Elements: Week 1 Day 3

Focus: Frogger

Floating Table Top - Pretty much same as Day 1

Frogger - Was able to practice the full 5 min., taking only a 2-second break to stand up, turn around, and perform the Frogger again. Focused more on initiating an active push, as I transition out of the deep squat into the Floating Table Top, then maintaining the active push - keeping those shoulder blades spread apart as long as possible.  What I need to continue working on is smoothly transitioning from Squat to Floating Table Top, then transitioning back to Squat with as much smoothness and control as possible.  By the middle of my session, I had noticed that I tended to rush through the Floating Table Top or even skip it - slowing down and not skipping it delivers a better workout for the abs, shoulders, etc.

Cooldown - Realized that Cobra and the Bhujangasana I used to practice under the Viniyoga program for low back rehab is actually the same Yoga pose - in fact, the latter is the Sanskrit name of the former.  The difference is that the Viniyoga low back program version emphasized exercising the back, whereas the Elements version emphasizes the stretch of the chest and abs.  So to get a better handle on Cobra, I now use my back to gently raise my head and chest off the ground as high as possible, then use the arms to push the torso further up to stretch the abs.

Elements: Week 1 Day 2

Focus:  Bear

A-Frame - Not much change since Day 1

Bear - As with the Frogger, 5 min. of practice vs. the 1 min. that was prescribed in the original version of Elements makes for a bit more demanding workout.  I probably would have taken a lot more breaks if I still had that gas bubble in my eye.  As it is today, I took it slow, focusing on trying to keep my butt in the air at the same height that it was during the A-Frame practice.

Cooldown - Using the A-Frame as a stretch, I could use it to focus more on the upper body or on the legs.  I decided to focus on the legs.  I managed to get my heels on the ground, which stretched my calves to the limit of their flexibility.  So I'll just work on pushing the heels to the ground, then gradually start straightening the legs.

Elements: Week 1 Day 1

Today is my official first day under the updated Elements program.  The theme for today is assessment, but it was not an easy workout by any means.

Warmup Routine - Been practicing this for a few days now, including the test Frogger session from last Thursday.  One minor addition I've made is the Quadruped Twist To Roll To Plow from the newly published BJJ Mobility Routine.  I just like what this sequence does for my neck.

A-Frame - I wasn't able to hold this posture for the entire 5 min, but my endurance was better than expected.  I'm sure it's not the best looking A-Frame but the pointer to push the butt as high as possible helps a lot.  A new tweak from my previous work under Elements is the direction to keep the knees and feet shoulder width apart rather than hip-width.  This seems to allow me to push the heels closer to the ground.

Squat - Deep squat position has been easy for me. Played a bit rising out of it and lowering back into it with an emphasis on maintaining posture.  The limiting factor is soreness on the insteps of the feet - otherwise I feel like I could sit in the deep squat for the full 5 min.  I guess I could play with the positioning, where I'm concentrating my bodyweight, etc. and thus look for a way to relieve the load in the insteps.  I'll also look into improving the arch of my feet as I'm flat-footed.

Floating Table Top - Pretty much the same experience as in the test Frogger workout.

Cooldown Routine - Same experience as a couple of days ago, except I had the time to do the 3-point Bridge at the end too. Thankfully, my bad shoulder responded fine.

Elements: Test Frogger workout and assessment

Yesterday, I attempted the Day 2 workout from Elements, but because of poor time management, I was not able to practice the A-Frame and Bear for the full five minutes each.

Today, I carved out the time for the full Day 3 workout, which focuses on the Frogger.  The workout starts with the warmup/mobility routine.  Next is five minutes of Floating Table Top practice - a significant update from the 2016 version of Elements.  Holy smokes, the direction to tuck in the hips creates an intense contraction of the abs!  Not surprisingly, I was unable to hold the Floating Table Top position for the entire 5 minutes without a break.  Continuously pushing against the floor with the bodyweight slightly forward is no joke, but the killer for me was the abs.  I took breaks alright during those 5 min.... lots of breaks.  Next is the Frogger itself.  In the past, it was my legs that would tire first during Frogger practice.  With the instruction to "jump" as slowly as possible from the Floating Table Top to the squat to begin the next rep of the Frogger, the load was share more evenly with the shoulders and the abs; so much that it was no longer the legs that was tiring out first, but the abs.  I also took lots of breaks.  Finally, the workout ended with the prescribed cool down stretches.  Because of my shoulder issue, I've been having trouble with the Arm Lounge stretch, but the updated Elements instruction now says to keep the elbows bent and bring them together - before pulling the shoulders back and bringing the chest up.  That initial direction to bring the elbows bent and pulled towards each other is making a huge difference for me.

After reviewing the Frogger instruction video, I realize I need to work more on pushing on the floor while performing the Frogger.  I don't really maintain an active push while my feet are in the air, transitioning from the Floating Table Top to the squat.

I also worked in some Front/Back Scale practice during breaks at work, just focusing on the basic versions of each exercise.  I'd been working on these Scales for a couple of days and I already feel a reduction in MCL soreness.

GMB Elements - 3rd time around

This week I decided to switch from Rings One to Elements.  The Elements program has been updated quite a bit in the 2 years that have passed since I worked through the entire program.  The warmups look different, and the main exercise routine on a given day also looks different.  For example, I tried the Day 2 routine, and instead of just doing Bear for 1 minute, it's now 5 minutes of practicing A-Frame (the base posture for Bear), followed by 5 minutes of playing with Bear itself.

I've made some strength gains with the Rings but a month or two ago, I may have had my previously-injured shoulder tweaked during open-mat grappling.  The Lounge Chair position, which appears in several GMB programs and exercises, is problematic for this shoulder, especially when the fingers are facing forward.  The German Hang position on the rings is also risky.  Dead hang at the start of pullups/chinups has been a bit painful for a year now and hasn't been getting better.

The 3 basic animal movements of Elements seem to be kinder to my shoulders.  The straight-arm variations should be fine.  I'll monitor what happens if the updated program calls for any bent-arm variations, and substitute straight-arm variations if there are any problems.   I'd already started playing with the Frogger and Monkey movements from Elements anyway because the folks at GMB said those two movements will help me with my hand balancing skills - at least the pursuit of the Crow Pose, and the basic handstand.

Another recent issue is soreness/tightness in my knee - particularly the MCL, which has also been previously injured.  It could have been caused by my less-than-perfect execution of the forms I've been learning from Chen Taijiquan, but not consistently working on my hip mobility could be doing it too.  Reviewing GMB's knee health article confirms that neglecting this mobility work for the hips could indeed be a cause..  In addition, the GMB support site recommends exercises called front and back scales for strengthening the knees.  So my new plan will include the practice of these scale exercises

Rings One, Phase 1, Level B (modified), Week 4

Oops, forgot to log the results for Weeks 2 and 3.

The modifications are to compensate for my shoulder issue and my strength level almost at the B level but not quite yet (cannot do L-Sit but am close, cannot do Tuck to Tuck Shoulder Stand).



Above The Rings

Dips - 9 reps. Quality: Smooth. Ease: Solid

L-Sit - Still not all the way there with both legs, but one straight leg at a time is doable.

Inverted Push-Ups - 7 reps. Quality: Smooth. Ease: Solid.

Crow Pose - 3 rounds of up to 1-min per round of Crow Pose practice.  This is my chosen substitute for pushups, as it can build similar strength with less shoulder discomfort.

Below The Rings

Inverted Pike Roll Chin-Ups - Started the transition from tuck roll ot pike roll.  I can do 3 reps of the pike roll version with some effort, then switch to tuck roll to finish the set.  Hamstring flexibility is good enough for the pike roll and the added load of the pike position on the abs should help progress towards the full L-sit.

Skin The Cats - 3 reps. Quality: Rough.  Ease: Challenging.  Adding a couple of reps of simply lowering the legs while keeping them straight, then using hamstring/glute power to raise them back into the inverted hang position seems to be improving my hamstring flexibility.

Chin-Ups - 9 reps. Quality: Smooth. Ease: Solid.  Still having intermittent shoulder irritation in the dead hang - so cutting the range just a bit.

I received a recommendation from the good folks at GMB to try practicing the Frogger and Monkey movements, to assist in my progress towards a developing a hand balancing skill such as the Crow Pose or handstand.  The recommendation was to check out this article.

Rings One, Phase 1, Level B (modified), Week 1

Results of Week 1 of my modified Rings One program.  The modifications are to compensate for my shoulder issue and my strength level almost at the B level but not quite yet (cannot do L-Sit but am close, cannot do Tuck to Tuck Shoulder Stand).

Above The Rings

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

L-Sit - Not quite there yet, but closer than I've ever been before to a legit L-Sit.  Previously, the closest I got with straight legs was about 30-35 degrees below parallel to the ground, with the hip flexors working hard.  Now I can pull up my legs to about 20 degrees, maybe even less.  Now it's the quads that are working hard to keep those legs straight.

I'll try to strengthen those quads by practicing pistol squats - in separate sets of course after my ring training.  I'll train for the L-Sit this way for a month or two and see how it goes.

Inverted Push-Ups - 7 reps. Quality: Smooth. Ease: Solid.

Push-Ups - Tried the assisted version (knees on floor) but still irritated the shoulder.  What I will try next time is 1-min rounds of Frog Stand practice instead of sets of assisted pushups.

Below The Rings

Skin The Cats - 3 reps. Quality: Rough.  Ease: Challenging.  Adding a couple of reps of simply lowering the legs while keeping them straight, then using hamstring/glute power to raise them back into the inverted hang position seems to be improving my hamstring flexibility.

Inverted Tuck Roll Chin-Ups - 6 reps. Quality: Smooth. Ease: Solid.

Inverted Row (Tuck) - 9 reps. Quality: Smooth. Ease: Solid.  The Rings One course says this exercise  builds pulling strength for the Skin The Cat, so I'll eventually phase out this exercise as I build up volume in the Skin The Cat.

Chin-Ups - 7 reps. Quality: Smooth. Ease: Solid.  Still having intermittent shoulder irritation in the dead hang - so cutting the range just a bit.

Rings One Update and miscellaneous training.

I just noticed my last formal training log entry for the Rings One program was in February.  It's not that I've given up on ring training or exercise - it's just that there's been a lot going on - lifestyle changes, injuries, illnesses, etc.

I really don't know how my shoulder was injured this time.  Seemingly all of a sudden, pushups were painful to do for that shoulder.  I think I made it worse by trying to do Dive Bombers on my "pro height" P-Bars (parallettes).  From late summer to fall, I gradually restored stability to that shoulder and reduced pain by ditching parallette training in favor of rings, Eric Wong's Hip Control program, and practicing inverted pushups on the floor - that's right, inverted pushups were painless for some reason.

I went through all 12 weeks of the Hip Control program.  I did notice a reduction in hip pain or pain referred to the hips, as well as some improvement in hip flexor strength and hamstring flexibility.  The Hip Control workouts took enough of a toll on my hip flexors that they were too sore to allow me to practice the L-Sit.   For the Above the Rings workout, I've been substituting Can Openers (a preparatory exercise for the Front Lever) for L-Sit practice, inverted pushups on the floor for the ring version, and eliminating pushups altogether.   Maybe after I work up to ring dips in the 10-12 rep range, and progress in the inverted pushup to being able do them with feet elevated, I can try horizontal (normal) pushups again.

The one bit of Rings One that I'm following fairly close "to the letter" is the Phase 1, Level B, Below Rings workout.  Progress has been steady there, with max chinups at 11, inverted rows at 8, and inverted tuck roll chinups at 7.  Today I tried two movements from Phase 2:  inverted pike roll chinup and another new movement (whose name I forget) that starts from German Hang and rolls into a pike roll chinup.  I might be misunderstanding something about Phase 2, because the 2nd movement appears to include the entirety of the first movement, with the German Hang tacked on at the beginning.

My conclusion from today's assessment of the Phase 2 moves is, not surprisingly, that I should continue working at the Phase 1 level.  I need to build up to good volume on the Inverted Tuck Roll Chinup, because I'll need to keep improving my grip strength-endurance and my core strength before I can be more productive in the Inverted Pike Roll Chinup, which places much more demand on the abs.  I will add the basic version of the Skin The Cat (taught in Phase 2, Level A) to my routine, really focusing on straightening the legs as much as possible when lowering into the German Hang, then trying to keep them straight when pulling out of the German Hang back into Inverted Hang.  I can feel my glutes and hamstrings working harder when I do this - perhaps strengthening them this way will result in a better pike position.

I suffered  a calf injury a couple of weeks ago when I was accidentally kicked there.  It's been preventing me from getting into position for an inverted pushup.  This week though, after some cold compress treatment and taking an NSAID pain reliever, it's finally starting to loosen up just a bit, and at least allow me to walk without a limp.

All this focus on upper body strength is unlikely to improve my 6H skills, but I have to do whatever it takes to keep my shoulders stable - just leaving them in a state where they can dislocate easily is not desirable when I train regularly with partner in grappling and other martial arts stuff.

I'll probably work this into my routine as well:  https://gmb.io/hip-pain/

Today's Music Discoveries

https://www.npr.org/2017/11/08/562585856/songs-we-love-poli-a-and-stargaze-how-is-this-happening

Johnny Frigo - Polka Dots & Moonbeams

https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/the-story-of-goth-in-33-songs/

https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/11/17/arts/music/ecm-catalog-streaming-guide.html?referer=http%3A%2F%2Fm.facebook.com

Apparently the only video footage of John Coltrane and his quartet playing A Love Supreme live:
https://vimeo.com/89837165?ref=fb-share&1

Mojave 3 - To Whom Should I Write

https://www.npr.org/event/music/566905758/moses-sumney-tiny-desk-concert

Octatrack Gain Staging advice/discussion

https://www.elektronauts.com/t/internal-gain-stage-recommendations/15149/7?u=open_mike

Three Internal Harmonies (of the Six Harmonies of "internal" martial arts and movement )

Copied from a post by Mike Sigman:

The ancient Chinese postulated the existence of "qi" to explain the type of phenomena in our example. Using "qi" like this involves "intent" aka "yi". So the Three Internal Harmonies say essentially that the "desire of the subconscious" (Xin) triggers the conscious mind (yi), the conscious mind then sends the qi to where it is needed for this physical action, and once the qi is in place it precedes the force (li or jin) that can be felt when someone like Paolo pushes. They said it like this:
Xin - Yi, Yi - Qi, Qi - Li

That's the Three Relationships aka the Three Internal Harmonies.

Today's Musical Discoveries

Miles Davis - Fall

Bobby Timmons - Tenaj

Koji Kondo: The Man Who Composed Your Childhood - Actually, a short documentary on Koji Kondo

Allan Holdsworth - in concert (1997)

R.L. Burnside: See My Jumper Hanging On the Line (1978)

Civic Progress - Human Rating

Eddie Harris & Les McCann - Compared To What

Red House Painters - All Mixed Up

Awesome moon lute solo

Donny McCaslin Group & Dave Douglas - JazzBaltica 2008

Zhang Xue Xin qigong video - exercise for functional qi

Notes by Mike Sigman:

The thing about the dantian and reverse breathing is that those two things pull and manipulate the elastic tissues of the body. The pulling and manipulating and squeezing and 'beating and drumming' (in some qigongs) are meant to develop the functional qi.

Just to use a quick and very simple example (from which more complicated motions/breath can be extrapolated) I'll take two small excerpts from a video of Zhang Xue Xin when he was doing the Hun Yuan Qigong that Feng Zhiqiang devised. In these two very simple movements, Zhang is first tracing the contractile/Yin route on the inner sides of the limbs during his inhale and "pulling in" ... and then he is pushing along the outer parts of the limbs for the exhale and mild contraction along that extensor pathway.

So, what he is doing is working the tissues along those channels with the inhale and exhale and he may be visualizing a flow of qi along those routes in the direction of his hands. It's a sort of double-duty thing: a practical part and a mind part.

Remember that if you bend and pull your limbs inward (Close), the pulling parts are along the inner and undersides of limbs; when you extend and push your limbs outward, the extensor action (or Opening) is along the upper and outer surfaces of the limbs. In other words, the "qi flow" is inward pulling on the insides of the limbs with the inhale and the qi flow is outward along the outsides of the limbs as they are straightened (even if you're not moving the limb in the qigong).

The video:

https://vimeo.com/237311117

Complete Guide to SunVox

SunVox is a unique modular synth app for IOS, Android and other platforms.  It is noted for its powerful feature set and light demand on the CPU, but the user interface is, uh, unique and kind of scary for some people.

Here is an online guide, which appears to be under ongoing development but already has plenty of useful info:
https://sunvox-guide.readthedocs.io/en/latest/index.html

SunVox was recently updated to support AUv3.  I discovered that if I loaded SunVox as an AUv3 plugin in AUM, any project I created and saved would not appear if I later opened SunVox as a standalone app.  I also found that any projects saved in SunVox as a standalone app do not appear in SunVox after I load it as an AUv3 plugin in AUM.  I inquired about this and got this response from the developer:

It's a "feature" of iOS In the AU plugin, please use 

Export/Import -> System export/import: 
system export to transfer file from AU to standalone; 
system import to transfer file from standalone to AU.

Couple of good new GMB articles

Inverted Leg Raise Tutorial: https://gmb.io/inverted-leg-raise/

The Inverted Leg Raise is one of the skills that can be learned and practiced, in order to develop strength and balance that can lead to more difficult inversion skills such as the hand stand

10 Fun coordination drills:  https://gmb.io/coordination/

Good coordination can make learning more complex movements easier.

Today's Musical Discoveries

Mojave 3 - Love Songs On The Radio

This Kind Of Punishment - A Beard Of Bees (full album)

Hüsker Dü - Live From London 1985 DVD

Fantasia Cromatica by J. S. Bach for Viola

Alison's Halo ‎– Calendar

The Korgis - Everybody's Got To Learn Sometime HD

The Jesus And Mary Chain - April Skies (Official Video)

The The - This Is The Day (HD 1080p)

Prefab Sprout - Goodbye Lucille # 1

Aztec Camera - Oblivious (Pebble Mill at One) 1983

Art Blakey & Lee Morgan - 1959 - Paris Jam Session - 02 Bouncing With Bud

Daily Shoulder Mobility Routine

Good article by GMB Head Coach Ryan Hurst:
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/how-to-take-the-weight-of-the-world-off-your-shoulders-moves-for-shoulder-mobility/

Today's Music Discoveries - Allan Holdsworth/Geri Allen edition

The great Allan Holdsworth passed away very recently.  RIP.  He was one of my favorite electric guitarists.  He was known for his fluid, virtuosic solos.  I connected the most with his compositions, which showcased his idiosyncratic harmonic approach.

This page will be updated as I come across more Holdsworth and Geri Allen stuff.

UK - Mental Medication

Allan Holdsworth - Bozzio - Levin - Mastelotto in Japan 2008 Set 1 -HoBoLeMa First Show

Allan Holdsworth and Gordon beck / Golden Lakes

U.K. - Thirty Years - Boston (1978) HQ

Allan Holdsworth Quartet - Deutsches Jazz Festival 1986 Concert

Soft Machine (with Allan Holdsworth) - Bundles (Full Suite) [Jazz-Rock - Canterbury Scene] (1974)

Gong - Gazeuse! [Full Album HD]

The great Geri Allen also passed away.  RIP

Geri Allen - Soul Eyes

Geri Allen - Lush Life

Holdin' Court(G.Allen),Geri Allen 'The Life Of A Song'

Integral Strength: Week 2

I began training under the Integral Strength program again and just completed Week 2.  My previous Integral Strength training post is here.

I might not make it all the way to Week 8 in this time around either, but I think that's ok.  I'm coming off of bronchitis.  On top of that, the heat index has been high enough to make me reluctant to test the readiness of my lungs for my typical bike commute rides, with quite a bit of it with motor vehicle traffic and the fumes associated with it.

Integral Strength is the right program for me at this time - to revisit my strength fundamentals, and rebuild my conditioning without the exposure to car/truck fumes or high heat index outdoors.  Looking back at that April 2016 post, I'm weaker in the Shrimp Squat, stronger in the Chinups, and weaker in the Tuck Sit. stronger in the Inverted Press, and about the same strength level in the other exercises.  If I stick with this program until Week 6, I will likely exceed my Week 6 performance from last year.

For my active recovery days, I practice my 4 selected exercises from Focused Flexibility.  I changed my Shoulder Position exercises to Lounge Chair and Shoulder Internal Rotation, as these two address positions that are tighter for me than the previously selected exercises.  For the Longsitting Position exercises, I will stick with the Hamstring Variations and Longsitting.  The updated program seems to have omitted the variation of the hamstring stretch in which the non-working leg and foot are folded, so that you are sitting on your foot.  I like that variation so I'll keep it in my repertoire, though I'll try the variation with the non-working foot up on the toes.  As for the Longsitting, I will try using the strap that came with my yoga mat as a prop.  There is a variation in which one can pull on a chair to assist in pulling the chest forward - I'd just substitute the strap for the chair.

Focusing more on Focused Flexibility

I've resumed training with GMB's Integral Strength program, which I may write about more in another post.  Unlike other GMB programs, there is no cool-down routine, and no specific activity specified on the active recovery days (the days one does not practice the Integral Strength exercises).  I believe Integral Strength does suggest a number of possibly active recovery activities, including Focused Flexibility.  Thus I've decided to practice Focused Flexibility on those in-between days, and see how well it works for addressing a couple of longstanding issues - tightness in the shoulders when attempting to reach overhead, and tightness in the hamstrings.  The program recommends choosing two positions of need, then choosing two exercises for each position.  Here are my selections with some comments from today's session:

Position: Shoulder Combined Motions

Posterior Shoulder Opener
May try bending the elbow next time.

Prone Scaption Rotation
May try the bent elbow version.

Position: Long Sitting

Hamstring Variations
Chair version was uncomfortable.  Seated on the mat/floor with one leg bent was better.  I may work from that position to start next time.

Longsitting Stretch
Tried one towel folded up to help position the hips.  I'll try 2 folded towels next time.


I'll review the video tutorials for all 4 exercises.