How to perform the pre requesittes

60s plank

60s reverse plank

60s perfect hollow hold with hands over your head

60s arch hold in the superman flying position

60s Parallel Bar support.

60s chin up grip dead hang

Is there anywhere that tells you how to perform these positions correctly? Here is what I think but please please tell me if I am incorrect.

- Chin up grip dead hang = palms facing towards you and then dead hang

- PB support = Arms by your side, holding yourself up. Like at the start of a dip.

- Plank = like a pushup position but with your feet elevated so that your body is parallel to the floor. Your back should be straight, - shoulders over hands, shoulder blades lying flat (retracted)

- Reverse Plank = The same but turned the other way around

- Arch hold = lying on your front and then lift legs and upper body so that your belly is the only thing that is in contact with the floor

- Hollow hold = Lying on your back then lift everything except for your bum. Your bum is the only thing that touches the floor.

Any input is appreciated or a link would be appreciated. I looked i nsome of the stickies and couldnt find them. If they are there can you tell me which one and I will delete this thread.

Thanks

Bdk1786 said:

Pretty much got it. When doing pb bar support, it is important to be pressing down, and not just supporting yourself. You should have your shoulders pressed down and head sticking up and out. If you are in a shrugged shoulder position, this is wrong. The plank can be done in either a push up position or with the forearms on the ground. I prefer the forearms. You should also throw in the planche lean into the pre reqs as well. Also a HS or wall HS is nice to have in there was well.

I will begin handstand work next month. Im taking this extremely slowly because I am also recovering from an injury. I am just going to see how I do with these this month as I begin the first SSC with these. I am maybe being over cautious but I have had a long string on injuries and if I get injured again I will lose my mind. Ill add in the planche lean perhaps as well.

Thanks for the reply, I appreciate it.

ewethestuff said:

Eh?

I thought Plank was protracted

And hollow hold has the lower back pressing into the floor -- sitting on just your bum is more like a seated V

Thanks for that. Maybe I have used to the wrong terminology. Should my shoulder blades be pulled back? Should they be squeezed? Should my shoulders be back or forward?

And in regards to the plank, it should be performed also with a hollow body too, right? Not a straight line?

Hollow. Then again sometimes hollow is straight and straight is hollow. Heh. :wink:

What does "hollow" mean? I cannot find it in my BtGB book or when I did a search.

Also regarding shoulder blades

Retracted = Shoulder blades squeezed together or "pinched" together. This causes your shoulders to move back

Protracted = opposite

correct?

cheers for the help

Well, the first one is just a BAD hollow hold or just not a good one, heh.

Ya know, I didn't think about it till now, but it's a real pain in the butt analyzing hollow holds in the picture with virtually everyone in the picture but the ladies in tight tank tops. So much easier in leotards or bare chested for the guys.

The last picture is not so good to explain proper hollow position, because it is unclear to see, and many of them do it wrong. If you lay on the ground and put your arms back and straight elbows locked, and legs also, naturally you will have a hole under your lower back. So the point is, stick your abs and push your lower back to the ground, slightly lift upper body and legs with stick abs hard, dont move arms they stay beside your ears or parallel, so there is no hole and space and only lower back touch the floor. For most untrained people the problem is weak core to do that, so the space still exist, or they unable to lift upper body. The most obvious mistake is to work with arms and legs instead of core to maintain hollow or arch position. For arch position, flexibility in back and shoulders will make arch more doable and easier. For the start as first progression, working on the proper hollow position with arms straight but in front of you instead of beside, will make exercise much easier. If its still hard, then dont lift up legs just upper body, and try to push lower back on the ground.

When I hold the hollow hold (or just doing sit-ups), my gets stiff and I feel as if it is going to break. Is there a proper position to hold the head or are there any exercises that one could do to ease the strain?

Everybody says that the neck should be relaxed but I don't get it.

I think you are referring to your neck.

Try "packing the chin". Google it in relation to Deadlifting.

It's like trying to make a double chin by pulling your head backwards without flexing your head forward. Your chin comes in as a result.

Hi - this is my first post ever so hopefully it comes through OK.

Here is a link to a very good description on how to get into the Hollow Hold position, and what to look out for. I think getting into the correct position first up is a bit more complicated than people first expect. If your new to it, you'll know when you get it right as your abs will start 'rippling' as you try to hold it, and you'll need to really focus on keeping your lower back in contact with the floor.

http://gymnasticswod.com/content/hollow ... ession-pt1

Thanks

Blairbob said:

I think you are referring to your neck.

Try "packing the chin". Google it in relation to Deadlifting.

It's like trying to make a double chin by pulling your head backwards without flexing your head forward. Your chin comes in as a result.

OK. Do you mean I should do this as a separate exercise or during holds?

Pack the chin as you hold the hollow. Your head should be neutral in to where your cervical and thoracic spine meet. It shouldn't be flexed (forward) or in extension (tilting back).

I am having some trouble with the PB support. I tested my max on monday and it was fine. Then when I did them today my palms hurt a lot. Is the a speecific way to grip the bars?

It is my right palm. Where the kunckles of the hand are but on the palm side.

What I did was put 2 wooden poles across my power rack to make the parallel bars. Is it something that will improve with time?

Muddy said:

I am having some trouble with the PB support. I tested my max on monday and it was fine. Then when I did them today my palms hurt a lot. Is the a speecific way to grip the bars?

It is my right palm. Where the kunckles of the hand are but on the palm side.

What I did was put 2 wooden poles across my power rack to make the parallel bars. Is it something that will improve with time?

How are you holding yourself in support? Is your wrist straight? Extended?

That is pretty common with adults who are not used to Parallel Bars.

Don't let your shoulders sag as much and there should be less pressure on your palms.

thanners said:

How are you holding yourself in support? Is your wrist straight? Extended?

No my wrist is not straight. There is a slight bend. There is not a straight line from my knuckle to my elbow. My wrist is slightly bent but not 90 degrees, not even 45 degrees.

The parallel bars are a bit wider than shoulder width. I would struggle to have my wrist completely straight.

How are my wrists meant to be?

Blairbob said:

That is pretty common with adults who are not used to Parallel Bars.

Don't let your shoulders sag as much and there should be less pressure on your palms.

I am trying to push myself up as high as possible. Do you think it will go away in time?

Yes. Again, a lot of adults find discomfort in their palms when they are new to PB.

Blairbob said:

Yes. Again, a lot of adults find discomfort in their palms when they are new to PB.

Well today I tried making my wrists straight and push my chest out a bit more and it didnt hurt as much.

The wrists are meant to be straight right? Or is there meant to be a slight bend?

thanks for all your help blairbob I appreciate it.

There is one thing that I cannot get yet. Maybe I am just stupid. :roll:

So you say: "Do handstand work for 10 minutes with resting. Hold the handstand position for 60 seconds". What if I can only hold it for 3 seconds? Should I do 20 reps for 3 seconds and they'll count for one 60 second set?

Well, is that a 3s free handstand or wall HS?

10 minutes with rest refers to using wall HS typically. You split up the time between doing HS and just resting.

Bdk1786 said:

Zingam said:

There is one thing that I cannot get yet. Maybe I am just stupid. :roll:

So you say: "Do handstand work for 10 minutes with resting. Hold the handstand position for 60 seconds". What if I can only hold it for 3 seconds? Should I do 20 reps for 3 seconds and they'll count for one 60 second set?

I wouldn't put 10mins of HS work into your pre req, only the 60s part. If you can only hold your HS for 3s, maybe you should try some box HS or something easier. A member did his HS work with a straight over head hold.

No, no That was just an example exercise. I can hold a HS on a wall a little bit longer. :oops:

I've started recently but meanwhile I've managed to injure my elbow, so I haven't done any real exercises for a couple of weeks and I don't know exactly where I am now. I am just doing cardio and core exercises now and hope to restart working out soon but no more weights - just FBE. I can do 9 pushups on 5 fingers before they break and probably 25 on fists but it is too boring to count.

Wouldn't 20 reps x 3 secs + the rest = 10 minutes to a beginner anyway?

20 reps of 3s in a total time of 10m? Yeah, that might be decent for a beginner.

Well, to be honest handstand was not what I really had in mind. I have a problem with balancing in frog stand. I was doing it wrong. It would take me up to a minute of kicking until I was able to even hold it for a second. Yesterday I found a good description how to do it properly, suddenly I was able to hold it at almost each attempt for 10+ seconds. So I am able to start building on that finally.

Knowing the proper technique saves a lot of energy!