So far, the extra pushup practice has paid off a bit. I improved from 3 reps/set in the pushups on my Above The Rings days to 5 reps/set. I was able to do 6 reps/set on my Below The Rings days because my triceps had not been worked by doing dips.
Today was my last Below The Rings day in Phase 1. The Rings One program schedule says I should begin Phase 2 next week. However, the manual says I should not adhere strictly to the schedule. If I'm not comfortable, I am free to stay in my current Phase for as long as it takes, before advancing to the next Phase. I watched the training videos for Level A, Phase 2. I'm confident I can start on the Above The Rings portion of Phase 2, because I feel I can handle all three exercises. I already do Dips and have done Top Position Tuck Sit holds in the past. I think I can handle the Assisted Tuck to Shoulder Stand.
What I wasn't sure about was the Below The Rings portion, which is also composed of three exercises: Pullups, Inverted Tuck Roll Chins, and Skin The Cat. I'm doing pull-ups for reps now so I'm fine with that exercise. It's the latter two I was worried about, so when I got home, I tried those two for the first time. I did one rep of the Inverted Tuck Roll Chin without any problem and could have done more. This was a pleasant surprise because of my struggles to execute the Jump to Tuck to Inverted Hang, which is the prerequisite to this exercise. The Skin The Cat I was most worried about because I'd never done this move before, and I've had a previous injury to one of my shoulders. This looked like a move that could pose some serious trouble to my shoulders if I mess up. On my first couple of attempts, just as I'd anticipated, from the inverted hang position, I struggled to lower myself into the German Hang (the finishing position of Skin The Cat), because of the fear of injuring my shoulders. Fortunately, I'd set the rings at a relatively low height so if anything went wrong, all I had to do was extend my legs and stand up on the floor. I started to conquer my fear by extending one leg and letting a toe touch the floor, then tucking it back and extending the other leg. Finally, I was able to lower myself into the German Hang with my legs tucked so that the feet wouldn't touch the floor. I was also able to pull my body back out of the German hang into the inverted hang. Success! I watched the training video again and noticed that unlike the Crossfit style, the Skin The Cat just starts and stops in Inverted Hang, at least for Level A, Phase 2.
Another thing that helped me get comfortable with the German hang was GMB's update of Rings One - specifically the Warmup routine. They added shoulder mobility movements in which you use a towel or similar cloth item to stretch your shoulders, and two of those movements move your arms in and out of the German hang (or where they would be if you were hanging in that position).
Regarding the Levels, Rings One is actually presented in two levels - A and B. Level A is for those new to ring training and Level B is for those who have previous experience or are just too strong to get any benefit out of Level A. I took a peek at Level B, Phase 1 and quickly determined it was too difficult for me. My strength is somewhere between Level A and Level B at Phase 1, and just right for Level A, Phase 2.
Part 2 will be the report of my final workout for Phase 1, which is my last Above The Rings session i this Phase.
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