Monday, January 23, 2017

Rings One, Phase 1, Level B, Week 1, Day 1

Despite what I said in a previous post, I decided to switch back to R1 (Rings One) instead of staying with P1 for another week.  

The reason is the shoulder continues to be more loose than I like, thanks to an old injury - it was diagnosed as a possible subluxation or impingement.  I don't think P1 has necessarily made it worse, but it's not improving in stability.

Rings have always been more forgiving to my shoulders than parallettes.  For a change I'm going with Level B in Phase 1 of the program, subbing less difficult exercises for the two that are too hard for me right now.

R1, Phase 1, Level B, Above The Rings

Dips - 7 reps. Quality: Smooth. Ease: Solid

Assisted Tuck to Tuck Shoulder Stand (sub for Tuck To Tuck Shoulder Stand) - 3 reps. Quality: Rough. Ease: Challenging

Inverted Push-Ups - 5 reps. Quality: Rough. Ease: Challenging

Push-Ups - 6 reps. Quality: Rough. Ease: Challenging.  In the past, I've done this move on the rings starting from the standard plank ("normal" top position).  I noticed the instruction is actually to get into the Hollow Body Plank (rounded upper back, "hollow" chest, etc.) and maintain it.  This is actually easier on the shoulders, despite the increased difficulty level of Hollow Body Plank vs. Standard Plank.

Jump To Dips - 6 reps. Quality: Rough. Ease: Solid

Tuck Hold (sub for L-Sit) - 25 sec. Quality: Smooth.  Ease: Solid

After the end of the workout and cool-down stretches, the shoulder is noticeably more stable.  It still feels like it can "click" in/out of the socket, but I have to go a bit more out of my way to make it do that. Because of this, I will stick with R1 for the duration of Phase 1, then decide where to go from there.

The above workout looks a lot like Phase 2, Level A, Above the Rings, except for the addition of the Inverted Push-Ups and Push-Ups.  I'm puzzled why these two valuable pressing movements are omitted from the Phase 2, Level A version.  It seems like not having them to build critical forward and upward pressing strength makes it harder for the trainee to achieve his/her first Tuck to Tuck Shoulder Stand.  When I look at P1, I see both equivalent movements included in the preparation for the P1 equivalent of the Tuck to Tuck Shoulder Stand.


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