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Wide grip front lever and scapular retractors


LSt
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Hi!

I'm new to this forum, so let me introduce myself. I'm from Bulgaria, 21 years old and study medicine. I have some experience with bodybuilding style weight training, but i seem not to enjoy lifting weights anymore. So I have been doing only calisthenics (bar and rings) work for about 2 years and i am completely satisfied with my progress, both in strength and mass. However, i want to develop my skills on a higher level, so some advanced help is needed.

My current skills are:

Solid front lever on rings 10+ sec

Supinated back lever on rings 2+ sec (I have little experience with this one)

One arm chin-up (I haven't been training this for about a year, but i am still able to do 1, sometimes 2, deadhang)

1 full ab-wheel rollout

Tuck planche (I am new to this)

8 deadstop HeSPU stomach-to-wall

Deadhang muscle-ups on bar, about 10 (though i don't do them anymore).

170cm, 70kg, ~8%bf

So, my goals for the next several months are to work towards freestanding handstand (without kip), press handstand, full supinated back lever for at least 15 sec and to make my tucked planche more stable. As you can see, this is mostly hollow body, pushing work. I need to somehow balance this with some pulling, trap&rhomboid dominant work. While the normal full front lever is huge for lats, i doubt it will do much for trap development. So what do you think for the wide grip FL, done on bar. I personally feel it more in my upper back (and even lats) than the normal FL.

The other option for me is to hit the gym twice a week and do some snatch-grip deadlifts with moderate volume. I have done them several times in the past and they completely smoked my traps, lats, lower back, rear delts ( !! ), abs, glutes and hams. And they somehow improved my posture tremendously. So, i think i can sacrifice the front lever for 1-2 months and do SGDL instead, as a more complex exercise. So what do you think?

And last question - considering my current strength status, what do you think is the best way to develop e free standing handstand and a handstand press?

Thanks in advance!

P.S. For lower body and ab-work I do pistols and some Double kettlebell work (mainly swings), hanging leg raises and ab-wheel. I sometimes do pull-ups, band face pulls and band pull aparts to balance the static front lever work with some dynamic work. But i feel it may not be enough.

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Parth Rajguru

For scapular retractors, adding assistance exercises at the end of a training session will be sufficient. Band pull aparts, face pulls, powell raise, front support on stall bars, etc. are all good. You shouldn't ignore scapular depression and external rotation of the humerus. There are many movements that can be done with bodyweight or with dumbbells/barbells or even with resistance bands/cable pulleys.

Snatch Grip Deadlift is a great movement, especially for the lower body. Why do you think you have to choose between front lever and SGDL? They are different skills entirely, and the SGDL does not use the musculature in the same way as the front lever.

The handstand is primarily a skill, treat it that way in your training. Prehab and mobility focusing on the wrists and shoulders is essential.

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OK, what do you think about this training routine:

Workout A:

Cranks 3x1 (with FL hold)

Snatch grip deadlift 5x10

Pull-ups (retracted) 50reps

Cable face-pull (with external rotation) 3x15

Workout B:

HeSPU stomach-to-wall 25reps

Front Lever-to-Back Lever on rings 5 sets (no failure)

Bulgarian Ring dips 1x? (for that gladiator chest look :D )

Whenever i feel comfortable, i'll do kick up to wall handstand and will remove my feet trying to hold this position for time. When I achieve 1 min freestanding hold, i'll stop using the wall. I'll also do some hamstring stretches and thoracic spine foam rolling as my flexibility needs some improvement for the press handstand.

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