Sunday Show Off - Where you're a baus if you even say you started the beginner routine!

[ren1988]

@iwaskingonce In comparison to my legs I have a lot more upper body strength for sure, but the difference in doing 30 pull ups and 15 is just muscle stamina. I've read several posts here on it, the search bar is probably a good place to start with that. You just gotta do a lot of reps every day, your body will start to get used to it.

 

[addraornun]

@groo101 I made a video of different ways to approach headstand. I'm amazed when I think that this time last year this seemed utterly impossible.

I've been working on back flexibility too, and simultaneously getting less afraid of being upside down in this pose. It's more about trusting that I'm strong enough to lift back up and out of it. Oh, and remembering to breathe. Breathing is important.

Also working on arm balances this week. I normally practice this pose with palms flat and hands facing forward, but my boss taught me this variation last week. It's challenging, but fun!

 

[fwchsn2]

@addraornun That pose is crazy!

 

[addraornun]

@fwchsn2 It's wild. Inversions are one thing, but man, add a backward bend that stimulates your central nervous system and at first it seems like a recipe for anxiety. But if you can get a few deep, even breaths as you ease into the back bend, it calms the heart rate down a little bit and the chest and shoulders get more pliable and agreeable. It feels so crazy though.

 

[rsaeger]

@addraornun Thats awesome, do you have any tips for working up to that second pose or what the poses are called

 

[addraornun]

@rsaeger The headstand is sirsasana, the second one is a hollow back version of pincha mayurasana (feathered peacock pose), and the third one is called bakasana (crane pose) when the hands are backward and titibhasana (firefly pose) if the hands face forward.

For the forearm stand, I did a lot of different preps in dolphin pose.
* Transition between dolphin and forearm plank/side plank
* Dolphin push-ups
* One-legged forearm stand

For crane/firefly, I have the arm strength but lack some core stability and hip mobility. Frog stretch helps the hip mobility, and navasana, boat pose, has helped with core and spinal stability a lot.

 

[midddeb]

@addraornun When I try headstand, I always feel like too much of my weight is on my head instead of my arms. Pushing more with my arms doesn't seem to help that much because they're not directly underneath the rest of my body like my head is. Do you have any tips for correcting this?

 

[addraornun]

@midddeb If tripod headstand makes you feel like there is too much weight on the neck, a traditionally bound headstand can offer more support. You have the whole length of your forearms to press into, and can use that to keep the weight out of your neck.

In tripod, it is a big load on the cervical spine, so alignment becomes crucial. Make sure that you are on the very crown of your head--the eye gaze should look straight behind you. Think about stacking yourself: Toes over hips over shoulders. Never go into the pose unless you can do so with control--don't get into the habit of kicking up into headstand at a wall because it causes a "banana back" that is hard to correct and puts a ton of weight on the neck at an awkward angle.

Usually if I feel like the weight is not even between the tripod points, I'll stay in the tuck position and try to shift weight around there. Once I find that sweet spot, then I extend the legs. It's not necessarily about pushing more with the hands, but rather shifting the weight a little bit back into them.

Also, the angle of your arms matters a lot. I find that if the bend at my elbows is not a good solid right angle, it throws the rest of the posture off a lot. Hope this useful!

 

[midddeb]

@addraornun Okay, thanks! I will try to record myself next time and check out the angle of my arms and how the weight is distributed.

 

[starfish49]

@groo101 Started StartBodyweight on 1/4/15. Could do 1 pull-up. I was sad, until I realized: why would I think I could do pull-ups after not having done them for a decade. Been doing the routine 3 times a week since and am now up to pull-up sets of 5, 4, 4. I have a long way to go, but I hope this inspires someone else who can only do 1 (or zero) pull-ups!

 

[joseph700]

@starfish49 know that you only get better too!! great progress!!

 

[fwchsn2]

@groo101 This week I completed 2 workouts, my very first organized/intentional workouts is a long long time. I hope to be strong enough to not fall apart at a week long dance camp in May.

 

[dawn16]

@fwchsn2 Dancing is tough, but you have quite a few months to prepare. Be consistent and you'll be blown away by what a few months can do for you.

 

[fwchsn2]

@dawn16 Yeah, my prefered style (same as I'm going to camp for) is essentially mini squats. I'm additionally focusing hard on my knee alignment.

 

[sajamor]

@groo101 Handstand progress yay!

So yesterday was the outtakes. Friday I finally nailed the balancing/stacking component of headstands (while not-so-stealthily preparing my still somewhat dodgy wrist for handstands along the way)

Pullups are progressing nicely. Hit 5x5x3.75 kg(8.25 lbs) chest-to-bar pullups and full ROM dips, @ ~81 kg/178.5 lbs bodyweight.

AND i met my rep goals for pullups in the PLP challenge - got 6x8 yesterday (not all chest-to-bar though). 20 days to go!

 

[dawn16]

@groo101 Grade 3 hamstring strain in April.

Box jumped 42.5 inches today, standing.

Baby steps!

 

[gustav]

@groo101 I've had a fantastic week for progress! I've been working on the beginner routine, but unfortunately only intermittently, since around the beginning of the year.

This week I got my first 30 second tuck L-sit, a new freestanding handstand record of 18 seconds, and two consecutive dead hang pull ups for the first time! That's pretty big for me, considering I couldn't do tuck L-sits or dead hang pull ups at all before starting, and my handstands couldn't have been longer than 5 seconds.

 

[dawn16]

@groo101 I did an L-sit for a few seconds for the first time two days ago.

WHATSUP?

 

[holdfast4yourlife]

@groo101 I completed 3x2 pullups - Like a Boss!

 

[perez1001]

@groo101 i stopped working out for a couple months, and now i am getting back into it. starting over sucks.