It's the start of November 2022, and I'm just about to start a new Gymnastics Strength (GST) phase in my training. At the same time, I'm also starting a new mobility phase.
FREE CORE COMPRESION & FORWARD FOLD PROGRAM
I plan to mix things up in my training and aim for three long sessions combining flexibility and GST and one shorter session focused on flexibility.
I plan to train Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
This will give me Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday off.
As I move into this new training schedule, I will share more of my training journey.
Today's Friday, and I'll be kicking things off with:
A. Pike flexibility
B. GST warm-up
C. L-Sit to Press Handstand and Eccentric Handstand push-ups.
PIKE FLEXIBILITY
My flexibility has been a glaring weakness in my gymnastics training. Just over 12 months ago, I decided to focus on this weakness and stop making excuses.
That's when I invested in Erdi (@learningtohuman) to write my flexibility training.
Over the last 12-month my pike flexibility has increased a lot.
But there is still a way to go.
The current goal is to get my head to toe.
I've progressed head to toe for the last 5-months and am slowly unlocking the range inch by inch. It's a slow and painful process.
Right now, I feel tightness in my outer glutes and calves in the head-to-toe. Therefore, the current phase focuses on stretching my piriformis and claves before we dive into the head-to-toe.
The head-to-toe requires us to contract the hip flexors and actively flex the hip to close the angle between the torso and the leg. Hence, the hip flexors need to be strong, and the posterior chain needs to be mobile.
Let's see how this goes over the next 6-weeks.
Gymnastics Strength Training.
About 6months ago, I invested in Nuno (@nunopduarte) as my GST coach. If you have not seen Nuno's Instagram, you should check him out. The dude has made some solid progress over the years with his GST.
Two of my current GST goals are:
Stalder Press
Handstand Push-ups
Today's GST session is all about these two goals.
There's a lot of core compression strength required in GST, and I didn't realise how hard I needed to train it. Since working with Nuno, my core compression strength has undoubtedly increased.
But the core compression strength doesn't end there. Every session starts with some core training, which I've grown to enjoy.
We also do some shoulder mobility and one set of 8-10 different GST movements that are linked to my goals. This style of warm-up exposes me to more volume and frequency for my specific goals as I get a little extra into my week.
The main GST session is just two exercises today.
An L-Sit to Press Handstand and some Eccentric Handstand Push-ups on p-bars.
I've been working on my press handstand, the L-Sit to Stand, and the Durante's Press over the last few training phases.
Apparently, I'm ready for the next level. I know that Nuno likes to set challenging goals and often programs movements just at the edge of my limits.
It can be frustrating to fail, but it’s also important to be pushed to the edge of our limits if we want to progress.
In the current phase, the goal is to perform the L-Sit to Stand, placing my feet on a surface at the same height as the p-bars. Pause here to gather my thoughts and then straddle press into a handstand.
Easy right!!
My L-sit to stand is good, but getting my feet as high as the p-bars will require more shoulder strength. My straddle press to handstand is good, but I must keep my legs straight. More mobility!!
As mentioned, the second goal is handstand push-ups. In the current phase, I'll be working on five sets of three reps of eccentric handstand push-ups on the p-bars.
I've done some eccentric HSPU on p-bars in my earlier attempts to master the handstand push-up. At one point, I could do a 30sec eccentric, but I still couldn't do a concentric HSPU.
It's been a while since I did this, and I know that the first couple of weeks will be challenging, but the eccentric control should improve by week 3.
Let's see how this goes in week one of this new phase.
You can watch this session on the YouTube channel, and please feel free to leave any questions or comments on the YouTube channel.
Happy Training.