Straight Arm Work

[Gerald Mangona]

Ok. It's been a solid six months of INJURY-FREE TRAINING!

I'm going to do another SSC and then re-introduce straight-arm work into my FSPs. What would be the absolute lowest level of FSP work to start with, considering that every single time I've done straight-arm work in the past year, I've injured myself from overuse due to natural hyperextension at the elbow. Slizz, I've tried the planche leans, but I think the problem is that it's too hard for me to "quantify" the amount of intensity and I always end up pushing too hard, even with 60s holds.

Could I just start by holding my arms out in front of me, externally rotating them so that my arms are turned out, and then holding a 5lb. weight in my arms?

I need something that is precise, repeatable, and safe for my elbow joint. Thanks for your help, all. Gymnastics is much more fun now that I'm not in a cycle of injury and recovery.

JM

[Bozo Jonic]

but I think the problem is that it's too hard for me to "quantify" the amount of intensity and I always end up pushing too hard, even with 60s holds.

How about measuring the distance from palms to (vertical) wall and then slightly touching the wall with the top of your head while you are doing planche leans? That way you know that you are always working with the same shoulder angle throughout the SSC, and can easily increase it with moving your palms further away from the wall.