Weekly Progress Report: 2013-05-01
Challenge #6: Straddle Press to Handstand
Hollow Body Hold: 62 seconds!
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(If you can’t see the video, click here)
As I’m slowly wrapping up my first parallettes training phase (my flow is getting better; I will get a video up in a week or two when I feel it significant to show), I’ll be switching to another skills-based program, this time with the gymnastics rings. This will help me, amongst other things, to work on Challenge #8: The Iron Cross.
As for this challenge, I’m still going to work on it, but I’ll be focusing on another component. As wee bit less strength-based, but nonetheless essential one: the Handstand on the ground.
Over the last month, I’ve had the opportunity to build a habit of practicing simple movements in a daily-dose fashion. It has helped tremendously in Read more
Weekly Progress Report: 2013-03-26
Challenge #11: Origami
159 + 7 = 166. Also, this is what a box of 165+ Origami Cranes look like:
Stocking up…
Varia
Taken a small break from parallettes again — will be coming back stronger.
Weekly Progress Report: 2013-02-10
Challenge #6: Straddle Press to Handstand
Parallettes training is still following its due course, and amongst other things I’ve made good and steady improvements on the current Shoulder Stand progression.
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(If you can’t see this video, click here)
I think the main point I need to focus on at this stage is to be able to get a balance without having my elbows sinking in.
It’s over a month now I’ve been working on this phase of the program, so once I get that down, there’s a good chance it’ll be time to move on. So, more videos to come of course.
Challenge #11: Origami!
122 cranes and counting… starting to get a nice gradient-colored variety here.
Weekly Progress Report: 2013-01-20
Challenge #11: Origami
Curious to see how a 100 cranes look like? Look no further. Read more
Weekly Progress Report : 2013-01-06
Challenge #6: Straddle Press to Handstand
As promised last week, here’s a glance at the second set of movements in this new phase of parallettes training.
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(If you can’t see the video, click here)
While the first set of movements felt relatively comfortable, this one proves much more challenging to obtain repetitions and keeping it pretty. Especially the Tuck Jump to Bent Arm Bent Leg Shoulder Stand (1st movement) and the L-sit drives (3rd movement) are the ones most challenging to me. But particularly for the 1st one, it feels really nice to be able to be even just that close to doing it prettily.
Now about balancing practice. As you probably know I’ve felt a bit stuck in a rut on this part lately. Well I recently went back to GMB’s Handstand Tutorial and reviewed it. First time I read it, I had kinda dismissed the Hollow Body practice as I was pretty sure I could do it (being pretty strong in my core area already), and figured I’d just work on straightening my center when practicing the balance.
Full Hollow Body
Turns out maybe I was wrong. Well, sure, I’m already quite far down the road. I was able to hold the Extended Straight Legs Hollow Body hold for the full recommended minute, on the first try.
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(If you can’t see the video, click here)
… although I was much more shaky than expected. Not used to the practice. Which makes me think… Read more
Weekly Progress Report: 2012-12-19
Challenge #6: Straddle Press to Handstand
So first thing, as you’ll see below I successfully went straight into a straddle hand balance without having to touch the wall!
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Two things that come to mind as I’m practicing this:
- I’ll be able to practice the transition from Straddle to Straight, which is part of the whole movement
- Varying body positions during the balance seems to be a great way to develop the actual balance.
As I’m practicing a lot of parallettes these days though, it makes my wrists and hands be frequently fatigued, so it feels appropriate less often to practice balance. I guess it’s a choice I have to make, since the strength part is where I’m lacking the most at this moment. However, I will experiment practicing balance first before doing my parallettes sessions.
About the parallettes. I am now practicing the higher level on both workouts, and will be (finally!) moving on to the 2nd phase very soon. New moves, WOO!
Challenge #11: Origami Read more
Weekly Progress Report: 2012-02-12
I got the chance to try out the Nissan Leaf yesterday. Surprisingly interesting! And that’s coming from a guy who loves manual transmissions. But… there seems to be only one gear on that electric engine 
It just…goes. Accelerations are surprisingly powerful!
Challenge #6 and #8: Straddle Press to Handstand & Iron Cross
Welp, here’s a small medley of movement variations I’ve worked on to progress on the main goals.
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When the Tuck Planche doesn’t test well or I don’t feel that strong in the position, I figured I could do reps instead, which allow for Read more
Weekly Progress Report: 2012-02-05
This thing needs to get done during the weekend, otherwise it doesn’t.
Challenge #6: Straddle Press to Handstand
After 2 weeks of things not testing so great and taking more rest than usual, today’s session went back in full force. Indeed, Read more
Weekly Progress Report: 2012-01-23
I finally recovered from my bout of less frequent training. Friday and Saturday I got a lot of volume in; it felt much better.
Challenge #11: Origami!
I bought some origami paper! Now I won’t have to cut a letter-size sheet every time.
2 more are done. It probably took me less time to do these 2 than to do my first one. That is of course a good thing, because as you know I got a friggin’ thousand to do. Just out of curiosity, maybe I should time myself doing one.
I would say the hardest part, especially with that small paper, Read more
Weekly Progress Report: 2012-01-16
Hola fellas!
Challenge #6: Straddle Press to Handstand
Since last week, most of my physical training was turned away from my main goals. Thus I made progress, but nothing worth showing up here. In the meantime I will let my body rest more than usual and do stuff that is different for a bit.
Keep ya posted!
Challenge #11: Origami!
Add that to the fact that I currently got no imagination for new PicLetters, this progress report was not bound to go very well. No matter, I say! Let us start something else!
After all, I DO have a friggin’ THOUSAND pieces of paper to fold up and string together.
Before I can do 1000 of them, I had to learn to make one first. The first one. Yeah. Typically the very one that looks the most awful while taking you the most amount of time to complete.
Took me more than an hour. I wonder if it was 2.
