German hang and back lever practice

I understand that the german hang is a prereq for back lever, however the flexiblity required for GH is much greater than for BL. The tension approaching that hang position feels like it's choking me and i makes me feel rather nauseous. Soooo is it possible to work on back levers using the standard progressions, tuck, adv tuck, straddle, etc without having GH? Or should I just forget about GH/BL for now - which is ok as well.

Also does performing a fully supported at the feet BL have any benefit for BL? It feels a bit simiar to doing the reverse plank.

Thank you!

GHs used to make me feel like I had a bit of mucus or whatever clogging up my throat. It was real uncomfortable. It went away through repeated skin-the-cats, though. That's all I can tell you

Also does performing a fully supported at the feet BL have any benefit for BL?

Ehh, it's just an ego boost. It's good to teach you form and positioning and is just about the same as having someone spot you. OTOH, it's kind of silly to always do this for something so basic that does need to constantly be spotted or self-spotted.

If we were talking Iron Crosses, ok. Those are just more difficult to self spot and really guage where you are.

Technically you could train them without mastering the GH. Here's the trick though...if you can't do a GH, most likely your shoulders are all sorts of tight and you really shouldn't be working on the BL. It actually might be dangerous in a sense to do because your shoulders are too tight and will end up getting damaged by a lack of mobility should you work them.

I'm talking about those people who try a skin the cat/GH and have shoulders so tight they can't even lower their hips below horizontal. Super tight shoulders.

Thanks much Blairbob, Zach and Phrak --

That rhymes!

Good points. Thanks for the suggestions.

Haven't been doing much BL related stuff. Can do decent ticks-tocks in

tuck or adv tuck perhaps - however stress mostly in the upper shoulders increases

rapidly when going further towards 6 oclock so I avoid it. Going from 9 to 3 is

comfortable though.

Sometimes practice GH with feet on ground and slowly try to extend.

It probably is back/trap/neck/shoulder tightness related to working at a desk

most of my life.

Anyway off to the daily grind. Cheers!