GYMNASTICS | Week 21

2 Rounds
10 Low Squat to Standing Straddle Extensions
10 Cat + Cow
10 Forward + Backward Arm Circles

Low Squat to Standing Straddle Extensions
1. Begin in a low, wide squat. Hands on the floor in front of you.
2. Slowly, lift the glutes into the air, until you straighten out the legs.
3. The goal is to keep your hands on the floor for the entire set, but, if they need to come off in order to lock the knees out, that is fine.
4. Allow the chest to hang between the legs as much as possible.
5. Hold at the top.
6. Return to your low squat starting position, moving slowly through each rep.

Cat + Cow
1. Begin in a tabletop position on the floor, with your knees under your hips, and hands under your shoulders.
2. Inhale a deep breath as you arch your back (stomach drops toward the floor), and lift your chin to the sky.
3. As you exhale all of your air, press your hands and knees into the ground, and contract your core to round the back as much as possible. Tuck your chin into your chest.
4. Repeat, moving slowly through each position, and inhaling/exhaling as much as possible.

Forward and Backward Arm Circles
1. Begin standing with your feet under your hips, arms hanging to your sides.
2. Start with the right arm: Keeping your arm straight, trace a circle in the air with your hand (moving first in a backward motion, then forward), making the circle as big as possible. Think of trying to rub your right bicep against your right ear at the top of the circle, and right hand against the side of your right quad a the bottom of the circle (You want to move the shoulder joint through as large of a range of motion as possible).
3. Repeat on the left side.

3 Rounds for Quality
1 Min Dual Dumbbell Overhead Hold
10 Push-Up + Full Extension
20 Hollow Leg Lifts with Dumbbell

Subs and Modifications:
Use light weight
Push-ups with knees on the ground
No weight

Score: Weight used for overhead holds.

Dual Dumbbell Overhead Hold:
1. One dumbbell per hand.
2. With your feet hip width apart, lift the dumbbells overhead, holding them shoulder width apart. Your palms should be facing in, with the weights parallel to each other.
3. Extend your shoulders by pushing them up into your ears, as high as possible. Hold.

Push Up + Full Extension:
1. Begin in an extended plank position: Activate the shoulders by "pushing the floor away", getting as tall as possible. The upperback should be slightly rounded.
2. Lower yourself to the floor until your chest makes contact. Elbows track backwards.
3. Push back up into your starting position.
4. The Key: You should be actively pressing the floor away at the top of every rep.

Hollow Leg Lifts with Dumbbell:
1. Begin laying with your back on the floor, holding your dumbbell with two hands and straight arms.
2. Press your lower back into the floor to engage the core, and bring the dumbbell backwards towards your ears, behind your head as far as possible. The farther backwards you can hold it, the more challenging the drill will be.
3. Keeping the legs tight, lift them until your toes point straight towards the ceiling.
4. Keeping the lower back pressed into the ground, control your legs back towards the floor, but do not let your feet touch the floor at the bottom of the rep. The heels should only come to approximately 2-3 inches above the ground.
5. Lift the legs back up to vertical.

3 Rounds for Quality
10 Headstand + Straddle Extension
3 Connected Forward Roll
3 Wall Walk + 0:05 Handstand Hold

Subs and Modifications:
Small range of motion with the legs / Static straddle headstand / Static regular headstand hold
Single forward rolls with pause between each
Only walk up the wall as high as you feel comfortable and hold

Score: No Score.

Headstand + Straddle Extension:
1. Begin in a Headstand Hold.
2. Keeping the legs tight and straight, carefully lower the toes to the floor, moving through a full straddle (legs out to the side as wide as possible), until they make light contact.
3. As soon as the toes touch the floor, use your core to lift your straight legs back through your straddle, until you pull them together and finish in your starting Headstand Hold.

Forward Roll:
1. Begin standing with your feet hip-width apart, arms by your sides.
2. Squat down to the floor, and set your hands on the floor in front of you.
3. Lift your glutes into the air, and start walking your toes forward, towards your hands. The goal is to get your feet as close to your hands as possible, in order to make the roll a very smooth, "tip-over" type movement.
4. Tuck your chin into your chest as much as possible. You will stare are your belly button for the entire rotation, which will protect the head and neck. Do not keep a straight neck during the forward roll. Only the back of your head (Ladies, think of where your ponytail is) should touch the floor as you roll. The more you tuck your head in, the safer your neck will be.
5. To initiate the roll, your elbows will have a slow, constant bend, until you find yourself rolling down one vertebrae at a time. Make sure the elbows continuously bend, slowly lowering your body to the floor. Do not keep straight arms.
6. As your elbows bend, your hips will tip forward, allowing you to effortlessly roll. Your feet will land on the floor in front of you, promoting a safe, seated position.
7. Once comfortable, you may increase speed, by moving faster through the steps.

Wall Walk + :05 Handstand Hold:
1. Begin in the bottom of a push-up position, with your feet by the wall.
2. Push-up into a plank. Extend the shoulders by “pushing the floor away”, which will slightly round the upper back, giving you a sturdy base in which to begin your wall walk.
3. Lift your first foot and press it into the wall. 
4. As you lift your second foot to the wall, you will simultaneously step your opposite hand backwards.
5. Continue walking your feet up the wall, while stepping your hands back, towards the wall, until you finish in a handstand.
6. Being as tight as possible, hold for five seconds.
7. Walk back down the wall by retracing the same “stepping” movement pattern you used to climb up the wall.
8. Once you bring your feet to the ground, move through your plank position, and lower all the way to the floor to complete.