Isochain Modified Promethean Week 3

Shoulder Press - Shoulder continues to feel better.  I progressed to a target load of 60lbs.  The largest max reading has been dropping for two consecutive sessions.   For the final session of the week, I was only able to get the timer on the Isochain to count off the full 6 seconds twice.  For my other reps, I was simply unable to hit the target load, or sustain the target load for the full 6 seconds.  This may be a sign that I should consider changing the Shoulder Press angle for the next program.  However, the current low angle is the only one in which I feel absolutely no shoulder pain.  When I position my arms at the middle angle the shoulder does not hurt as much as it did at the start of Isochain training.  However, it's not entirely pain free yet.  Since switching angles is not possible yet, I will keep training at the 60lb. target load until I can do 6 reps of the full 6 seconds, then cycle down 15 lbs.  I'm only in Week 3 of a 6-week overall cycle

Reverse Curl -  I was able to work up to 6 reps of 6-sec. holds at a target load 30 lbs.  However I was unable to hit a target load of 35lbs consistently.  I switched to the high angle and dropped the target load to 20 lbs.  I think I need to work on gripping the bar with more authority as I practice this drill.  It simply won't be possible to generate more force without a stronger grip.  Even though I seem to be weaker at the higher angle, there seems to be less stress on the inner elbow than at the middle angle.

Hack Lift - I progressed to a target load of 170 lbs. The largest max reading was over 250 lbs.  I think it will be a while before the gains at the high Hack Lift position stop.

One possible reason for my disappointing performance in the Shoulder Press and Reverse Curl is that my warmup was just carrying laundry to the basement, and moving a few things around the living room.  No wall pushups, Amosov style squats or anything.  So it could be that my warmup was not adequate, even though I did practice the drill-specific warmups as instructed in the manual.

I started following up my Isochain practice with holding the top position of a pushup, working on protracting the scapula and keeping the core tight.  It's just some light isometric work so I can have a little bit of a head start on the elbow lever progression described in Coach Wade's Ultimate Isometrics Manual.

I continued practicing silk-reeling coiling/uncoiling to simultaneously improve my suit usage and to improve tendon circulation, especially for the elbows and shoulders.  

I introduced yet another practice I'd neglected - shoulder dislocate with an elastic band.  I'm not comfortable rotating my arms all the way back and down, so I just worked within the range that my shoulders would allow me, just up and down for about 30 reps per set.  This is giving my shoulder some much-needed traction.

I intend to continue through the current Modified Promethean cycle until the completion of Week 6.  That said, it's fun to think about what direction to take my training after that.  What I have tentatively planned is:

Modified Promethean Mark II - 8 weeks

Day 1 - Hack Lift, Reverse Curl or Curl, Shoulder Press
Day 2 - Front Squat, Bent Row, Chest Press
Day 3 - Off

Combined Isochain and Bodyweight - 8 weeks

Day 1 - Front Lever, Elbow Lever
Day 2 - Straddle Lift, Front Squat,  Sissy Squat,  Curl/Reverse Curl, Shoulder Press
Day 3 - Pull Up, Pike Pushup
Day 4 - Straddle Lift, Front Squat,  Sissy Squat,  Curl/Reverse Curl, Shoulder Press

The hope is that training under Modified Promethean Mark II will continue the rehab and prehab of the shoulder and lower back, as well as continued building of all-round, whole-body strength - particularly the back and lower body - in a way that hadn't been accessible to me for a long time, until I got the Isochain.  

The program in the 8 weeks that follow is for revisiting the bodyweight skills that I still want to explore, while also assessing the impact of Isochain training on my progress towards those bodyweight skills.  I am guessing that my progress towards Front Lever and Handstand/Handstand Pushup will be accelerated quite a bit.  The impact on Pull Ups is unknown because none of the Isochain drills mimic the pull up that closely.

Steven Low's article on programming for advanced isometric movements after a plateau

Mindful Mover's Instagram post about their mobility drills

I found a Youtube channel that shows most of the dynamic drills from Convict Conditioning, featuring the same guy used to model them in the book, who I think is Max Shank