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

HSPU Program Session 50

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 7 reps. - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Smooth
Pullup on Rings w/ 4-6 sec. negative - 3 sets of 4-5 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 4-6 reps - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
Tuck Front Lever Rows Rings w/ 4 sec. negative -  3 sets of 4 reps - Quality: Smooth, 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
Minor shoulder irritation while practicing Inverted Press, although scapular protraction seems to help.

Started working with the Medium strength mini-band for external shoulder rotation exercise, occasionally dropping back to the Light band

HSPU Program Session 48

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 6 reps. - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Smooth
Pullup on Rings w/ 4-6 sec. negative - 3 sets of 3-5 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 4-6 reps - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
Tuck Front Lever Rows Rings w/ 4 sec. negative -  3 sets of 3-4 reps - Quality: Smooth, 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
No shoulder irritation at all during training, which means my technique is getting better or the shoulder is continuing to heal up - maybe both.

One issue I've pondered is why my forearms feel sore as soon as I start training the Inverted Press on the P-Barz.  I thought the P1 warmup would solve the issue.  The GMB Handstand wrist prep as warmup seems to be more effective for this.

HSPU Program Session 47

Prepare
Mulligan shoulder rehab exercise

Practice
Antagonist Pair
Single Leg Deadlift w/ 24kg KB -  5 sets 4 reps/leg - Quality: Rough, Ease: Challenging
Shrimp Squat (both arms in front) - 5 sets 4 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
24kg KB 2-arm swing - 10 reps/set for 3 sets

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

Ponder

I decided to keep this workout simple for the time being.  Just this antagonist pair and the swings is enough for my lower body needs for now.

HSPU Program Session 46

Prepare
Set up rings
Mulligan exercise for shoulder rehab
Elbow circles 30s/direction
Wrist circles 30s/direction
Cat Stretches 60s

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

Push
P1 Cooldown
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
Feels pretty like the Monday workout.  Minor shoulder irritation when my technique was a little off but otherwise the shoulder held up fine even with conscious effort to load my upper body as much as possible at the bottom of the Inverted Press, with the top of my head as far ahead of my hands as possible and as far below the level of my hands as possible. 

Guitar Chord Progression lessons

Adding Diminished Chords to spice up your Chord Progression:

Neopolitan Chord lesson

Recommended R&B song for practicing chords and licks

HSPU Program Session 45

Prepare
Mulligan shoulder rehab exercise

Practice
Main circuit
Single Leg Deadlift w/ 24kg KB -  3 sets 4 reps/leg - Quality: Rough, Ease: Challenging
Shrimp Squat (both arms in front) - 3 sets 4 reps - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid

2 min. rest between sets

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

Brachial Hang - 2 sets of 30-60 sec.

Ponder

Overslept so I did this abbreviated workout, because I'd wasted enough of the day by sleeping more hours than intended.

Shoulder was sore in the morning but the soreness began to subside as the day progressed, especially after the brachial hangs.

HSPU Program Session 44

Prepare
Set up rings
Mulligan exercise for shoulder rehab
Elbow circles 30s/direction
Wrist circles 30s/direction
Cat Stretches 60s

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

Push
P1 Cooldown
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
Set the P-Barz about the distance my shoulders would be with fully protracted scapula, thus slightly narrower than normal shoulder width apart.  It's a good distance for my needs - I can train productively in the HSPU progression with less worries about the shoulder slipping out due to an error in my technique.  I thought I did a good though of preventing elbow flare today.  I'll continue working at this level in the HSPU progression until I can do about 8 reps with high Quality and Ease scores.

For pullups, I set the rings to about shoulder width or slightly narrower.  Tried focusing on keeping scapula engaged and not allowing the shoulders to rise except at the finish of the set.

For pushups, my form still needs work but I think I've progressed towards finding a good groove.  Where I still need to improve is coordinating the turn of the rings with lowering down and scapular control so that the shoulder doesn't start feeling irritated.

Tuck front lever row is status quo except I noticed my shoulder clicking more, but no pain at least.

The shoulder is feeling sore but I think it's from today's workout and pushing the reps in the Inverted Press to 6, especially the last set.

While I intend to stick to the main 4 exercise families for my upper-body training days, I looked a bit for more ideas for using the mini-bands to rehab my shoulders and found the below.  I'll stick to the 2-hand external rotation and No Money exercises for now but consider trying the others later for extra shoulder bulletproofing.

And finally there's a routine posted by Mindful Mover on working towards a first chinup here

HSPU Program Session 43

Prepare
Set up rings
Mulligan exercise for shoulder rehab

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

Push
Inverted Press on Parallettes w/ 4-sec. negative - 2 sets of 4 reps. - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Smooth
4 min. rest  between sets

Rings One Cooldown
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
Had some extra time, so I added the two extra sets of Inverted Press to get in the extra practice.  This time I set up the P-Barz slightly within shoulder width.  This seemed facilitate keeping elbows closer to the ribs and thus reducing the likelihood of shoulder discomfort.

Rest of the work out was par for course but generally felt better than the Monday session.

HSPU Program Session 42

Prepare
Mulligan shoulder rehab exercise

Practice
Main circuit
Single Leg Deadlift w/ 24kg KB -  8 reps/leg - Quality: Rough, Ease: Challenging
Shrimp Squat (both arms in front) - 3-4 reps - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
Low Windmill w/ 32kg KB- 6 reps per side. - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
Calf Raises w/ 24 KB - Quality: Rough, Ease: Challenging

3 rounds with 3 min. rest between rounds

32kg KB 2-arm swing - 10 reps/set for 2 sets
24kg KB 2-arm swing - 10 reps/set for 3 sets

Play
Walk around neighborhood

Push
Jefferson Curl (no weight)
Modified Pigeon stretch
Half Pancake stretch
Brachial Hang

Ponder

I tried racking the 16kg KB on m left shoulder but it still didn't feel 100% for the Poliquin style split squat.

The switch from 16kg to 24kg KB for SLDL was enough of a jump to disrupt my balance for the first set.   I think I'm feeling the back extensors working more with the heavier weight

Starting to feel the abs working more in the Low Windmill

Calf Raise with the heavier KB is a challenge to my balance.  I'll keep at it though because of the benefit for my foot arches as well as improving both calf flexibility and strength at the same time.

Did 5 reps of empty-hand Jefferson curl with 3 breaths at the bottom of the movement, touching the ground with fingertips on the last rep.

Overcoming Gravity 2nd Edition Exercise Charts

http://stevenlow.org/overcoming-tendonitis/

HSPU Program Session 41

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

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

Ponder
It was a bit discouraging to find no improvement in strength in the Inverted Press.  Just a couple of weeks ago I was able to do 6 reps on the P-Barz, on the floor.   But I have to acknowledge that I've been switching between rings, parallettes, and hands on floor for this exercise.  The problem with my P-Barz is they are high enough that I cannot do a shrug at the top of the movement to get the full range of motion.  I just can't push my butt high enough into the air, even when I get on my toes.  On the other hand, working with the P-Barz gives me better range of motion on the bottom part of the movement since my head can sink lower than my hands.  I think this is a good tradeoff for me.

I did 2-3 more sets of Inverted Press on the P-Barz on the floor.  Each set was immediately followed a a set of rotator cuff external rotation exercises and a set of No Money exercises, both on mini-bands.  I understand there is a risk of overtraining by doing the extra Inverted Press sets but I felt like I needed the extra practice to get back on track.

HSPU Program Session 40

Prepare
Light housework

Practice
Main circuit
Single Leg Deadlift w/ 16kg KB -  8 reps/leg - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
Shrimp Squat (both arms in front) - 3 reps - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
Low Windmill w/ 32kg KB- 6 reps per side. - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
Calf Raises w/ KB - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid

3 rounds with 2 min. rest between rounds

32kg KB 2-arm swing - 10 reps/set for 2 sets
24kg KB 2-arm swing - 10 reps/set for 3 sets

Play
Walk around neighborhood

Push
Jefferson Curl (no weight)
Modified Pigeon stretch
Half Pancake stretch
Brachial Hang for 2 min., taking breaks as needed

Ponder

I tried racking the 16kg KB on m left shoulder.  The shoulder didn't feel 100% in this position so I decided to work on shrimp squat instead of Poliquin style split squat.

HSPU Program Session 39

Prepare
Set up rings

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

Ponder
Inverted Press on Parallettes on the stair landing, with feet elevated one step, turned out to be just hard today as it was on the rings a couple of days ago.  I'll stick to working on the P-Barz though, because I can use the stairs to elevate the feet as I progress, and I've always progressed a little faster in this type of movement working with the P-Barz.

Pullups do feel a lot better descending into active hang instead of all the way into passive dead hang.

Incline pushups are coming along fine.  Posterior pelvic tilt with active core almost feels automatic now.  I'm improving at maintaining scapular protraction while preventing elbows from flaring.

Actually, I was doing pushups wrong.  Scapula should be moving during the pushup, not kept in protraction or retraction for the entire movement.

I reviewed this video to see if my understanding of the Inverted Press (pike pushup) mechanics is correct.  The cues I remembered:

• Elbows in line with the torso
• Scapula should be protracted, not retracted
• Scapula should be depressed except when the arms are straight, in which case one should shrug the shoulders to get to the very top of the movement, then anti-shrug the shoulders before starting to descend.

HSPU Program Session 38

Prepare
Light housework

Practice
Main circuit
Single Leg Deadlift w/ 16kg KB - 6-7 reps/leg - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
Front Scale Leg Lift - 3-4 reps - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
Low Windmill w/ 32kg KB- 5 reps per side. - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid

3 rounds with 2 min. rest between rounds

32kg KB 2-arm swing - 10 reps/set for 2 sets
24kg KB 2-arm swing - 10 reps/set for 3 sets

Play
Walk around neighborhood

Push
Jefferson Curl (no weight)
Modified Pigeon stretch
Half Pancake stretch
Brachial Hang for about 30 sec.

Ponder

I cut out any KB exercise that might irritate my shoulder, so that's any exercise that has the KB racked or held bottoms-up.  I had fun playing with the Deck Squat and Hunter Squat but I wonder if I slowed down my shoulder recovery by irritating it.

In this ever evolving lower body routine, I'll switch out the Front Scale Leg Lift for Shrimp Squat.  The two-arm in front version seems less troublesome for the shoulder.  I'll have to figure out if I need to focus on scapular retraction during this move to keep the shoulder under control.  Front Scale Leg Lift feels ok for the most part, but it's really an assistance exercise for improving balance and progress towards L-Sit/Hanging Leg Raise.  It's not really meant to be a main exercise like the Shrimp Squat or other squats.

When my shoulder feels good with a racked KB again, I'm going to try a variation of what Mindful Mover calls the Split Squat, except with the KB racked in contralateral position.  Here's Mindful Mover's instruction:

View this post on Instagram

#WeightedWednesdayMM: Split Squat Progressions . You know how some coaches say “there is no BEST exercise?” Well they’re wrong. Because Split Squats exist. 😂 . Split Squats improve strength, mobility in the ankles and hips, range of motion in the Back Squat, help to equalize the strength of the left and right leg, develop leg strength with the leg in front of you, work GREAT for rehab and more. They are one of the best lower body lifts you could have in your training. If a study came out saying they cured cancer, I wouldn’t even be surprised at this point . BUT the key to this is that if you want all those gains, you have to perform the Split Squat CORRECTLY. Here’s how: . One. Start in a split stance. Then, lower DOWN and FORWARD . Two. Lower until you reach the bottom. At the bottom, you should have the front foot flat, front knee PAST the toes, chest upright, and back leg almost straight . Three. Push back up to the top . If you don’t have the mobility to perform it with this form, elevate the front leg and progressively work your way down to the ground as your mobility improves. Once you get more advanced, progress to ELEVATING the back leg to make the movement more difficult and to get more gains and mobility! . Add load with dumbbells, barbells, or a weighted vest and get aboard the Gain Train! . And check the IG stories for an extra tip!

A post shared by Martina & Philip Chubb (@the_mindful_mover) on Jan 1, 2020 at 7:59am PST

Because I have kettlebells instead of dumbbells, I reviewed Mark Wildman's video on the static lunge.  Wildman is not shy about allowing the knee to go past the toe for certain movements, but here he doesn't.  The more significant difference is where the weight is held.  He explains why he doesn't like the KB held suitcase style as in Mindful Mover's video, and prefers the contralateral rack position instead.

So hopefully I'll get a "best of both worlds" deal out of this.  The greater ROM of the split squat combined with the kettlebell advice of Mark Wildman.

HSPU Program Session 37

Prepare
Set up rings

Practice
Pair 1
Inverted Press on Rings w/ 4-sec. negative - 3 sets of 3-4 reps. - Quality: Rough, Ease: Challenging
Pullup on Rings w/ 4-sec. negative - 3 sets of 3 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 - Quality: Rough, Ease: Solid
Tuck Front Lever Rows Rings w/ 6-8 sec. negative -  3 reps - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
2 min. rest between all sets

Play
All the messing around with ring height and positioning between sets

Rotator Cuff External Rotation with light mini-band
No Money exercise with heavy mini band

Push
Inverted Press on Parallettes w/4-sec. negative on stairs - 4 reps - Quality: Rough,  Ease: Challenging

Ponder
Inverted Press on Rings was just too hard to be worth pursuing at this time.  The instability of the rings made the movement so much more difficult to execute with adherence to all the critical cues - scapular protraction, no elbow flare, forearms must be parallel to torso at all times, etc.  So for next upper body session, I'll switch back to parallettes for this exercise.

Pullups were ok again, but I still feel shoulder irritation when descending into full dead hang with elevated scapula.  Fitness trainers/coaches do not seem to agree on whether one should descending into full dead hang, or only descend as low as possible without losing scapular depression.  GMB is in favor of the former because you would be practicing a scapular pull on every rep.  If I interpret what Daniel Vadnal is saying here, I need only lower myself to where my arms are completely straight, yet maintaining scapular depression - thus no scapular pull on every rep.

Because my shoulder is fine during descent as long as the scapula is kept depressed, then starts to feel irritated when the scapula goes up so I can dead-hang, I'm siding with Daniel on this one.  Sorry, GMB.

Today's Music Discoveries

https://worldmusic.net/blogs/guide-to-world-music/the-music-of-india?fbclid=IwAR04Sh3zoiuPQq5LJt7CQe74ORwFteXuq848X7NS7_R9onsryET0p7WJRxs

Active Recovery Day: Exercise research

Active recovery day today.

After seeing a discussion of pullup exercise with slow eccentrics, I watched one of the FitnessFAQs pullup videos and saw that Daniel Vadnal recommended an 8-second eccentric.  Then I found a video he did with Gabo Saturno, which present some exercises for improving pullup performance.  I tried the wall side and it was a no-go for me.  I just don't have the shoulder flexibility to keep the forearms in contact with the wall in the starting position, while also maintaining low-back contact with the wall.  Based on a glance at the Youtube comments, a lot of other people also struggled with the flexibility issue.

I then practiced the prone YTWL exercises as taught by Vadnal here, under the recommended guideline of 1-2 sets per exercise, 8-10 reps per set, 1 min. rest between sets.

It will be interesting to try the wall side again in the near future, to test if I'm making any flexibility gains from increasing my brachial hang session to 2 min. total, as well as improving scapula function and strength from practicing the YTWL exercise as well as the regular exercise routine.

Here Vadnal shows the wall slide again but now you can see he's not keeping the forearms strictly in contact with the wall.  In fact all we see of his arms in constant contact with the wall is the knuckles of his fists .

On a different note, I found this video on an exercise on improving toe touch. I'm more focused on improving hamstring flexibility. This exercise is all about bypassing the need for hamstring flexibility. It might be useful to try though in the future if I ever decide I want to improve my range of motion in the Jefferson Curl, without practicing the Jefferson Curl itself.

HSPU Program Session 36

Prepare
Light housework

Practice
Main circuit
Single Leg Deadlift w/ 16kg KB - 6 reps/leg - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
Front Scale Leg Lift - 3-4 reps - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
Low Windmill - 5-8 reps per side. - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
Rolling Deck Squat w/ 16kg KB - 5 reps for 3 sets - Quality: Rough, Ease: Solid

3 rounds with 4 min. rest between rounds

Play
Walk around neighborhood

Push
Weighted Single-Leg Pike Stretch
Jefferson Curl (no weight)
Cobra stretch
Modified Pigeon stretch
Half Pancake stretch
Brachial Hang for about 30 sec.

Ponder

Nice to get a shorter lower body workout for a change!  I liked the Hunter Squat but I wanted to whittle my lower-body routine down to what I really want to work on now - which is hamstring strength and flexibility, quadratus lumborum(QL) strength, quad strength for leg raises, and ab strength.

I couldn't think of a way to practice the Front Scale Leg Lift with Accommodating Resistance, but I did try to note the starting angle of the leg lift, and slow down the eccentric movement so that it would take 4 seconds to lower from the top of the movement back down the starting angle.  This was a challenge as expected, because of the intensity of the quad contraction, but I think this new idea will be productive. 

Low Windmill got easy with the 24kg KB for the first round, so I switched to the 32kg KB for the following rounds.  I need to pay attention to good form with the heavier weight and maintain that nice foot pressure against the ground instead of letting the QL do any lifting by itself - after all the idea is to strengthen the QL, not damage it.

Rolling Deck Squat with the 16kg KB got easy so for the last round, I wanted to see how many reps I could do.  I got to about 7 or 8 reps.  I'll try 24kg for the next session, but I need to make sure the shoulder doesn't feel undue discomfort while holding the KB at the 90 degree album.

HSPU Program Session 35

Prepare
Set up rings

Practice
Pair 1
Inverted Press on Parallettes w/ 4-sec. negative - 3 sets of 6-7 reps. - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
Pullup on Rings w/ 4-sec. negative - 3 sets of 3 reps - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
2 min. rest between all sets

Pair 2
Incline Pushup on Rings w/ 4-sec. negative - 3 sets - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
Arch Rows Rings w/ 4-sec. negative - 2 sets of 3 reps - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
2 min. rest between all sets

For last set of horizontal pulls, I gambled and attempted Tuck Front Lever Rows on the rings.  It was easier than expected and I did at least 5 reps.  Shoulders felt comfortable too.   I last attempted Tuck Front Lever Rows 2 years ago.  Despite not practicing them I don't feel like I lost much strength in this movement.  Perhaps the reverse rows that I've done helped.

Play
Attempted Hanging Leg Raises on rings.  Still uncomfortable for the shoulders.  I guess the shoulders feeling good during my Sunday attempt was either an anomaly or the shoulders tolerate the movement better after several days of rest.

Attempted external shoulder rotation with rings just for laughs.  The load is still too much.  I'll stick to using mini-bands.

Practicing the motion of a pushup while standing, with focus on keeping the scapula protracted.  I'm not used to this yet.

Push
Pike Handstand Hold for 2 min. total practice

Ponder
I've been practicing the Inverted Press with parallettes about forearm width apart.  This was recommended by GMB for general parallette work.  However, in the tutorial videos for Handstand Pushup/Pike Pushup, FitnessFAQs recommends the hands be working about shoulder width apart or even a bit wider.  So for the next session I'll try setting the parallettes about shoulder width apart.  I'm also going to try practicing this move with the P-Barz on the stair landing so that I can elevate my feet on the stairs.  The P-Bars are high enough that I'll have to elevate my feet in order to shrug my shoulders at the top of the movement, as advised by both FitnessFAQs and GMB.  My toes are rising off the ground at the bottom of the movement so I'm likely strong enough to deal with the slightly increased load of the elevated feet.  On the other hand, I could switch to rings for my Inverted Press work, since I've got a ladder I can put my feet on as I progress.  I'll have to ponder this over the weekend.

Pullups on the rings feel way better for my shoulders.   My shoulders feel better with hands in pronated position in the dead hang and palms turned to face each other at the top of the movement.   One benefit of lowering slowly is I can zero in on the best point in the movement to start rotating the rings to reduce or eliminate any irritation on my shoulders.  I want to eventually progress to One-Arm Chinup on the rings, which would require rotating the ring all the way to supinated grip at the top of the movement.  In order to do that, I need to get really good at timing the rotation of the rings correctly, to prevent reinjury to the shoulder, and keep getting stronger so I can worry about the shoulder less and less.  Also, incline pushups on rings is a better core workout than knee pushups on rings.

I needed some extra time to figure out a good setup for incline pushups on the rings, which seems to be with the ring straps about 30-45 degrees away from vertical.  Next time, to improve comfort for the shoulders, I'll try starting at the top position with the palms down, and rotate the rings as I lower myself, so that the palms are facing each other at the bottom position.

Front Lever Rows is what I should do for my horizontal pulling going forward.  More comfortable for my shoulders than all the other reverse row variations and it's better training for my core, even in the Tuck Front Lever position.

I'm cutting Hanging Leg Raises from my routine.  Now that I'm doing pullups, pushups, and front lever rows on the rings, my core is getting enough of a workout.  My hamstring flexibility gains should be adequately addressed on my lower body training days, between the Low Windmill, Single Leg Deadlift, Front Scale Leg Lift, and Weighted Pike Stretch (Mindful Mover style).

Some recent conversations made me reflect on who I'm allowing to influence my exercise ideas and why I'm letting that happen.   Thanks to Youtube, Instagram, and the need for fitness information at a time that working out at indoor gyms is unsafe, certain social media "influencers" have built a following over the Internet.  These are the ones who are influencing me:

GMB - Their mission to help people achieve Physical Autonomy will always be a draw for me

Mindful Mover - They make me think of Bruce Lee, absorbing what is useful and rejecting what they deem to be useless exercises - or at least exercises for which they claim you can get "free gains" by limiting your training to their "Big 5", which is really a Big 4 family:  Handstand Pushup, One-Arm Chinup, Planche Pushup, Front Lever Row.  Their 5th exercise family is Squat, but they mostly squeeze 2 exercises under that family - the Poliquin-style Split Squat and the Pistol Squat, both preferably with weights.  So what I've been taking from them is the Accommodating Resistance concept, slow negatives in strength exercises, and structuring my upper body training around their Big 4.  I don't think I'll adopt their approach to Pistol Squat though, because it involves wearing a weight vest and having a partner apply Accommodating Resistance to you.  There's no way to do AR with kettlebells while training solo, unless I guess you do eccentric with two KBs, somehow put one of them on the ground without losing your balance, and then do the concentric with one KB.  I think though the difference between eccentric and concentric weight might be too much to be useful - all the examples I've seen of AR on Instagram show a smaller difference in resistance between eccentric and concentric movement.

FitnessFAQs - The main coach, Daniel Vadnal, is both a fitness trainer and a physiotherapist.  What I've gotten from him are the details for scapula usage in upper body exercises - details that most other trainers leave out.  Thanks to him, I'm now working at protracting my scapula for pushing exercises, to better protect my shoulders as well as improve performance.

Tom Merrick - He has some interesting ideas of how to progress towards the Handstand Pushup

Mark Wildman - His coaching is focused on kettelbells, clubbells, and mace.  What I get from him is ideas for lower body/core training with kettlebells.  His upper body training ideas also look interesting, but it will be a while before I take a break from my pursuit of the HSPU.  I presume the time will come that my progress towards the HSPU will plateau, even with Mindful Mover's uncommon training ideas.  When that time comes, I'll probably switch to working towards Turkish Getup with the 24kg kettlebell, and maybe my first military press with it too.

Shoulder Extension Improvement Exercise

Useful video to help shoulder pain sufferers identify if the issue might be impingement or AC joint.

 From an email sent by Eric Wong:

The technique I'm sharing with you today is also targeted to improve shoulder extension, but it's completely safe. It works by building muscular strength in that range, resulting in lasting mobility gains vs. static stretching, whose gains can quickly subside (if you don't pull something first). 

I tried the exercise.  My shoulders felt pretty good.

I then tried the YTWL scapular exercises taught by FitnessFAQs. There are other versions of the YTWL taught by other instructors, but I like Daniel Vadnal's version because you can just do them on the ground.  You don't need a stability ball or a bench like the other versions, and you don't need dumbbells.  Looks like the reason Vadnal's method does not require a bench or stability ball is the need for either item is eliminated, when lying face down on the ground, by the posterior tilt of the pelvis.  It really is important to set the scapula first before lifting the arms.  I find using the "suit", as trained in 6H practice, helps here, although introducing localized tension between the shoulder blades sort of violates the relaxed whole body concept of 6H.

The benefits of YTWL as outlined by Vadnal:

• Improved Scapular Stability and Control
• Improved Rotator Cuff function

My scapular control needs improvement.  I believe not having the greatest scapular control has contributed to repeat injury to my shoulder.   I tried to address this in the Monday session by adding scapular pulls after every set of pullups.  However, I think these YTWL exercises will be a better solution because I'll be able to focus on scapular control without the additional stress of a regular strength exercise.  I will probably practice this routine on my non-training days.

Pondering tomorrow's upper body training, my plan is to cut the sets of Inverted Press (pike pushup) and pullups to 3 each, and practice the pullups and incline pushups on rings.  The pushups will be paired with Arc Rows, which is a variation of the Reverse Row designed for progressing towards the Front Lever.   I could probably still do Tuck Front Lever rows, but why subject my still recovering shoulder to unnecessary risk?

View this post on Instagram

#StrengthSundayMM: Arc Rows . A great beginner progression to achieving the Front Lever Row is the Accommodating Resistance Arc Row! Here’s how to do it! . Step One: Grab the rings and walk your feet forward. The MORE parallel you are to the ground, the HARDER the movement becomes. Use that to adjust based on your strength levels . Step Two: Push the rings DOWN with straight arm, THEN drive the elbows back like you want to ELBOW someone in the gut. Try to make sure the rings touch your abdomen . Step Three: As you lower down, push the rings DOWN towards your legs. This will decrease the leverage and make the eccentric harder . These are a GREAT progression for developing your Front Lever Row since you can adjust the difficulty BEFORE you start (using the foot placement) AND adjust it mid-rep to make the resistance accommodating. . Give it a try and get aboard the Gain Train! And check the IG stories to see more!

A post shared by Martina & Philip Chubb (@the_mindful_mover) on Jul 5, 2020 at 6:10am PDT

If I'm up for it, I'll also do 3 sets of Hanging Leg Raises on the rings if my shoulder allows, then finish off with 2 min. of pike handstand practice

HSPU Program Session 34

Prepare
Kettlebell Halo with 16kg KB

Practice
Rolling Deck Squat w/ 16kg KB - 5 reps for 3 sets - Quality: Rough, Ease: Solid

Hunter Squat w/ 16kg KB - 4 reps Isolateral then 4 reps Contralateral per side - Quality: Rough, Ease: Solid

Low Windmill w/ 24kg KB.  3 sets of  5-6 reps per side. - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid

Top Position Single Straight Leg Raise on Rings - 3-4 reps with 2-sec hold on top, 4-sec. negative for 3 sets - Quality: Rough, Ease: Challenging

Single Leg Deadlift w/ 16kg KB - 6-7 reps/leg for 3 sets - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid

2 min. rest between all sets

Ponder

Workout seemed to take a longer than usual, so I left out Play and Push sections. Not sure what I would have done for either section anyway. 

Rolling Deck Squat was easier to perform than I thought.  However, I will continue working with the 16kg KB rather than rush to the 24kg KB, because the 3rd rep that I tried, I rolled back with too much momentum and the KB ended up continuing over my head and smacking the floor behind my head.  I'm lucky that I didn't damage my neck or reinjure my shoulder - assuming that when I wake up tomorrow I won't be feeling some delayed pain.

Taking another look at the Weighted Pike Stretch as taught and demonstrated by Mindful Mover,  it seems that this move works the hamstring like the Single-Leg Deadlift does, except with a slightly more intense stretch.  It looks like the tradeoff between this move and the SLDL is the more intense stretch on the hamstring vs. the improvement of foot intrinsic strength and balance.

My range of motion with the Top Position Single Leg Raise on rings is about the same as with the Front Scale Leg Lift.  I'm going to give my shoulders a bit more rest and just do the Front Scale Leg Lift.

One thing I could do to decrease the workout time is put all the exercises into a circuit.  This will probably compromise rate of progress in strength but since the priority is more on HSPU progress than lower body/core progress this might be ok.

HSPU Program Session 33

Prepare
Band-assisted shoulder mobility

Practice
Inverted Press on Parallettes w/ 4-sec. negative - 4 sets of 4-6 reps. - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid
Pullup w/ feet on floor in front and 4-sec. negative - 4 sets of 3 reps - Quality: Rough, Ease: Solid

Each pullup set immediately chased with foot-assisted scapular pulls - 6-7 reps

I took an idea from Mindful Mover and did alternating sets of Inverted Press and Pullup with 2 min. rest between sets.  Another Mindful Mover idea was incorporated which is interleaving the antagonist movement (pullup in this case) with the main movement.

I was inspired by Tom Merrick and Daniel Vadnal to switch back to parallettes for HSPU progression training because of the greater range of motion at the bottom of the movement.  At some point I will have to switch back to training with hands on floor but for now I should be focusing on improving my overall overhead pressing strength through the full ROM rather than worrying too much about wrist strength.

Play
Parallette Jump Through (P1 Level A version) for a 5-rep set
Shoulder external rotation with mini-band
Mini-band No Money exercise

Forgot to do the Play section during the workout session, so I just did it Grease The Groove style in the afternoon.

Push
Knee Pushup on Parallettes w/ 4-sec. negative - 3 sets - Quality: Smooth, Ease: Solid

Pike Handstand Hold - 2 min. total, about 2 sets
Parallettes One Cooldown Routine

Brachial Hang for about 1min.

Ponder
Inverted Press (aka "Pike Press" or "Pike Pushup") is still easier for me on my P-Barz than with palms on the ground.  It's because the hands are elevated on the P-Barz.  It will get harder soon enough, when I progress to where I can elevate my feet.  I believe the increased ROM in the bottom portion of the movement, by training on P-Barz, will help me progress.

I realized I gambled a bit by changing from Reverse Row to Pullup.  Pronated grip was friendlier to the shoulder than neutral grip.  It was a bit of a challenge to keep the scapula sufficiently depressed and retracted to prevent shoulder irritation, especially during the negative half of the movement..  The feet on the floor to reduce the load on the upper body really helped reduce or eliminate the shoulder irritation while practicing scapular pulls.

Daniel Vadnal's video here inspired me to add the Pike Handstand Hold to the end of the workout.  I'd been putting off handstand-specific work because 5 min. of handstand-oriented seemed daunting, especially with my shoulders feeling so weak and unstable the first time I attempted an assisted handstand (assistance by feet on elevated surface):

My upper body felt too worn out to attempt shrugs while in handstand.  Because of the height of the parallettes and my feet not being elevated for today's Inverted Press practice, I didn't have the ROM to shrug at the top of every rep as Vadnal and GMB advise.  So the handstand portion would have been my only opportunity to do the shrugs to improve the necessary strength to elevate the scapula for a good handstand.

The first fix I'm going to try is reduce the number of work sets from 4 to 3, in the hopes this will leave more gas in my tank for the shrugs.  Vadnal's routine in the above video recommends 3 sets anyway.

I set the timer app to 2 minutes, then attempted the pike handstand with my feet on my couch but didn't feel like I was able to adequately stack my hips over my shoulders vertically, probably because of hamstring tightness.  After whatever time I spent trying to stack the torso,  I then went to the stairs, put my hands on the stair landing, and walked my feet up the stairs.  With my feet at a greater height, hamstring tightness was no longer a factor in preventing proper stacking.  After feeling I got my torso stacked ok, I attempted a shrug but was just too tired.  I held the handstand for what little time I could, then took a break to try to shake the tension out of my body.  I was then surprised to hear the timer go off - the 2 min. had gone by faster than I realized!

The highlight of today's work out by far:  My best assisted handstand attempt so far!