Got my first ever FULL Iron Cross in 10 months!! (AMA)

[summer63]

UPDATE: After attaining the iron cross, I am now working on attaining the Maltese and Inverted Cross.

Ever since I first touched rings exactly 1 year ago in May 2020, I never would have imagined this.

I started playing around with iron cross attempts from August 2020 onwards, and started proper programming from October 2020 (i.e. keeping elbows hyper-extended, no more just attempts but proper programmed progressions), and finally got my first ever Full Iron Cross (1 sec hold) today!!

My starting strength was roughly 5 bar muscle ups / 23 pull ups / 30 pbar dips / handstand walks (but no handstand still holds), but zero straight arm strength- no back lever, front lever, straddle planche, etc. I had done a bit of tucked and advanced tucked planche work during the 2 months from when I had just begun training on rings, before I started the iron cross training, but that was pretty much it.

The iron cross-specific exercises/progressions I did were as follows (in order of difficulty as per my opinion):

• Bent arm ring support hold
• Dips (first forearms against straps, then normal, then rto at the top)
• RTO Support Hold (but elbows not fully locked-out/hyper-extended)
• RTO Dips (first band-assisted, then without)
• Strap + band-assisted iron cross isometric hold/pullouts.
• Strap iron cross hold (could hold up to 12 seconds, before I proceeded to next progression)
• (No Strap) Band-assisted iron cross hold- resistance band hanging from bar above (but no locked out elbows)= this was where I plateaued.
• RTO Support Hold- but this time with strict locked-out/hyper-extended elbows (first normal, then 15-30°) = this helped break the plateau**
• Feet on platform + band-assisted iron cross pull outs = this also helped break the plateau**
• Feet on platform (no bands) iron cross pull outs = this helped condition elbows greatly**
• 45-60° RTO Support Hold (for warm up before the band-assisted iron cross holds)
• Band-assisted iron cross hold- two resistance bands hanging from each ring to each of my feet (now, completely locked out/hyper-extended elbows) = this is the closest progression to full IC**
• Then finally, I tried a full iron cross hold without the bands- and I got it (1 sec hold).

The muscles I could feel being worked (in order of the magnitude of stress placed upon them) were:

• Chest (especially around the sternum area- there tended to be mild tenderness at times)
• Latissimus dorsi
• Serratus anterior (front scapula)
• Rhombus / Traps (back scapula)
• Shoulders (all three heads: front, medial and rear)
• Biceps and elbow muscle (and yes, the tendons/ligaments too)
• Forearms (but this usually isn't the limiting factor)
• Neck (make sure you warm this up to avoid injuries)
• Core, to some extent (but not as much as planche / maltese)

During every session, I focus on which one (or more if I'm feeling daring) aspects of the following to improve:

1. Progressive overload (heavier weight / less resistance) = I prefer this method the most*
2. Time under tension (i.e. longer isometric holds) = I also like this method
3. Concentric movements = this is really the best bang for buck, but takes so much energy
4. Frequency (more sessions) = sometimes I do this, but if needed I take an extra 1-3 days to rest

On a day I wish to "max out" and basically attempt a higher progression (e.g. less resistance or longer time):

• I would wear nice and tight (snug) elbow compression guards
• Warm up shoulders, biceps and elbows- with (weighted pull ups) and one or two muscle ups
• I do several easier progressions / lower resistance- but at 30-50% effort than I would if I were doing normal conditioning
• Attempt the higher progression while BLASTING music and waiting for the beat to fucking drop
• LOCK ELBOWS; SQUEEZE LATS & CHEST TIGHT; HANG ON AS LONG AS YOU CAN FOR DEAR LIFE

The most important thing was to listen to my body. When I'd first started, I could only train IC specific training once every 1-2 weeks. Right now, I usually train it every 3-5 days up til a week if I'm busy. But if I have an extra session, I take an extra 1-2 days to rest. I also tried to be creative with my training and focused on a lot of straight arm strength (ratio of SAS to BAS is about 3:1 actually). Lastly, I recorded every session and tracked/assessed my progress. OHHH, also it's just my experience- but I find that upping collagen intake (bone soup, collagen powder) & vitamin C (fruits) greatly helped my recovery.

I'm happy to share what I know and experienced during my journey so far- which is still going strong!

My immediate future goals are front/back lever, planche, maltese, ring handstand and inverted cross.

My long-term future goals are Azarians, Nakayamas, Van gelders, Zanettis, Balandin 2s, Jotchevs, etc. Basically, all the higher-level rings elements in the Gymnastics Code of Points. (See: Liu Yang's Routine)

In the meantime, regardless of whether I've attained a full planche/maltese/inverted cross on rings, I'm simultaneously working advanced elements on my DIY Dream Machine rings set (can be scaled up with weights): here's an example of me doing one Dream Machine Rings Routine (albeit with poor form since it was shot 1.5 months ago before I started fixing the lack of lock-out/hyper-extension in my elbows):

• Azarian to Maltese
• > Nakayama (Back Lever to Iron Cross)
• > Cross Pull to Support
• > Planche
• > Nakayama
• > Muscle up to Support
• > Press to Handstand
• > Inverted Cross
• > Planche
• > Iron Cross

P.S. My weight is 68kg at 167cm / 150 lbs at 5'6. When I started a year ago, I was 63kg. So I gained 5kg.

My straps are 5'8: so, not too far off from the actual ring tower in a gymnastics gym, which is 9.8 feet.

 

[lifethatwins]

@summer63 Congrats! And good luck on your other goals!

 

[summer63]

@lifethatwins thank you!

 

[dawn16]

@summer63 Wah sick. Nice job la

 

[summer63]

@dawn16 shag bro haha

 

[jcjo]

@dawn16 singlish?

 

[richtoday]

@summer63 that's really really cool and you achieved that all pretty quickly considering you started 1 year ago

what are you next goals and how do you plan to achieve them

 

[summer63]

@richtoday UPDATE: Immediate goal now is maltese - here is my most recent maltese progression training!

Immediate goal is to get solid front & back levers (5 secs min). For these, I'll be doing (lightly) band-assisted front / back levers on my waist-level rings (yupp, it's my 3rd set of rings haha).

In addition, maltese and full planche. For planche, I'm focusing on doing leans (feet on a swiss ball) to get lower, and doing zanetti presses (at 12kg DB presses rn; already bought 15-24kg DBs). For maltese, I'm doing maltese attempts and leans (i.e. feet-supported on a platform) on rings (band-assisted) as well as strapped/band-assisted (mainly tucked and straddle, for now) presses!

I'm aiming to get inverted cross too. For this, I'm practicing solid (locked-out) ring handstands (with a band in between the rings to stabilise at first) and also inverted cross dumbbell presses (right now I'm at 12kg DB presses; will increase it up to hopefully half or my entire bodyweight- 68kg overall- in the future).

I anticipate the above will take me 1-4 years.

Once I get these skills above, and even if I haven't gotten them yet, I'll work the dream machine rings (my 4th set of rings)- and do Azarians, Nakayamas, Van gelders, Zanettis, Balandin 2s, Jotchevs, etc. Basically, all of the higher-level rings elements in the Gymnastics Code of Points.

Here's an example of me doing one Dream Machine Rings Routine (albeit with poor form since it was shot 1.5 months ago before I started fixing the lack of lockout/hyperextension in my elbows):

• [Azarian to Maltese > Nakayama (Back Lever to IC) > Cross Pull to Support > Planche > Nakayama > Muscle up to Support > Press to Handstand > Inverted Cross > Planche > IC]

I anticipate the above journey will last me a lifetime (however, if I can accelerate it to 4-8 years, I would be very happy too hahahaha)

 

[philip1979]

@summer63 I think it’s just bizarre you have an IC but not FL or BL.

No idea what to make of it, but I think it’s something for the bwf community to consider when we blast impressionable newbies with “pre-reqs” that are really just other movements with only tertiary applicability to their goals.

 

[theway2013]

@summer63 Sick progress! Did you use bands of varying resistance or just the one band?

 

[summer63]

@theway2013 Yes! I used 3 different resistance bands- however, I varied the way I used them.

The resistance of my bands are:

• 11-30kg
• 7-16kg
• 2-5kg

I initially hung a single band from a bar under my feet- you can also put the bottom of the band under your butt, or hang a pair of resistance bands under your armpits (double loop them or tie several knots- but make sure they're evenly balanced).

However, what worked best for me were two ways of configuring the rings / using the bands.

(I had 2 pairs of rings set up- one set on top; and one set on the bottom hanging from the top rings):

1. For my platform-assisted cross pull outs, I would hang a pair of resistance bands from the top rings, and put them under my armpits.
2. For my band-assisted cross holds, I would hang a pair of resistance bands from the top rings, and put them under my feet.

I scaled my bands' resistance by first double looping them, then when I got better I hung them as you normally would with a knot- but tie 2 or 3 extra knots. When I get better, I release 1 knot.

Hope this helps!

P.S. I find that when calculating resistance bands, as a rule of thumb:

• 1x the original length = the lower amount (e.g. for the first band I listed above- 11kg);
• 2x the original length = the average of the higher and lower resistance (e.g. 20kg);
• 3x the original length = the maximum resistance listed for the band (e.g. 30kg).

If you tie multiple knots, just calculate accordingly- takes a bit of tedious math, but can be done.

 

[theway2013]

@summer63 Big thanks bro!

 

[summer63]

@theway2013 no worries!

 

[jermyn]

@summer63 VERY clean! Well done! Congrats on that new gain!

 

[summer63]

@jermyn thank you so much!

 

[missysylvester]

@summer63 Well done! Congrats!

Love the rings hanging from rings setup by the way.

 

[summer63]

@missysylvester thank you! i set it up ard 2 months ago- it looks ugly in clips, but it's versatile and super effective!

 

[superbob97]

@summer63 Could you explain why you have your set up like this? As someone very new to rings training, I’m not sure what function the extra set of rings serves.

 

[summer63]

@superbob97 Top rings:

• Summary- Any and all rings elements.
• Muscle Ups / Pull ups / Dips / RTO Dips / Iron Cross / Levers, etc.

Bottom rings:

• Summary- Progression exercises, especially those close to the ground.
• Iron Cross progressions (eg. pullouts) / Maltese progressions (banded) / Levers (banded).
• Handstand work / Handstand push ups on rings / Push ups, etc.

Additionally, I can use the top rings to hang my resistance bands for progression exercisies like maltese box presses. For a more visual example, see: My Maltese Training - Part 2 Vid.

These ideas are just off the top of my head. The possibilities are limitless depending on your creativity.

 

[superbob97]

@summer63 I see, thanks. A very nice set up if you have the space/height!