshua Naterman]

1) Yes. That happens all the time!

2) PPP and HSPU progressions are the way to go, and you can always start by lowering down from a headstand.

You can do planche dips even if you only get a little bit of lean at the top, it will get better with time. That is often a good place to start.

[Blairbob]

Off the top of my head, "Germans?" Can't remember where they are, book has been in LA since December. It misses me.

[Keegan Yentsch]

Thanks Slizzardman and Blairbob,

I actually did one set as a negative, lowering from headstand as slowly as I could into the starting position, but didn't know if perhaps there was a better way. I think one thing that might be holding me back is that I don't have a very pronounced arch (it's not terrible, but no where near Coach Sommer's athletes), so rolling forwards doesn't get my feet over my hips/head as easily as it does for his athletes. I also did one set where I tried building some momentum (with arch rocks), rocking back and forth between repetitions (only got a couple though) to try to help me with the exercise. Again though, didn't know if there was a simpler/better solution.

Starting to add in some arch rocks whenever a MPPr came up would probably really help. Thanks Blairbob.

I have done Germans before (they've been in a couple WOD's that I've done), didn't even think about substituting those (even though they are obviously quite similar movement patterns). I don't have access to a pommel horse, so I do my germans from a dipping station, so they are probably already somewhere between Germans and PL dips anyhow.

Thanks again guys.