GYMNASTICS | WEEK 41 | 10/06/2019
2 Rounds:
10 Scapular Pull-Ups
30 Seconds Bench Tricep Stretch
10 Banded Pass Throughs
20 Forward to Backward Swinging Kicks (On right + left)
Scapular Pull Ups
1. Begin in a dead hang on the bar, with your hands shoulder width apart. You should be sinking down, with your shoulders in contact with your ears.
2. Engage the lats by "pulling down on the bar", creating as much space as possible between your shoulders and ears.
3. Hold for two seconds.
4. Lower back down into your dead hang position.
Bench Tricep Stretch
1. Begin sitting glutes-to-heels on the ground, facing your bench (or, any apparatus you are using: Chair, couch, desk, etc.)
2. Place your hands on the bench, palms down, and slide them forward until your elbows are supported. The goal is to keep the joint as comfortable and safe as possible.
3. Arms should be shoulder width apart.
4. With your knees together, lift your glutes and set your hips directly over your knees. Both legs should be together and creating aa 90 degree angle.
5. Allow your head to fall through your arms, and press your chest towards the floor.
6. Bend your elbows and pull your thumbs to shoulder blades. This will intensify the stretch in the triceps.
7. Engage your core by pulling the belly button into your spine. This will flatten out and protect the lower back. No sagging.
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.
Swinging Kicks
1. Begin standing on both feet, grabbing a sturdy object for support with your right hand (I recommend the post of a rig).
2. Extend your left arm directly out to the side, keeping it parallel to the floor for the entire set.
3. Keeping a straight leg, lift your left foot up in the air as high as possible.
4. Once you reach your full range of motion, drive the heel backward, using momentum to swing your eft leg behind you.
5. Continue swinging your left leg front to back, focusing on keep both legs locked out at all times.
6. Repeat steps for the right side.
3 Rounds
The Goal: Go Unbroken - Don't Come Off The Bar
6 Kipping Pull Ups
6 Hanging Blind Changes
8 Toes to Bar
Go to Failure - Tuck Hang
2 Min Rest between Rounds
Score: Put how many of the 3 rounds you were able to do without coming off of the bar.
Subs and Modifications
Lower the number / Kip swings
Lower the number / Active bar hang
Lower the number / Only lift toes as high as possible - Focus on the rhythm!
Kipping Pull Ups
1. Begin standing directly under the bar.
2. Jump to the bar and catch in a Hollow position.
3. Drive your heels back, press your chest forward, moving into an Arch position.
4. Snap your toes toward to initiate your vertical path.
5. Squeeze your glutes and guide your chin above the height of the bar.
6. Once your chin clears the height of the bar, lean your shoulders backward, and slightly lift your toes in the front to keep an even weight distribution.
7. As you fall under the bar, move back into your arch position, setting yourself up for the next rep.
Hanging Blind Changes
1. Begin in a dead hang on the bar, with a shoulder width grip.
2. Release ‘Hand 1’ from the bar, and allow your body to turn 180 degrees.
3. Re-grip the bar with ‘Hand 1’.
4. Shift your weight to ‘Hand 1’, release ‘Hand 2’, and reposition it to a neutral grip.
5. Finish the Hanging Blind Change in the same dead hang position.
6. Alternate turning between both arms.
Toes to Bar
1. Begin standing directly underneath the pull-up bar, and jump. When catching the bar, land in a hollow position.
2. Immediately drive your heels back, into a superman (arch) position, and you will be ready for your first toes to bar rep.
3. Using your core and hip flexors, swing your legs towards the bar, making contact with your toes. Simultaneously, press the bar towards the floor to help engage your lats.
4. Once your toes make contact, allow your legs to swing back down, gaining momentum, and helping to reposition you back into your superman position.
5. Continue to connect reps using the swing and momentum to your advantage.
6. For additional help, check out the Toes to Bar program under Extra Programs on the member’s website.
Tuck Hang
1. Begin hanging from the pull-up bar, with a shoulder width grip (hands will be shoulder width apart).
2. Engage the lats by pulling the shoulders down. There should be sizable space between the tops of your shoulders and your ears.
3. Tighten the core by pulling your belly button into your spine. This will help flatten out the lower back, setting you in a hollowed position.
4. Squeeze the glutes and round the hips under to further engage the core.
5. Keep your legs as tight as possible by squeezing the quads, and pointing your toes.
6. Slowly bend the knees and lift the legs into a tucked position. The knees should be at hip height, and quads parallel to the floor. Toes will be pointed to help maintain tension through the tuck.
7. While holding, the goal is to keep your knees at hip height, or slightly above.
Skill Focus: Round Offs
3 Rounds
2 Cartwheels
2 Blocking Cartwheels
After 3 Rounds
10 Round-offs
Score: No Score
Subs and Modifications:
Small Cartwheels
Cartwheels
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.
Blocking Cartwheels
1. Begin in your gymnastics starting position, with your dominant leg out front, and arms extended overhead
2. Shift your weight onto your front foot, as you lean forward towards the ground
3. As your hands make contact with the ground, aggressively drive your back leg (non-dominant side), and push off your front leg (dominant side) to produce power
4. Think of “blocking” off the floor with your hands, so that your body becomes fully airborne before your feet come back to the ground to land
5. Your dominant foot will land first, with the non-dominant foot following, landing in a lunge position
6. Think of this as a normal cartwheel, but with extra “oomph” in the air after your hands leave the ground
Round Offs
1. Begin in your gymnastics starting position, with your dominant leg out front, and arms extended overhead
2. Shift your weight onto your front foot, as you lean forward towards the ground
3. As your hands make contact with the ground, aggressively drive your back leg (non-dominant side), and push off your front leg (dominant side) to produce power
4. When both legs are fully off the ground and your body position is more vertical, quickly snap your feet together (so your legs are together mid-way through the skill)
5. As your feet (still together) come towards the ground, think of lifting your chest up. Your body position should be similar to a teeter-totter: When you feet come down, the chest comes up
6. Land with a slight bend in your knees to absorb the landing (feet are still together, and arms extended overhead, close to your ears