GYMNASTICS | Week 19
2 Rounds:
30 Seconds Standing Pike with Alternating Bent Knees
10 Side to Side Swinging Kicks (Right + Left)
10 Banded Pass Throughs
Standing Pike with Alternating Bent Knees:
1. Begin standing with both feet together, legs locked out.
2. Hinging at the hips, allow your chest to fall forward, towards your knees. Allow the arms to extend down, hanging the hands towards the floor.
3. Keeping the left leg straight, bend the right knee and lift only the right heel off the ground.
4. Sink deeper into the stretch (chest to quads). You should feel the left hamstring stretching, while the right hamstring relaxes.
5. Switch legs: Lock out the right leg, and bend the left knee, lifting the left heel off the ground.
6. Sink into the stretch as much as possible.
7. Continue alternating back and forth between both sides
Banded Pass Through:
1. Begin standing with your feet together, quads squeezed, and glutes engaged. Round your hips under (think of yourself as a dog with its tail between its legs) to ‘turn on’ your core. Practicing this total body tension from your warm-up is going to transfer into higher level skills.
2. Grip your band (any thickness) in a wide set up for the first few reps. Usually near the ends.
3. Using straight arms, lift the band overhead and backwards, until it hits the back of your glutes.
4. Hold to maximize the stretch.
5. Return to your front starting position by repeating the same motion forward.
6. As you get comfortable, begin walking your hands in to a more narrow grip for increased difficulty.
EMOM 6 Minutes
(Every Minute on the Minute for 6 Minutes)
Min 1: Continuous Effort Plank Dumbbell Rows (Use heavy weight)
Min 2: Continuous Effort Toes to Sky
Enter weight used for Plank Dumbbell Rows as your score (As always focus is on quality over score though!)
Sub or Scaling Options:
Use lighter weight
Keep your back on the floor and only move the legs
Plank Dumbbell Rows:
1. Begin in a plank position, with each hand grasping a dumbbell.
2. Plank Keys: Hands/Dumbbells sit directly under the shoulders, squeeze your glutes and round the hips under to flatten out the lower back, legs tight and locked out.
3. Extend through the left shoulder by pushing the dumbbell into the ground, and trying to get as “tall” as possible through that left shoulder. This will make sure your upper body is engaged, and ready to support the movement.
4. Pick up the right dumbbell, and pull it towards your rib cage, with your elbow tracking backwards.
5. Return to your plank and repeat on the left side.
Toes to Sky:
1. Begin lying on your back, with your arms straight down, by your sides. Glutes are squeezed, lower back is pressing into the ground, and legs are tight.
2. Keeping the legs together, lift them up, pointing the toes towards the ceiling. At the point, your body will be in a 90 degree angle.
3. Press your palms into the floor for stability, and use your core to lift your lower back and hips completely off the floor, so that you’re balancing on your upper back. Squeeze your glutes as your legs come into the air.
4. At the top of the rep, your body should be in a straight line from toes to shoulders (with the toes pointing towards the sky). Do not break at the hips.
5. Control yourself back down.
6. Now, lower your legs to the floor, but avoid making contact. You want your heels to only hover 2-3 inches above the floor.
7. Once they are lowered, use the core to pull the legs back to the 90 degree position, and repeat lifting your hips off the floor.
One time through for QUALITY
5 Quality Cartwheels
Rest as Needed
5 Minutes of Practice: Handstand Shoulder Taps Against the Wall
Rest as Needed
5 Quality Forward Rolls from a Handstand against the wall
Cartwheels:
1. Begin in the universal gymnastics starting position: Stand with your full weight on your non-dominant (“bad”) leg, with your dominant leg extended forward, quad squeezed with toes pointed and in contact with the ground. Set arms overhead, shoulder-width apart, and extend the shoulders into the ears (there should be no space between the two). Squeeze your glutes and round your hips under to engage the core and flatten out the lower back. You should be completely tight from head to toe in this position.
2. Carefully shift your weight forward, into your dominant leg. Your front knee will dramatically bend, as your bodyweight travels forward, over the front of the toes. You want a big bend in the front leg in order to better control your speed as you approach the floor.
3. Keeping your arms shoulder-width apart, continue reaching your hands towards the floor. Here, your body will act similarly to a teeter-totter. As your hands approach the floor, your back leg (non-dominant) will rise off the floor, preparing for the “kick” to generate the full rotation over your hands.
4. When your hands are within 1-2 inches of the floor, externally rotate your fingers to 45 degrees, and drive your back heel (non-dominant leg) vertical.
5. Your back leg will initiate the the full rotation of your body in the cartwheel. You need an explosive kick-up that generates enough power to help you fully rotate in the movement.
6. As your first hand (dominant hand) reaches the floor, your first foot (non-dominant foot) will drive over the top. As your second hand (non-dominant hand) reaches the floor, your second foot (dominant foot) will push off the floor, and drive over the top. At this point, your body should be in an upside down “X” position.
7. Maintaining this X-position, pull your first foot (non-dominant foot) to the floor, and lift your first hand (dominant hand) off the floor. When your second foot (dominant foot) reaches the floor, lift your second hand (non-dominant hand) off the floor.
8. Control your landing, and make sure you are fully balanced before moving on.
Handstand Shoulder Taps Against the Wall
1. Begin in a Handstand Hold against the wall, with your back facing the wall.
2. To initiate the shift, press your left hand into the ground, with the goal of pushing your left shoulder into your left ear until they make contact. This will shift your body to be centered over your left hand.
3. Carefully lift your right hand off the floor, tap your right shoulder, and return to your normal handstand.
4. Press your right hand into the ground, and push your right shoulder into your right ear.
5. Once your body is centered over the right hand, lift the left hand, tap your left shoulder, and return to your normal handstand.
6. Once you’re comfortable with extending through the shoulders, you can increase speed.
Forward Rolls from a Handstand against the wall
1. Begin in a handstand agains the wall, with your stomach facing the wall.
2. To initiate the roll, tuck your chin into your chest (which will fave the shoulders and help round the back), and allow your elbows to slightly bend.
3. From here, your elbows will continue to bend (Slowly and under control), while your toes will slide down the wall. Sliding the toes down the wall is important to help slow the roll down.
4. As you near the floor, tuck your chin even more. Only the back of your head should ever come in contact with the ground. Remind yourself to stare at your belly button, to help keep everything rounded.
5. As you finish the roll, pull your heels into your glutes, and sit your chest up, over your toes to stand.
No Score
Subs or Scaling Options
Cartwheels: Smaller range of motion by swinging the legs around the side (keep them close to the floor), instead of kicking directly overhead / Slowly build your way up as you feel comfortable
Shoulder Taps: Can complete using the Box Position (Feet or knees on a box) / Plank shoulder taps
Forward Rolls: Roll from a high box / Roll from short box / Roll on the floor only / Roll on pillowsIf you are new to SP a lot of these skills have been developed over the past few weeks of this programming. Don't be afraid to go back and see/try some of the previous workouts to work up to this stuff!