Isochain Promethean Week 3

 I've done 3 sessions in a row with Deadlift target load set to 160 lbs.  I can complete 6 reps of 6 second holds, but my GMB Ease score is still Challenging.  Even though GMB has nothing to do with the Isochain manual, and the Quality score doesn't seem to matter because there's no movement, I still find it useful to assess Ease to determine whether or not to advance in load. 

With the Bicep Curl, I've done 2 sessions in a row at a 50 lb. target load with a Challenging score, so I dropped the load for this movement as well.

For the Shoulder Press, I tried lowering the bar to chin level height, so that it's closer to the bottom position of the movement, though not all the way.  I've been struggling to generate consistent force for this drill with the bar at a greater height, and the shoulder pain while raising the bar to that height to start has also been a concern.  At the chin level height, there's no pain to raise the bar, and I'm able to generate more force with less effort.

I continue to re-read and review The Ultimate Isometrics Manual. I noticed yet another error in how I'm practicing the Promethean program.  I didn't fully understand that it is a "double progression" program.  You're supposed to progress in reps up to 6, and then progress in load.  That is what "double progression" means in the book.

I began the week with a Deadlift load of 160 lbs and ended with a load of 145 lbs.  I can train with a higher load than 145 lbs but at the point, I need to work on proper usage of full-body tension.  The manual warns against ramping up too fast ("yanking") but ramping up too slow can also be an issue.  I will begin training next week at an even lower load of 140 lbs.  I want to improve on how I generate tension and sustain it for 6 seconds for the deadlift.  I am willing to continue dropping the target load until I am able to train without causing the Isochain timer - in Timer Mode - to reset itself.

I finished the week practicing Bicep Curl with a target load of 45 lb, after dropping the load from 50 to 40 for Wednesday training, then moving up to 45 for Friday.  The book Power To The People mentions wave cycling, which is the concept of dropping the target load every now and then, instead of training at the same load for several consecutive sessions, in hopes of eventually becoming strong enough to increase the target load.  As with the Deadlift, I still have room for improvement in how I sustain fully body tension for the Bicep Curl.

I finished the week with a target load of 40 lb for the Shoulder Press, which is the heaviest load that I've used yet for this drill.  For next week, I will try to progress in reps from 4 to 6, then evaluate whether to apply wave cycling and thus drop the load for the following week.  The shoulder feels better than it did at the start of the week.

So for the Wednesday session, I dropped the load to 155 lbs.

Advice for practicing music and miscallany

 

ElectronicBeats Top 20 Records of 2020

5 Tips & Tricks for the Teenage Engineering OP-1 

Twist Hold Observations and other thoughts

The Twist Hold is the third hold of the Trifecta, which is a joint health training program described in detail in the book Convict Conditioning 2.  Some critics of the Trifecta state that better exercises are available for flexibility, but the purpose of Trifecta is joint health and "bulletproofing" the joints, not achieving the best possible flexibility at the risk of joint health.

Here is Aleks Salkin describing and demonstrating the Trifecta exercises:

I've struggled to progress past the 3/4 Twist variation of the Twist Hold progression.  I tried practicing the assistance stretches suggested by Al Kavadlo, who modeled the Trifecta exercises in the book, but remained stuck.

Today I realized that what has been holding me back is a very simple detail that I'd overlooked.  I had the palm of my arm - the one leveraging against the leg - facing away from the leg, with the elbow locked out.  Why was this a problem?  Well, this prevents the arm from being able to snake under the knee and reach back to either grab the other hand, or grab a cloth/towel being held at the other end by the other hand.

I've also been using the Trifecta wrong.  It's not really supposed to be a cooldown routine after a session of serious strength training.  It's supposed to be done on non-strength training days, or as a warmup.

As an aside, I did an L-Sit variation with palms on the floor instead of parallettes for the first time today.  The easiest variation to do on the floor is the N-Hold variation, which I hadn't been able to do because I lacked the core strength to pull the knees high enough to get the feet off the ground.  For my next Trifecta session, however, I'll switch back to the P-Barz because in the Trifecta, the L-Hold (L-Sit) practice is supposed to be an active stretch of the lower back, not a strength workout per se.  I did have to expend a lot of effort to do the N Hold from the floor.  Aleks Salkin also wrote an L-Hold Tutorial.  I tried this approach a while back but did not get past the "straight leg to N hold" step.  It could have been any number of reasons from not practicing at the correct frequency per week, or not allowing enough rest time, targeting the wrong hold time, etc.  In any case, now that I have the Isochain, I don't really have to work on the L-Hold as a strength exercise.  I wouldn't be surprised if I made "free gains", as Mindful Mover likes to day, on the L-Hold from Isochain Promethean training, because all 3 exercises work the core with increasing intensity as the target load goes up.  I can just practice easier variations of the L-Hold as part of Trifecta.

Speaking of Mindful Mover, I saw their recent post about how practicing their "Big 5" (Handstand Pushup, One-Arm Chinup, Planche Pushup, Front Lever Row, Squat) with give you free gains on the Deadlift.  While that might be true, I suspect you have to work up to high levels of skill in their Big 5, and to get those high levels of skill you have to be strong anyway.  The problem for me is my shoulder won't let me work on the Planche Pushup or HSPU branches of the Big 5.  The Shoulder Press from Isochain Promethean should, in theory, deliver gains in the HSPU.  The Bicep Curl might have some carryover to One-Arm Chinup, as it is essentially a bodyweight bicep curl.  I suppose I'd have to work up to a double-bodyweight Bicep Curl to see that - or not.  The carryover potential from Deadlift to any of the Big 5 isn't so clear - Front Lever maybe?  Bent Row from Promethean Mark II looks like it has more obvious carryover to the Front Lever Row progression.

Isochain Promethean Week 2

 Progress in the Promethean, as measured by Target Load in each of the 3 drills, continued a little, then settled into what I think are supposed to be my working loads.  My progress in the first week was artificial in that I picked arbitrarily low target load values for my very first session, and worked up from there.  According to the Promethean guidelines, I could technically still increase my load values for the Deadlift and Bicep Curl, for the next session, as I did complete all 6 sets of 6-second holds.  However, the Isochain timer was reset a couple of times because I failed to sustain the force consistently.  So I will train at the same loads again, until there are no more timer resets.  The loads are heavy enough that I can finally feel my biceps working in the Bicep Curl, and my lower back getting a little sore from Deadlift.   I hope this doesn't mean there is a deficiency in my Deadlift technique.  I've been paying attention to applying pressure through the heels of my feet.

I briefly experimented with training the Shoulder Press with the bar set to the same height as the top of my head, because I thought I might be able to apply more force to the bar at that position.  However, the shoulder was easier to irritate so for the rest of the week, I set the bar back to several inches above top of head height.  The load for this drill is only 30lbs.  I did complete all 6 reps of 6-sec. holds today, but I'm not satisfied with my quality of performance.  There is a groove for the Shoulder Press that I find once in a while.  Otherwise, the chain is shaking as I struggle to find the groove and thus apply the full-body force to the chain, unlike the Bicep Curl where I have no problem building up the full-body force.  I started practicing by putting my hands up on the basement ceiling while standing on the stairs to the basement, and applying pressure from my feet to my hand.  I keep the pressure light because this is just practice, not a full isometric strength training session.The pressure that I can apply to the bar just does not feel consistent.  It could be that I am forgetting to squeeze the butt and tighten the abs.

This week I went with the "binary warmup" scheme described in the manual.  I think I'm overdoing it a little because the manual says I shouldn't be huffing and puffing at the end of the general warmup.

The Specific Drill Warmup Sets are actually 2-4 reps per set, not one rep per set.  Rest between reps should be 10-15 seconds, not 1 second.  Load Mode is useful for this warmup because you just set the target load and count the seconds that the Isochain bar beeps off when you hit the target, instead of guessing if you really hit 20% of your max load, then 35%, and so on.  I have a tendency to apply too much effort in this warmup.

The purpose of the cooldown is to relax the body after all the full-body effort being applied to the Isochain.  That is why the isometrics manual does not mention the Trifecta stretches which are covered in detail in the main author's other book, Convict Conditioning 2.  His reasoning is that stretching that is too intense can add tension to the body, rather than reduce it.

I haven't practiced the Trifecta exercises - Bridge, L-Hold, and Twist - for quite a while.  The book recommends practicing Trifecta 3-4 times a week, preferably on non-strength training days.  Thus, I'm thinking of practicing Trifecta before a GMB Elements session, which is usually on days between Isochain training days, and on weekends.  I just have to remember to not overdo the effort, especially on weekends when I should be recovering from a week of Isochain training.

REVERSE BREATHING AND THE MICROCOSMIC ORBIT

The following was copied from a post by Mike Sigman:

REVERSE BREATHING AND THE MICROCOSMIC ORBIT 

I've mentioned some of this before, but I think it's a good topic for the putative "algorithm" series, so I'll take a swipe at it. When you do a reverse-breath, you inhale while slightly pulling in the abdomen and simultaneously pulling up the perineum/anus area. If you do these things correctly, you'll feel a sort of pressure area at the anus/perineum (AP) area that you can sort of pull up the spine to the lower back (Mingmen) area. Upon exhale, you let the pressure area drop forward and downward. This cycle of movement is the basic power-storage movement that is common throughout the Chinese martial-arts. I'm also pretty sure that the mechanism was well-known in the Japanese martial-arts, based on a comment I read in an old novel about ki and power development. Try the above inhale pulling in and upward, then the drop-release exhale a few times. You should be able to feel the general mechanism pretty easily. What makes this mechanism difficult for westerners to grasp has usually been the vague and obscure directions in so many of the old texts and directions. For instance, some directions talk about breathing the qi in through the Huiyin, into the coccyx, up the sacrum, and to the Mingmen. "Breathing the qi" in doesn't so much refer to breathing an exotic energy inward as it refers to pulling the elastic tissues of that area inward. Next, as you do the inhale part of the cycle, pay attention to the superficial area of the back and your spine ... try to push the slight tension in the lower back up the outside of the spine to the top of the head, on the inhale. Just get it generally correct, without worrying too much about perfection. On the exhale, as the dantian drops forward and downward, imagine that drop as pulling tension area from the top of the head down to the lower abdomen. Mentally follow that more superficial/outside-ish circuit that works in synchronicity with the cycle of the reverse-breath inhale and exhale. Now, let's return to previous discussions about a reverse breath and how, when you have your arms and fingers slightly extended, you can feel the pull-inward at the fingertips (maybe other places, too, depending upon your development) with the inhaled reverse-breath. Imagine the tissues you feel at your fingertips and part of an elastic, sheet-like connection over your body and that you feel the pull at the fingertips because your elastic "suit" is being pulled upward at the perineum/anus area. Do a few inhales and feel for that connection between the fingertips and the perineum/anus/huiyin. As your body's elastic connection continues to develop, you'll begin to feel the connection grow and spread to all over the body. It's this connection that the dantian uses to control the body.

 

CAST IN RESIN, MOVING AGAINST WATER, AND SO ON 

The idea of "cast in resin" is the same basic idea that has been discussed a number of times in this forum: if you arrange your mind and body, without moving, to get ready to move into any given direction and, the imagination (if it is realistic enough and has real intent in it) is enough for the subconscious mind to trigger the involuntary muscle systems that we use in so much of our movement. 

The general procedure for "cast in resin" is to stand in a balanced position, one foot forward, and without moving the voluntary muscles, feel yourself getting ready to move forward even though your body is imaginarily only held in place because you are inside of one of those clear, plastic resin cubes. Don't make any physical movement, but just get your body ready to move as a whole unit (just like you are pushing your body through water). Don't actually move, but try to realistically feel that you are ready to move forward even though you haven't tensed any muscles. 

Then, without moving again, trying to arrange yourself inside so that you are now ready to move your body and legs, etc., backward. You will know and feel when your body is all aimed and ready to go backward. You can use the same procedure "move your qi" in various other directions. 

The point to think about is that not only does your body use muscle, bones, tendons, and connective tissue for movement… It also uses various stressors caused by involuntary-muscle systems under the command of the subconscious mind. You can't control the subconscious mind directly, but you can ask it to do things by imagining realistically and thus forming a rapport with the subconscious mind where it tries to do as you imagine. 

Perhaps I shouldn't have said "imagining realistically"… You can get the subconscious mind to control the involuntary-muscle systems by imagining some fairly unrealistic things. For instance, I can imagine breathing in through the top of my head and down to my stomach while I inhale through my nose, and imagining that I am pulling an intangible energy through the top of my head: that will trigger parts of my involuntary-muscle systems to react as if I were physically drawing something in through the top of my head, even though of course there is no intangible energy that I am actually pulling in through the top of my head. 

In a number of medical qigong's they will say things like "breathe qi in through the kidney", or something like that, and what they want you to do is imagine you are pulling something in through the kidney area when you inhale: that will help strengthen the involuntary-muscle systems in that area. 

Anyway, the cast in resin model is another simple way to begin learning to control your qi with your mind. Give it a try. Don't forget that reverse breathing is the optimal way to help pull in the qi tissues of the body.

Chen Ziqiang on Chen Village training 

Isochain Promethean Week 1 completed

 I completed Week 1 (3 sessions) of the Isochain Promethean program as described in the book The Ultimate Isometrics Manual by Paul Wade.  The Promethean focuses on what the book states are the three key positions of functional strength - pulling something off the ground (deadlift), holding something (biceps curl), and pushing something (shoulder press).

One area of improvement is the drill-specific warmup.  I have a tendency to apply too much force too soon.  At least for the first warmup set, I'm now comfortable with exerting just enough force to take all the slack out of the chain.   I feel like I'm going harder than necessary sometimes for the 2nd warmup set, and that I'm always going too hard for the last two.  Also, I missed the bit about resting 10-15 seconds between warmup sets.  I was only resting 1-5 seconds.

I entered modest load values for the drills because I haven't practiced the deadlift since my back injury from a deadlifting accident years ago.  I also haven't practiced bicep curls very much.  I'd thought of curls as an isolation exercise.  This isn't the case with the Isochain.  The body has to tighten up to provide a solid platform for the curl to happen.   Another reason to start with a modest load value was my suspect shoulder.  It was responding fine to ring incline pushups and variations of pike pushups, but in the last month, the shoulder developed a soreness that would be aggravated whenever I raised my left hand to tune my guitar.

I still have to consciously engage my external rotators and scapular muscles to stabilize the shoulder, and thus manage or eliminate pain, when I tune my guitar.  But after these 3 sessions, there is a noticeable improvement in how my shoulder feels.  The book mentions research indicating that isometrics has been found to reduce or eliminate joint pain.  The improvement of how my shoulder feels seems to bear this out.I did have to pay extra attention to keeping my scapulae protracted, to protect the shoulder, engage the lats and enhance performance in the shoulder press. The next test will come when I progress closer to my bodyweight load in the Shoulder Press. The book says that because there is no movement in isometrics, the shoulder will be fine. I'll find out!

One early struggle was figuring out the appropriate chain lengths for each exercise. What took a particularly long amount of time was finding a pain-free position for the shoulder press. I ended up ordering a bag of nylon cable tags, found by searching "cable label". They're basically plastic tags with zip ties. Anyway, I'm using those to speed up the process of adjusting the chain for various drills.

I generally aimed for the middle position in all 3 drills.  Initially the recommended middle position for the shoulder press, which has the handle at the top of the head, was uncomfortable for the shoulder, so for the first 2 sessions I had the handle set about 6 inches higher than the head.

I really like the Isochain's electronics which signal to me when my force production has reached the target load, and then counts off to me the seconds that I sustain the force.   I even like being informed that my force production has slipped below the target load.

I also like being able to practice the deadlift again.   I missed that whole-body tension that I got only from standing up with a heavily loaded barbell.  I don't however miss the risk of injury that comes with working with a heavy barbell.  I also look forward to trying the front squat, Zercher lift, and other barbell-inspired drills.  

My tentative plan is to do the Promethean for the prescribed 6-8 weeks, then switch to Promethean Mark II for the following 6-8 weeks.  Then after that I will do an assessment of where I'm at in the handstand pushup progression.  I practice GMB Elements on the days I have off from Isochain training, so I get a little bit of preparatory work for hand balancing from that.  I'm also practicing easier variations of the shrimp squat to maintain the balance and coordination for that movement.

Guitar Lesson videos

 Some videos I'm saving for future study:

 Post about using the Donna Lee head for soloing

 Around the World in Seven Scales

Random Pedal maker find: https://www.copilotfx.com/main.html

Isochain Promethean Session 1

 I continue to have a lingering soreness in my left shoulder whenever I raise my left hand to about shoulder height, left of the shoulder.  The soreness is alleviated by conscious contraction of the left external rotator cuff/shoulder blade muscles.  

On top of that, I have soreness in my forearms, especially the left.  This is probably from holding the iPad with my left hand.  while I practice on the GeoShred Pro app with my right hand.  The soreness would intensify when practicing pullups and rowing movements on the rings.

Then Dragondoor announced a discount on their new Isochain, a high-tech device for isometric exercise, a well as a discount on their new isometric training manual.  This looked like an intriguing way to continue strength training with less risk of aggravation or injury to the shoulder or forearms/elbows.  The pursuit of the Handstand Pushup will have to wait for another day.

The manual presents tons of training ideas and programs.  I selected the Prometheus program, since it was recommended for people new to isometrics such as music.  Actually, it turns out the manual describes practicing front-lever holds and other gymnastic/calisthenic holds as isometric training, so I guess I'm not totally new to it, but I'm definitely new to bar-and-chain isometrics.  

The first session took a bit long because of the time spent figuring out appropriate chain lengths of each of the 3 drills in Prometheus.  Here are the results, with load as entered into the Isochain:

Deadlift - 120lbs - 4 reps of 6 seconds easily achieved, so increase to 125 next time

Curl - 30lbs - Started at 35 lbs but could not hold for full 6 seconds, so dropped to 30lbs.

Shoulder Press - 20lbs - 4 rep of 6 seconds easily achieved, so increase to 25lbs next time.

The setup for Shoulder Press took the longest time, because it took a while to find a chain length and hand positioning that eliminated any shoulder pain.  This turned out to be hands close to shoulder width, bar about a couple of inches above the head.  The manual recommends middle position rather than top or bottom position, for all exercises, but also says exact position does not matter.

So far the shoulder feels a little better and less temperamental to movements like silk-reeling, whereas up to last week, the slightest error in usage of the suit during silk reeling would result in sharp shoulder pain.

Tried a 15-minute session of GMB Elements as warmup but it really extended the length of today's workout, even with the cutting of the Elements cooldown.  Might do the GMB Elements warmup followed by 5 minutes of freeform Elements movement practice instead.

Advice for using MagicDeathEye Stereo compressor and other compressor advice

I just purchased the MagicDeathEye Stereo compressor app on Black Friday sale. It looks like this.

Some tips from Audiobus forum member jolico:

Keep oversampling off. It clips the signal to -0.4. (with oversampling engaged it goes over zero, so keep this switched off) EQ and low cut settings to taste. Also, if any of your sources get too distorted for your liking, just turn down the big “input” knob a few notches. 

Enjoy 😊 

 Just to be clear, these tips and tricks are not meant to replace the services of professional mastering engineers with properly treated rooms, $12000 speakers and priceless outboard gear.

if you EQ something before compression the result will be that the compressor will react on where you push and pull the frequency that you tweak on the EQ. If you compress before the EQ the resulting EQ move will be more pronounced. Easiest way to feel/hear the difference is to maybe pick the EQ PG EQ module and the white 2A. Place the EQ module 1st, the 2A second. Set the output/ compression balance on the white 2A so that the input meter and the output meter are about the same. Best to keep the incoming signal under half for the nature of this test. Then play with the EQ bands one at a time in the PG EQ by pushing them to the right and left. You will hear how the sound changes and notice how the level meter looks on the output when you do this. Now move the EQ module after the white 2A and notice what happens when you do the same thing. It is common practice to EQ and then compress. A lot of the time another EQ might be placed after the compressor in order to maybe brighten things up again or some other change. It's more about gentle/ small tweaks rather than huge adjustments unless you're looking to create something specific in the name of art.When you set up the compressor for level play with the gain reduction so that the input signal is pushing about 1 to 2 db of compression. You'll see the meter on the plugin move a little. 

 

Today's Music Discoveries

 

Some interesting pre-made instruments for sound experimentation and effects

Microphonic Soundbox

https://www.exploding-shed.com/microphonic-soundbox

Azzam Bells

https://www.etsy.com/shop/AzzamBells

Demo of Shanxi Style Xingyiquan (Xing Yi Quan) Five Elements

Also, some cool Dai Xinyiquan stuff

Ring HSPU Progression

 Here's Mindful Mover's Ring HSPU progression

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Martina & Philip Chubb (@the_mindful_mover)

I will try this soon. But I will start at Step Zero instead of Step One - meaning with the rings/hands at higher than the level of the feet instead of at the same height - and work towards getting the rings/hands at the same level as the feet.

Today's Music Discoveries

https://metalinjection.net/lists/dave-davidson-of-gargoyl-counts-down-5-jazz-albums-every-metal-head-should-hear?fbclid=IwAR31Aq_t6uHBb6Jy6l7yb4fIN3v61fBpGXjjppHio5l8w7KO6rImN6VKPqU

HSPU Program Session 78

Prepare
Set up rings.

Practice
Pair 1
16kg Kettlebell Military Press - 4 sets of 5-6 reps. - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
Pullup on Rings w/ 4-6 sec. negative - 4 sets of 7 reps - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
1:30  rest between all sets

4 min. rest before Pair 2

Pair 2
Incline Pushup on Rings w/ 4-sec. negative - 4 sets of 7-8 reps - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
Tuck Front Lever Row (AR) on Rings w/ 4 sec. negative - 4 sets of 6 reps - Quality: Rough, Ease: Challenging
2 min. rest between all sets

Push
L-Arm Stretch
German Hang Stretch
Brachial Hang for about 1 min.

Play
External shoulder rotation exercises on Medium mini-band spread through the afternoon.

Ponder
Getting stronger in all the exercises.  Progressed in the Front Lever to transitioning from Tuck to Advanced Tuck position, practicing under Accommodating Resistance (AR) - Tuck position for concentric movement and Advanced Tuck position for eccentric. 

Today's Music Discoveries

 

https://www.wbgo.org/post/field-studies-manfred-eicher-founder-ecm-records-picks-his-top-five-blue-note-albums?fbclid=IwAR2BXQr5H1J1D5zQqP_yq29ji7tv2T1tJqB2aaByF3HxEmf_keEX54L-WK8#stream/0

HSPU Program Sessions 76-77

16kg KB Military Press - Working in the 5 rep range.

Ring Pullup with External Shoulder Rotator emphasis (pulling pinkies outward) - 6 rep range

Ring Incline Pushup - Working in the 7-8 rep range with decreased incline angle.  Too close to no incline still seems to irritate the shoulder a bit, so I'll keep working with an incline angle.

Front Lever Row - Playing with Advanced Tuck Front Lever eccentrics and Tuck Front Lever concentric.  Will probably go with the Accommodating Resistance protocol promoted by Mindful Mover.

Shrimp Squat - Progressed to sets of 6 reps.

HSPU Program Sessions 73-75

 My body seems to be responding well to increasing the number of sets per exercise to 4 and making Wednesday my "bonus" session for the exercises that I am weakest at.

16kg KB military press - Max reps increased from 4 to 6

Pullups with pinkies out at top for external rotator emphasis - Max reps increased from 4 to 6

Incline pushups on rings - Max reps increased from 6 to 8

Tuck Front Lever Rows - The one exercise in which I saw no improvement, but this might be due to doing more work with pull ups with pinkies turned out.

Lower body performance is about the same.

HSPU Program Session 72

Prepare
Set up rings.

Practice
Pair 1
16kg Kettlebell Military Press - 4 sets of 4-6 reps. - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
Pullup on Rings w/ 4-6 sec. negative - 4 sets of 4-6 reps - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
1:30  rest between all sets

4 min. rest before Pair 2

Pair 2
Incline Pushup on Rings w/ 4-sec. negative - 4 sets of 6-7 reps - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
Tuck Front Lever Rows Rings w/ 4 sec. negative - 4 sets of 6 reps - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
2 min. rest between all sets

Push
L-Arm Stretch
German Hang Stretch
Brachial Hang for about 1 min.

Play
External shoulder rotation exercises on Light mini-band spread through the afternoon.

Ponder
I was too distracted to log my sessions 70 and 71.  Bumping up the volume for all exercises to 4 sets each seems to have boosted my performance a bit, as measured by max number of reps, except in the Tuck Front Lever Row, which was probably reduced by doing more reps per set of pullups.  This tells me that even though the pullup is a vertical pulling exercise, and the tuck front lever row is a horizontal one, there are enough muscle groups used in both exercises that doing a lot of work in one exercise will probably reduce work capacity in the other when done in the same workout.

Today's Music Discoveries

https://metalinjection.net/lists/6-indigenous-metal-bands-you-need-to-know-about

https://shoegazepilipinas.bandcamp.com/album/alunig-a-shoegaze-pilipinas-compilation-volume-1 

https://shoegazepilipinas.bandcamp.com/album/alimb-kad-a-shoegaze-pilipinas-compilation-volume-2?fbclid=IwAR2jIh-E9Z0I15cej1gSUP943lXzq8UyUj5wsgTcIpFHFj_9YXx5KK9B1ak

HSPU Program Session 69

Prepare
Set up rings. 

Practice
Pair 1
16kg Kettlebell Military Press - 4 sets of 4 reps. - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
Pullup on Rings w/ 4-6 sec. negative - 4 sets of 4 reps - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
1:30  rest between all sets

4 min. rest before Pair 2

Pair 2
Incline Pushup on Rings w/ 4-sec. negative - 4 sets of 6 reps - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
Tuck Front Lever Rows Rings w/ 4 sec. negative - 4 sets of 6-77 reps - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
2 min. rest between all sets

Push
Lounge Chair Stretch
L-Arm Stretch
Brachial Hang for about 1 min.

Play
External shoulder rotation exercises on Light mini-band spread through the afternoon.

Ponder
Went ahead and replaced the Inverted Press with the 16kg kettlebell press.  I'll figure out over time when I will switch back to the HSPU progression.  I bumped up the volume for all exercises to 4 sets each.  Will see how this works out.  

Some interesting finds:
Cool hacks we never knew about the human body

Took a couple of kettlebell workshops with Mike Mahler a while back. I have not trained with David Weck, but I thought it was an interesting interview:

HSPU Program Session 67

Prepare
Set up rings

Practice
Pair 1
Incline Pushup on Rings w/ 4-sec. negative - 4 sets of 6 reps - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
Tuck Front Lever Rows Rings w/ 4 sec. negative - 4 sets of 7 reps - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
2 min. rest between all sets

Push
Modified German Hang Stretch
L-Arm Stretch
Brachial Hang for about 1 min.

Play
External shoulder rotation exercises on Light mini-band spread through the afternoon.

Ponder
Found out I would have a morning meeting today so I changed up my routine a bit.  I did multiple sets of 16kg kettlebell press yesterday to replace the Inverted Press as my overhead pressing exercise.   That left one antagonist pair to practice for this morning's session.

Decided to replace the Lounge Stretch for the shoulders and chest with a modified German Hang.  This was just the German Hang on the rings with feet on the floor to reduce the intensity.  I thought I did it like GMB teaches it in the lower end of the progression but it turns out I did it a little different.

HSPU Program Session 66

Prepare
Standing Knee to Chest
Front Scale w/ Hip Thrust

Practice
Antagonist Pair
Shrimp Squat (full 3 reps, then both arms in front 3 reps) - 3 sets - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
Single Leg Deadlift w/ 24kg KB -  3 sets 7 reps/leg - Quality: Rough, Ease: Solid
2 min. rest between sets
4 min rest after last antagonist pair set.

Push
32kg KB 2-arm swing - 10 reps/set for 8 sets
24kg KB 1-arm swing - 10 reps/set for 1 set per side

Modified Pigeon Stretch - about 1 min.
Half Pancake Stretch - about 1 min/side
Side Split Stretch
Standing Straddle Good Morning - 10 reps with 20 sec. stretch at bottom of last rep
Brachial Hang - 2 sets of 30-60 sec.

Ponder
Getting close to the full 10 sets of 10 32kg 2-arm swings.  May try working windmills again.

HSPU Program Session 65

Prepare
Set up rings

Practice
Pair 1
Incline Pushup on Rings w/ 4-sec. negative - 3 sets of 6 reps - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
Tuck Front Lever Rows Rings w/ 4 sec. negative - 3 sets of 7 reps - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
2 min. rest between all sets

4 min. rest before Pair 2

Pair 2
Inverted Press on Parallettes w/ feet 1 step up  and 4-sec. negative - 3 sets of 5-6 reps. - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
Pullup on Rings w/ 4-6 sec. negative - 3 sets of 4 reps - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
2 min. rest between all sets

Push
Lounge Chair Stretch
L-Arm Stretch
Brachial Hang for about 1 min.

Play
External shoulder rotation exercises on Light mini-band spread through the afternoon.

Ponder
Switched up the antagonist pairs.   In case I'm running late I can do 1 or 2 more sets of the first antagonist pair instead of waiting the 4 minutes then starting the 2nd antagonist pair that I might have to cut short.

Thinking of changing up my overhead pressing by switching to kettlebell pressing.

HSPU Program Session 64

Prepare
Set up rings

Practice
Pair 1
Inverted Press on Parallettes w/ feet 1 step up  and 4-sec. negative - 3 sets of 5-6 reps. - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
Pullup on Rings w/ 4-6 sec. negative - 3 sets of 4 reps - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
2 min. rest between all sets

4 min. rest before Pair 2

Pair 2
Incline Pushup on Rings w/ 4-sec. negative - 3 sets of 6 reps - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
Tuck Front Lever Rows Rings w/ 4 sec. negative - 3 sets of 6-7 reps - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid

2 min. rest between all sets

Push
Lounge Chair Stretch
L-Arm Stretch
Brachial Hang for about 1 min.

Play
External shoulder rotation exercises on Light mini-band spread through the afternoon.

Ponder
Shoulder continues to feel good.
For Inverted Press, I decided to focus more on the range of motion at the top of the movement, making sure to elevate the scapula, and not worry about the range of motion in the bottom of the movement. This way, I was able to get more reps and less strain on the shoulders.
 

For Pullups, I noticed that I can pull my elbows a little lower and thus pull my scapula down a little more, when I focus on pulling the pinkies to the side, and thus keeping the palms facing away. This reduced my reps but it will be worth the practice of depressing the scapula more and possibly engaging the shoulder external rotators

HSPU Program Session 63

Prepare
Set up rings
Mulligan exercise for shoulder rehab
GMB Handstand Wrist prep routine

Practice
Pair 1
Inverted Press on Parallettes w/ feet 1 stepsup  and 4-sec. negative - 3 sets of 4 reps. - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Challenging
Pullup on Rings w/ 4-6 sec. negative - 3 sets of 5-6 reps - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
2 min. rest between all sets

4 min. rest before Pair 2

Pair 2
Incline Pushup on Rings w/ 4-sec. negative - 4 sets of 6 reps - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
Tuck Front Lever Rows Rings w/ 4 sec. negative - 4 sets of 5-6 reps - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid

2 min. rest between all sets

Push
Lounge Chair Stretch
L-Arm Stretch
Brachial Hang for about 1 min.

Play
External shoulder rotation exercises on Light mini-band spread through the afternoon.

Ponder
Shoulder is feeling pretty good. If it was 80% last week, it feels more like 90% recovered as of today.  I don't mind progress in the vertical movements seeming to stall a bit as I feel its more important to work on and progress in the horizontal movements for continuing to improve shoulder stability.  So for the time being if I have time for an extra antagonist pair set or two, I'll prioritize the horizontal movements.

HSPU Program Session 62

Prepare
Set up rings
Mulligan exercise for shoulder rehab
GMB Handstand Wrist prep routine

Practice
Pair 1
Inverted Press on Parallettes w/ feet 1 step up  and 4-sec. negative - 3 sets of 4 reps. - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
Pullup on Rings w/ 4-6 sec. negative - 3 sets of 6 reps - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
2 min. rest between all sets

4 min. rest before Pair 2

Pair 2
Incline Pushup on Rings w/ 4-sec. negative - 3 sets of 6 reps - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
Tuck Front Lever Rows Rings w/ 4 sec. negative - 3 sets of 6 reps - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid

2 min. rest between all sets

Push
Lounge Chair Stretch
L-Arm Stretch
Brachial Hang for about 1 min.

Play
External shoulder rotation exercises on mini-bands spread through the afternoon.

Ponder
Decided to regress in the Inverted Press from feet 2 steps up, to feet one step up.  This should make it easier for me to work on getting strong in the bottom portion of the movement, because it's clear that getting strong in the full range of the bottom movement is critical to advancement.

HSPU Program Sessions 60 and 61

 My day job is keeping me busy so I've had less time to maintain my training journal.   What I can report is the upper and lower body sessions for the first half of the week went fine.  Performance levels are about the same as last week, except this week I was able to do 10 sets of 1-arm 24kg kettlebell swings.  I'll do another session of 10 1-arm swings, then resume working on 2-arm swings with the 32kg kettlebell.

HSPU Program Session 59

Prepare
Set up rings
Mulligan exercise for shoulder rehab
GMB Handstand Wrist prep routine

Practice
Pair 1
Inverted Press on Parallettes w/ feet 2 steps up  and 4-sec. negative - 3 sets of 3-4 reps. - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Challenging
Pullup on Rings w/ 4-6 sec. negative - 3 sets of 5-6 reps - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
2 min. rest between all sets

4 min. rest before Pair 2

Pair 2
Incline Pushup on Rings w/ 4-sec. negative - 3 sets of 5-6 reps - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
Tuck Front Lever Rows Rings w/ 4 sec. negative - 3 sets of 5-66 reps - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid

2 min. rest between all sets

Push
Lounge Chair Stretch
L-Arm Stretch
Brachial Hang for about 1 min.

Play
External shoulder rotation exercises on mini-bands spread through the afternoon.  Medium band, then light band.

Ponder
Getting better about elevating the scapula at the top of the Inverted Press.  

This time I was able to take the time to do the Lounge Chari and L-Arm.  Skipping them Monday seems to have led to extra tightness in my upper back.

HSPU Program Session 58

Prepare
Set up rings
Mulligan exercise for shoulder rehab
GMB Handstand Wrist prep routine

Practice
Pair 1
Inverted Press on Parallettes w/ feet 2 steps up  and 4-sec. negative - 3 sets of -34 reps. - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Challenging
Pullup on Rings w/ 4-6 sec. negative - 3 sets of 5-6 reps - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
2 min. rest between all sets

4 min. rest before Pair 2

Pair 2
Incline Pushup on Rings w/ 4-sec. negative - 3 sets of 5 reps - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
Tuck Front Lever Rows Rings w/ 4 sec. negative - 3 sets of 6 reps - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid

2 min. rest between all sets

Push
Brachial Hang for about 1 min.

Play
External shoulder rotation exercises on mini-bands spread through the afternoon

Ponder
Getting strong enough to do Inverted Press with greater range of motion in the bottom of the movement with my feet elevated 2 steps. I'm still forgetting to elevate the scapula at the top of the movement though.

Pullups with hands slightly wider than shoulder width, per GMB's new pullup and chinup article,  are much more comfortable on rings than on the bar.  

Thought about doing 5 rounds of the 2nd antagonist pair to get more volume on the Tuck Lever Rows, but I achieved 6 reps/set so left the volume as normal.

HSPU Program Session 57

Prepare
Mulligan shoulder rehab exercise
Back Scale to Single Leg Deadlift and Hop from the Butterfly Kick progression posted by GMB

Practice
Antagonist Pair
Shrimp Squat (both arms in front) - 4 sets 3-4 reps - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
Single Leg Deadlift w/ 24kg KB -  4 sets 7 reps/leg - Quality: Rough, Ease: Solid
2 min. rest between sets

4 min rest after last antagonist pair set.

Push
24kg KB 1-arm swing - 10 reps/set for 3 sets per side
32kg KB 2-arm swing - 10 reps/set for 4 sets

Standing Straddle Good Morning - 10 reps with 10 sec. stretch at bottom of last rep
Jefferson Curl with 5 lb. rice bag - 10 reps with 20 sec. stretch at bottom of last rep
Modified Pigeon Stretch - about 1 min.
Half Pancake Stretch - about 1 min/side
Brachial Hang - 2 sets of 30-60 sec.

Ponder
Shoulder felt good during the 1-arm KB swings.  

HSPU Program Session 56

Prepare
Set up rings
Mulligan exercise for shoulder rehab
GMB Handstand Wrist prep routine

Practice
Pair 1
Inverted Press on Parallettes w/ feet 2 steps up  and 4-sec. negative - 3 sets of 3-4 reps. - Quality: Rough, Ease: Challenging
Pullup on Door Pullup Bar w/ 4-sec. negative - 3 sets of 4 reps - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
2 min. rest between all sets

4 min. rest before Pair 2

Pair 2
Incline Pushup on Rings w/ 4-sec. negative - 3 sets of 4-5 reps - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
Tuck Front Lever Rows Rings w/ 4 sec. negative - 3 sets of 4 reps - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
Arc Rows w/ Accommodating Resistance on Rings, drop set after the Tuck Front Lever Rows -  3 sets of 3 reps - Quality: Rough, Ease: Solid

2 min. rest between all sets

Push
Arm Lounge stretch
L-Arm stretch
Brachial Hang for about 1 min.

Play
External shoulder rotation exercises on mini-bands spread through the afternoon - first on medium band, then on light band.

Another Brachial Hang for about 1 min. before dinner

Ponder
I decided to try pullups with a slightly wider than shoulder width grip after seeing this:

View this post on Instagram

Chin Ups and Pull Ups - Do you ever feel like your pull ups and/or chin ups never get any easier no matter how much you work on them? - If you are using compensation strategies to do them, this might be why you are not seeing much progress. - Try these tips demonstrated by #gmbtrainer JJ @primalphysicaltherapy to help you get the most out of your chins and pulls, and help you train the kind of strength that fosters comfort and ease with pulling strategies: - Chins vs Pulls: The Chin Up position starts with hands shoulder width apart, palms facing toward you. Pull with the shoulder blades first, trying not to arch your back. Instead, try to hold a “hollow body” position. Next, pull with the arms, focusing on pinching your elbows together towards midline all the way until they graze your rib cage. This encourages scapular activation throughout the range and ties everything into your spine and core. - The Pull Up position starts with hands wider than shoulder width, palms facing away from you. Again, pull with shoulder blades first, being conscious of your spinal position (aiming for hollow body). This time, keep elbows flared outward (rather than squeezing to midline), and pull elbows to your sides until they touch the outside of your lower ribs. - If these moves are just not happening for you, try regressing them: Start with holding hollow body in a hang, and just training the shoulder blades to pull your body up keeping straight arms. The next progression would be do jump to the top position, hold it while keeping the position cues, then slowly lower down with proper muscular engagement. - . . . . . #physicalautonomy #pullups #chinups #regresstoprogress #scapularstrength #scapularstability #shoulder #back #core #hollowbody #gmbfitness #fitness #bodyweightexercise #abs #fitnesstips

A post shared by GMB Fitness (@gmbfitness) on Sep 16, 2020 at 7:58am PDT

Pullups on a bar still feel uncomfortable for my shoulder, despite the improvement in how my shoulder feels.  Next time, I'll try them with rings set to a similar distance.  In theory, this movement should be working my shoulder external rotators more than when I was practicing the pullups with hands at shoulder width or narrower.

For next upper body session, I'll do at least one more antagonist pair set of ring pushups and tuck front lever rows instead of doing the drop set with Arc Rows, if time allows

Kalinga Music

 Years ago, I played guitar and percussion with a dance troupe showcasing dance and music from the Philippines, organized into four cultural categories.  The dances of the Kalinga people were part of the "Mountain Tribe" category.

It's interesting to see real and hear Kalinga music and dance performed by actual Kalinga.

HSPU Program Session 55

Prepare
Mulligan shoulder rehab exercise
Standing Knee to Chest
Front Scale w/ Hip Thrust

Practice
Antagonist Pair
Shrimp Squat (both arms in front) - 4 sets 4-5 reps - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
Single Leg Deadlift w/ 24kg KB -  4 sets 6 reps/leg - Quality: Rough, Ease: Solid
2 min. rest between sets

4 min rest after last antagonist pair set.

Push
24kg KB 1-arm swing - 10 reps/set for 1 set per side
32kg KB 2-arm swing - 10 reps/set for 4 sets
24kg KB 1-arm swing - 10 reps/set for 1 set per side
24kg KB 2-arm swing - 10 reps/set for 2 sets

Standing Straddle Good Morning - 10 reps with 20 sec. stretch at bottom of last rep
Jefferson Curl - 10 reps with 20 sec. stretch at bottom of last rep
Modified Pigeon Stretch - about 1 min.
Half Pancake Stretch - about 1 min/side
Brachial Hang - 2 sets of 30-60 sec.

Ponder
I was thinking of going for 5 sets for each exercise in the antagonist pair but my legs were starting to feel done after the 4th set. I started the swing portion of the workout with 1 set of 1-arm swings for each arm, since it's been months since I've practiced this movement, before working through the 2-arm swings with the 32kg KB.  

I still have a ways to go before I take on the straddle variation of either the Bent-Arm Stand - as part of the GMB HSPU program - or the Front Lever.  However, I realized I should work some more on improving my hamstring flexibility for the straddle, and not just rely on the Single Leg Deadlift and KB Swing to improve hamstring mobility.  Thus, I added the Standing Straddle Good Morning from the video below and may also add band-assisted stretching, which is also shown in the video:

HSPU Program Session 54

Prepare
Set up rings
Mulligan exercise for shoulder rehab
GMB Handstand Wrist prep routine

Practice
Pair 1
Inverted Press on Parallettes w/ feet 2 steps up  and 4-sec. negative - 3 sets of 4 reps. - Quality: Rough, Ease: Challenging
Pullup on Rings w/ 4-6 sec. negative - 3 sets of 6 reps - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
2 min. rest between all sets

4 min. rest before Pair 2

Pair 2
Incline Pushup on Rings w/ 4-sec. negative - 3 sets of 6 reps - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
Tuck Front Lever Rows Rings w/ 4 sec. negative - 3 sets of 4-5 reps - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
Arc Rows w/ Accommodating Resistance on Rings, drop set after the Tuck Front Lever Rows -  3 sets of 3 reps - Quality: Rough, Ease: Solid

2 min. rest between all sets

Push
Arm Lounge stretch
L-Arm stretch
Brachial Hang for about 1 min.

Play
External shoulder rotation exercises on mini-bands spread through the afternoon

Another Brachial Hang for about 1 min. before dinner

Ponder
It may be a while before I will be able to perform the Inverted Press with a full range of motion, with my feet elevated 2 steps.  I'm not strong enough yet to lower the top of my head to greater depth than my hands.  I'm also forgetting to elevate the scapula at the top of the movement.  I'll work on increasing the depth of my head on the bottom and elevating the scapula at the top.  Later, I'll work on getting my hips closer to "stacking" over my shoulders, as much as my flexibility will allow.

I'm still working on finding the groove for the Arc Rows.

HSPU Program Session 53

Prepare
Set up rings
Mulligan exercise for shoulder rehab
GMB Handstand Wrist prep routine

Practice
Pair 1
Inverted Press on Parallettes w/ feet 2 steps up  and 4-sec. negative - 3 sets of 3-4 reps. - Quality: Rough, Ease: Solid
Pullup on Rings w/ 4-6 sec. negative - 3 sets of 5-6 reps - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
2 min. rest between all sets

4 min. rest before Pair 2

Pair 2
Incline Pushup on Rings w/ 4-sec. negative - 3 sets of 5-6 reps - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
Tuck Front Lever Rows Rings w/ 4 sec. negative - 3 sets of 4 reps - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
Arc Rows w/ Accommodating Resistance on Rings, drop set after the Tuck Front Lever Rows -  Quality: Rough, Ease: Solid

2 min. rest between all sets

Push
Arm Lounge stretch
L-Arm stretch
Brachial Hang for about 1 min.

Play
External shoulder rotation and No Money exercises on mini-bands spread through the afternoon

Another Brachial Hang for about 1 min. before dinner

Ponder
Tried Inverted Press with feet one step up, then practiced it with feet 2 steps up.  Parallettes of course were on the stair landing.  I haven't been able to practice pushing the scapula towards the floor at the top of the movement until now, because when my feet were on the floor, that range of motion was not available to me, due to the P-Barz elevating my hands.  So that's one thing to work on as I adjust to the elevated feet position.

For the Arc Rows, I need to work on keeping the shoulders down  at the top of the movement, and not allowing the scapula to rise when I push down on the rings to begin the eccentric movement.

HSPU Program Session 52

Prepare
Set up rings
Mulligan exercise for shoulder rehab
GMB Handstand Wrist prep routine

Practice
Pair 1
Inverted Press on Parallettes w/ 4-sec. negative - 3 sets of 8 reps. - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Relaxed
Pullup on Rings w/ 4-6 sec. negative - 3 sets of 5-6 reps - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
2 min. rest between all sets

4 min. rest before Pair 2

Pair 2
Incline Pushup on Rings w/ 4-sec. negative - 3 sets of 5-6 reps - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
Tuck Front Lever Rows Rings w/ 4 sec. negative - 3 sets of 4 reps - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
Arc Rows w/ Accommodating Resistance on Rings, superset with the Tuck Front Lever Rows

2 min. rest between all sets

Push
Arm Lounge stretch
L-Arm stretch
Brachial Hang for about 1 min.

Play
External shoulder rotation and No Money exercises on mini-bands spread through the afternoon

Another Brachial Hang for about 1 min. before dinner

Ponder
Inverted Press feeling pretty easy now, even with allowing the feet float off the ground at the bottom of the rep.  Will try progressing to feet up one step on the stair landing, next session.

I didn't record Quality or Ease scores for the Arc Rows because this was only my second try at this exercise and I didn't start finding the groove for this movement until the last set.  I've been working at the 4-rep range for Tuck Front Lever Rows for several weeks now, so I think super-setting the Arc Rows will help me progress in Front Lever Rows and increase my gains in upper back strength for better shoulder stability.

I wasn't able to do as many reps of external shoulder rotation on the light mini-band as usual.  I think it's because of the work that the rotator cuff got during the Arc Row practice.

Solderless Patch Cable Kits

I have been using Planet Waves solderless cable kits to make patch cables for connecting effects pedals.  I like the idea of solderless cable kits because it's easy to make cables without soldering - I'm awful at soldering - and the cables can be made to just the length that is needed - not too short or too long - which is ideal for pedalboards.  

However I'm running out of plugs.  I have a pair remaining but I can't make a working patch cable with this pair.  I tried at least three times and ended up wasting time and cable.

I might look into a kit from this store

Ghost Fire

HSPU Program Session 51

Prepare
Mulligan shoulder rehab exercise
Standing Knee to Chest

Practice
Antagonist Pair
Single Leg Deadlift w/ 24kg KB -  5 sets 6 reps/leg - Quality: Rough, Ease: Solid
Shrimp Squat (both arms in front) - 5 sets 3 reps - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
2 min. rest between sets

4 min rest after last antagonist pair set.

Push
32kg KB 2-arm swing - 10 reps/set for 2 sets
32kg KB 2-arm swing - 8 reps for 1 set
24kg KB 2-arm swing - 10 reps/set for 4 sets

Modified Pigeon Stretch - about 1 min.
Half Pancake Stretch - about 1 min/side
Brachial Hang - 2 sets of 30-60 sec.

Ponder
I bumped up the volume on my kettlebell swings.  Body seems to respond fine but I decided to not push it when my grip started to fail on the 8th rep while swinging the 32kg.

One of the moves in GMB Vitamin that I struggled with was the Butterfly Kick.  It turns out that what Ryan of GMB calls the "Push And Lift" is a key component skill for the Butterfly Kick.  While I'm not in a hurry to master the Butterfly Kick, I can see the advantages of working through the progression of developing and improving the Push And Lift skill.

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PUSH AND LIFT FOR ACROBATICS - Ryan talks about the "push and lift" for doing some acrobatic moves like the Butterfly Kick. This means where your front leg bends and back leg whips up in these skills to provide power. This makes the move much prettier, easier, and safer to land. - GMB Trainer Eduardo @eorihuela does a breakdown of this demonstrating how you can start safely to learn to push and lift: 1. Back Scale 2. Single Leg Deadlift 3. Back Scale to Single Leg Deadlift 4. Push and Lift 5. Switch Legs (land other leg in SLDL) 6. Slow Butterfly Kick 7. Butterfly Kick - Strength, flexibility, and balance are the primary qualities that determine your athletic ability, but skipping ahead to things you’re not quite ready for won’t do you any good. Starting with Back Scales is so...scalable so you can work at a level you’re comfortable with. You can apply this same strategy to other acrobatic moves like the Aerial that requires the push and lift. - . . . . . #gmbfitness #gmbtrainer #goldmedalbodies #movement #movementismedicine #movementmatters #movedaily #bkick #butterflykick #pusnandlift #acrobatics #tumbling #bodyweightworkout #bodyweightexercises #power #bodycontrol #motorcontrol #physicalautonomy #physicalfreedom #fitness

A post shared by GMB Fitness (@gmbfitness) on Sep 3, 2020 at 1:44pm PDT

 

Another idea I found was to superset my Tuck Front Lever rows with Accommodating Resistance Arc Rows.  I'm sure my shoulders could use the extra rowing work.  The muscles in the mid-back that are worked by rowing exercises are supposedly critical to shoulder health.

View this post on Instagram

#StrengthSundayMM: Accommodating Resistance Arc Rows . One of the coolest parts about Accommodating Resistance (AR) is that the more you use it, the better you can become at using it! And that means you can squeeze more intensity out your reps! . This goes for myself as well! Even nearly 2 years after incorporating AR, I STILL find ways to squeeze extra intensity out my reps during my workouts! And whenever we find a way to do this, we want YOU to be able to add it too! So let’s look at an example using the AR Arc Row! . Step One. Grab the rings and set your feet into position. The more parallel you get to the ground, the harder this movement becomes! . Step Two. Squeeze the shoulders BACK and push the rings DOWN with straight arms. Then, drive your elbows BACK to go up! . Step Three. This is the part I learned recently: Do NOT voluntarily lower down. Instead, PUSH the rings DOWN further towards your feet and as you do, the leverage will get worse and eventually, you will start to fall. When that happens, resist as MUCH as you can and that will let you get a maximal eccentric! . As you get stronger, get more parallel to the ground and touch the ring lower and lower on your torso! . Give that a try and see how AR reps “count” for WAY more than a “normal rep”. And check the IG stories for more about AR and Arc Rows!

A post shared by Martina & Philip Chubb (@the_mindful_mover) on Sep 6, 2020 at 6:07am PDT