Cross Iron
Cross Iron
Cross Iron
LEGAL STUFF
2012 Elliott Hulse All Rights Reserved. International Copyright www.GrowStrongerMethod.com This publication is fully copyrighted and does not come with giveaway or resale rights. You may not sell or redistribute this report. It is reserved solely for paid members of www.GrowStrongerMethod.com. Copyright and illegal distribution violations will be prosecuted. This document has been watermarked with a digital GPS identification tag.
NOTICE
The information presented is not intended for the treatment or prevention of disease, nor is it a substitute for medical treatment, nor as an alternative to medical advice. This publication is presented for information purposes, to increase the public knowledge of developments in the field of strength and conditioning. The program outlined herein should not be adopted without a consultation with your health professional. Use of the information provided is at the sole choice and risk of the reader. You must get your physicians approval before beginning this or any other exercise or nutrition program. This information is not a prescription. Consult your doctor, nutritionist or dietician for further information.
table of contents
Forward..................................................................................................................5 Introduction............................................................................................................7 Freedom of Training, Freedom of Movement...............................................................9 Yes, But How Will it Make Me Stronger?...................................................................11 Relative Strength...................................................................................................13 How to Follow the Program.....................................................................................14 Stretches..............................................................................................................16 Phase 1................................................................................................................21 Day 1................................................................................................................21 Day 2................................................................................................................26 Day 3................................................................................................................31 Phase 2................................................................................................................36 Day 1................................................................................................................36 Day 2................................................................................................................41 Day 3................................................................................................................46 Phase 3................................................................................................................51 Day 1................................................................................................................51 Day 2................................................................................................................56 Day 3................................................................................................................61
Phase 4................................................................................................................66 Day 1................................................................................................................66 Day 2................................................................................................................71 Day 3................................................................................................................76 Frequently Asked Questions....................................................................................81 FInal Thoughts......................................................................................................83 Points to Remember..............................................................................................84
Forward
What you have in front of you is the ultimate companion to the Grow Stronger Method. It's the gymnastics manual I wish I had written, but not being one to waste an opportunity, I'm happy to share with you now. Eli Poulos rst showed up at my gym this past summer to attend a Lean Hybrid Muscle seminar. Late in the day, when I started showing some of the body weight and gymnastic work I was including in my own workouts, Eli started playing on the rings. This kid just blew us away. His skills on the rings were just plain sick! Eli had already raised a few eyebrows with his relative body strength. For a small guy he's very strong and made a very good showing with the kegs and stones and other lifts we demoed that day, but when it came to the rings I think we all were impressed. He was demonstrating full body levers, both forward and reverse; muscle ups; and handstands. His control and ability to manipulate his body in space were inspiring. Gymnastic work, hand balancing and rings work has become an instrumental part of my training these days. As you've undoubtedly heard me say before, strength is a function of
the nervous system. Specically in the nervous system's ability to recruit the maximum amount of muscle bers possible for any specic contraction. Contrary to what most people think it's not the size of the muscle that determines the strength of the athlete, it's the athlete's ability to activate as many myobrils, muscle bers, as possible. Nothing challenges the nervous system and the body's ability to generate tension like gymnastics and ring work. The stabilization and muscle control required transfers to deep muscle contractions and highly stable joints that will add pounds to all of your favorite lifts. That's why I use it and, if you want to become the strongest you possible, you should too. This manual will show you the way. Grow Stronger!
Introduction
My name is Eli Poulos, I am a personal trainer and strength coach in Asheville, North Carolina. My favorite thing to do is train, get stronger, and teach others how to do the same. This passion has led me to practice many modes of training, including powerlifting, bodybuilding, speed work, Olympic lifting, and, as youve probably guessed, gymnastic rings training. I have always been amazed by Olympic gymnasts, but rst started learning about the massive benets of ring work when I stumbled across a T-Nation interview with renowned gymnastics coach Christopher Sommer. In it he tells a story of one of his top gymnasts who was messing around in the weight room one day. Never having lifted before, this athlete, at a bodyweight of 135 lbs, deadlifted 405 lbs on his rst day! I was absolutely blown away. Not only because this athlete had pulled three times his bodyweight in a lift he'd never done before, but because this implied a tremendous carryover from gymnastic training to lifting, and by extension, other sports. I immediately ordered a pair of rings. After research and some coaching on technique, I began using them regularly in my training, creating a program very similar to this one. After eight weeks of ring training, (three of which were exclusively ring training, as I was on vacation and had no gym) I was ready to test this supposed carryover.
That day, I shattered my previous deadlift PR by a solid 35 lbs, my weighted pull-up by 20, and my bench press by 25. I believe that anyone can experience similar gains, especially if gymnastics rings are new to your training. A year later, powerlifting dominated my training. I had just nished a training block, and because of too much volume and outside stress, I was severely over-trained. I took three weeks off from external loading, and worked again on gymnastics. At the end of three weeks, all signs of overtraining had disappeared, I was more mobile and exible than I had been in a long time. When I went back to lifting all of my lifts had, once again, improved. Go gure. Although I have tremendous respect for gymnasts, and have achieved a level of prociency at gymnastics rings skills, I do not consider myself a gymnast. I am a lifter who does gymnastics. Youre probably in the same boat, or at least want to be. This program is written for you, and anyone who wants to: Incorporate gymnastic rings into their current strength program without having to sacrice their favorite lifts Become more procient at controlling their movements Improve dynamic exibility Try an entirely different style of strength training De-load from their current program while still maintaining or even gaining strength. I hope this program helps you in your quest to grow stronger. Enjoy.
dened as exercises aimed at developing or displaying physical agility and coordination. It is the sport of moving your body through space (to which rings training adds a strength element). Prociency at certain gymnastics movements will help you to feel more condent in your movements, more in control of your body, and better able to use your strength to move in new ways. There is nothing like the feeling you get the rst time you nail the muscle-up or a handstand. By gaining these skills and learning to implement them in your training, you will be able to train anywhere, anytime and teach your body to be able to do almost anything.
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Why else would the Russian strength athletes of the last century some of the strongest in the world have devoted at least ten percent of their training to isometrics. Additionally, have you seen the feats of strength Olympic male gymnasts are capable of? Clearly there is something to this. Because these movements teach your body how to hold still in challenging positions, they will have tremendous carryover to your other strength endeavors. For example, levers train your back and core to hold straight, tight, and strong, which happens to be exactly what it needs to do during a deadlift or a heavy squat. Handstands train your shoulders and upper back to be extremely stable in the overhead-extended position, which is crucial at the end of a clean and jerk or push press. You may also be wondering how we increase the resistance if our body weight is relatively xed. Obviously, in order to grow stronger, we have to progressively overload our muscles and central nervous system with more resistance in order to cause them to grow stronger. This is easy to do when weights are involved you just lift more weight! When working with only your own bodyweight, however, you have to use leverage to your advantage. Think about hoisting something heavy using a rope. Imagine standing at the top of a cliff and pulling that heavy something up towards you. This is the hardest way to move the object. If you added a pulley into the system, the work gets easier, and if you added a second pulley opposing the rst one, it becomes even easier. The difculty of the work changed, but the weight stayed the same. This is called mechanical advantage. We will use this principle in reverse to increase the resistance we have to work with. The progressions you nd here are all about removing pulleys in order to make the work harder as you grow stronger.
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Relative Strength
Relative strength is the foundation of almost any athletic feat. A large component of sports like basketball, soccer, football, rugby, track and eld, and MMA is the ability to quickly and effectively move your body through space. This is only possible if you have high levels of relative strength, or strength compared to your body weight. Even sports that seem to be based entirely on absolute strength (the sheer amount of weight you are capable of moving) such as Powerlifting, Olympic Lifting, and Strongman have weight classes, putting athletes who are very strong for their size at an advantage. Nowhere is relative strength more important than it is in mens gymnastics. In fact, the entire sport is based on it! An athlete may be able to squat 600lbs an amazing feat by any measure -- but if they dont have a high level of relative strength, a basic gymnastics move like a lever or an L-sit will be impossible for them. On the other hand, it is not unheard of for gymnasts to have a triple-body weight deadlift without ever having trained it. There are three approaches to developing relative strength: Lose weight while maintaining or gaining strength. Maintain body weight while gaining strength Gain weight while getting disproportionately stronger. Your diet, genetics, and goals will have the greatest effect on which of these approaches you should take. If you are following a fat loss diet, the rst approach is denitely what you should pursue. If you are happy with your body composition, or have an easy time gaining muscle, the second approach is for you because it's all about getting STRONG! If you are looking to put on some muscle (not the main goal of this program, but likely a nice side effect) the third approach is for you.
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Finally, you may be wondering how this program ts in with your favorite lifts and the rest of your training goals. This program is made to help you achieve the strength and skills necessary to perform basic and intermediate gymnastic oor and ring positions and that is exactly what it will do. That being said, it will only train upper body and core strength and power. This program is low volume enough to include in your current training program as a replacement for some or all of your upper-body work, while still performing squats, deadlifts, and other lower body strength exercises. It can also be used as a replacement for the gymnastic components of the original Grow Stronger Method, thereby allowing for heavy barbell lifts. Use this at the beginning of your training session, and do what is necessary to continue developing lower body strength and power. Just like the original Grow Stronger Method, this program is designed to make you super strong without causing fatigue, chronic soreness, poor mobility or overtraining.
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EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS
Stretches
STrADDLE sTrETCH SQUAT TO sTAND SpIDErMAN LUNgE WITH rEACH SKIN THE CAT
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Straddle stretch
Sit on the oor and spread your legs until you fell tension. Keeping your spine as straight as possible, lean forward slowly and try to touch the oor in front of you. 2 sets of 60 seconds.
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Squat to stand
Holding your arms straight in front of you, perform a squat. Hold at the bottom for about three seconds, and then lean forward and touch your toes. Straighten your legs, and continue to lean forward. 2 sets of 60 seconds.
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Perform a lunge. Lean forward and touch the ground on either side of your front foot. Using one hand on the ground for stability, rotate your torso and reach the other arm u towards the ceiling. 2 sets of 60 seconds.
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Hanging from the rings, tuck your knees into your chest. Keeping your arms active, pull your feet over your head and behind you until you feel a stretch in your shoulders. Leave the position the same way you entered it. 2 sets of 60 seconds.
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Phase 1
BACK LEVEr TUCK FRONT LEVEr TUCK DIps INVErTED rOWs WITH rINgs
Day 1
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Hanging from the rings, bring your knees in towards your chin. With your back rounded and legs tucked, keep your back parallel to the oor. Hold this position.
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Hanging from the rings, tuck your legs ad round your back. Flip back so that your chest is parallel the oor and your arms are extended behind you. Hold this position.
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Dips
From a straight-armed position, tuck your knees behind you. Bend your elbows to lower yourself toward the oor until your elbows reach ninety degrees. Press yourself back up into the starting position (add weight if necessary).
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With your feet braced against a wall or heavy object, start with your back on the oor and the rings in each hand. Squeeze your shoulder blades and pull the rings towards your chest. Lower back down.
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Phase 1
MUsCLE-Up (NEgATIVE) SUpINE DECLINE PUsHUps HANgINg LEg rAIsE TO pArALLEL L-sIT TUCK
Day 2
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Muscle-up (Negative)
From on top of the rings, bend your elbows to lower yourself toward the ground. Engaging your lats, lower yourself slowly into the hanging position with straight arms.
False Grip
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Put your feet on a box or bench and get into the pushup starting position. Rotate your hands outwards so your ngers are facing back, and your biceps forward. Perform a pushup.
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Hanging from the rings with enough space for your feet to be off the ground, straighten your legs, and bring them up so that they are parallel the oor.
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L-sit tuck
From on top of the rings, bring your knees out in front of you so that your femur is parallel the oor. Tuck your knees so they form a right angle.
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Phase 1
WALL HANDsTAND FrOg BALANCE CHIN-Ups RINg SUppOrT POsITION
Day 3
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Wall Handstand
Place your hands at shoulder width about a foot and a half away from a wall. Kick your legs up until both feet are touching the wall, and you are in a handstand position.
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Frog Balance
Put your hands on the oor at slightly less than shoulder width. Put the creases of your knees on the outside of your elbows and lean forward until your feet leave the oor.
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Chin-ups
Hanging from the rings, pull yourself up towards the ceiling. Rotate your arms through the motion so your palms end up facing your body.
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From on top of the rings, keep your arms as straight as possible. Rotate your hands until your palms are forward. Squeeze your shoulder blades and press down into the rings.
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Phase 2
BACK LEVEr fLAT TUCK FrONT LEVEr fLAT TUCK INVErTED rOW ON bAr (sINgLE ArM) DIps
Day 1
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This is the same as the back lever tuck, except your lower back will be straight, not rounded. Your spine should form a straight line parallel to the oor.
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This is the same as the front lever tuck, except your lower back will be straight, not rounded. Your spine should form a straight line parallel to the oor.
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Set the pins on a power rack at about hip height and place an empty barbell on them. With your feet braced against the bottom of the rack, the wall, or something heavy, lay with your back on the oor. Grab the bar with one arm (overhand grip), and cross the other over your torso. Brace your core, and pull the bar into your chest, resisting rotation as much as possible.
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Dips
From a straight-armed position, tuck your knees behind you. Bend your elbows to lower yourself toward the oor until your elbows reach ninety degrees. Press yourself back up into the starting position (add weight if necessary).
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Phase 2
MUsCLE Up WITH JUMp L-sIT LOW HANgINg LEg rAIsEs (fULL NEgATIVE) STATIC frONT rAIsE HOLD
Day 2
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Place a box or bench under a chin-up bar so you can reach it with your knees slightly bent. With a false grip (thumbs over), pull the bar downwards and towards you while jumping to give yourself extra momentum. Rotate your hands so that your wrists are perpendicular to the oor. Once over the bar, press up until your arms are straight.
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L-sit low
From on top of the rings in a straight arm position, raise your legs out in front of you until they reach lust below parallel to the oor. Point your toes.
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Hang from a pull-up bar with an overhand grip. Tuck your legs and raise your feet up to the bar. Lower them down to the ground with your legs straight.
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Grab a barbell and lift it up in front of you until your arms are parallel to the oor. Hold this position, and add weight if necessary.
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Phase 2
PLANCHE TUCK frOg bALANCE TO WALL HANDsTAND CHIN-Ups WHEEL rOLLOUTs frOM KNEEs
Day 3
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Planche tuck
From on top of the rings, tuck your knees into your chest. Lean forward until you are facing the oor. Keep your arms straight and outside your knees.
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Begin in the frog balance position described earlier, this time with your head facing a wall about a foot away. Tilt forward, and drive your legs up into the air while pressing into the ground with your shoulders. Straighten out until you have reached handstand position.
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chin-ups
Perform chin-ups (palms facing your face). Add weight as necessary using a belt.
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Using an ab wheel or a loaded barbell, kneel and grab the bar with your arms straight and perpendicular to the oor. Lean forwards until your torso and hips form a straight line. Contract your abs, and pull the bar towards your knees to get back to the starting position.
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Phase 3
FrONT LEVEr sTrADDLE BACK LEVEr sTrADDLE INVErTED rOW ON bAr (sINgLE ArM) LOW L-sIT DIps
Day 1
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Begin in the front lever at tuck position. Spread and straighten your legs. Drive your hips forward so that your whole body is parallel to the oor. Point your toes.
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Begin in the back lever at tuck position. Spread and straighten your legs out behind you. Keeping your arms active, bring your hips forward so that your whole body is parallel to the oor. Look at the oor and point your toes.
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Set the pins on a power rack at about hip height and place an empty barbell on them. With your feet braced against the bottom of the rack, the wall, or something heavy, lay with your back on the oor. Grab the bar with one arm (overhand grip), and cross the other over your torso. Brace your core, and pull the bar into your chest, resisting rotation as much as possible. Repeat for the other side.
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Assume the low l-sit position described in phase 2 day 2. Keeping your legs straight out in front of you, lower yourself until your upper arms are parallel to the oor. Press back up until your arms are straight.
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Phase 3
STrAIgHT bAr MUsCLE Up L-sIT sTrADDLE HANgINg LEg rAIsEs SUpINE DECLINE PUsHUps
Day 2
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Hang from a pull-up bar with a false grip. Pull the bar downward and into your chest. When the bar reaches your sternum, rotate your grip so that your forearms are perpendicular to the ground. Once you are over the bar, press up until your arms are straight.
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L-sit straddle
From on top of the rings, spread and straighten your legs. Contract your abs and raise your legs up until they are parallel to the oor. Your hands should be near your inner thigh. Point your toes.
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Hang from a pull-up bar with an overhand grip. Keep your legs straight and using your core. Raise them up until your feet touch the bar.
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Put your feet on a box or bench and get into the pushup starting position. Rotate your hands outwards so your ngers are facing back, and your biceps forward. Perform a pushup.
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Phase 3
PLANCHE TUCK frOg bALANCE TO WALL HANDsTAND L-sIT pULL-Ups ROLLOUTs frOM KNEEs
Day 3
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Planche tuck
From on top of the rings, tuck your knees into your chest. Lean forward until you are facing the oor. Keep your arms straight and outside your knees.
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Begin in the frog balance position described earlier, this time with your head facing a wall about a foot away. Tilt forward, and drive your legs up into the air while pressing into the ground with your shoulders. Straighten out until you have reached handstand position.
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L-sit pull-ups
Hang from a pull-up bar with an overhand grip. Lift your legs out in front of you until they are parallel to the ground. Engage your lats and pull until your chin is over the bar. Keep your legs straight and your toes pointed throughout, even when lowering.
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Using an ab wheel or a loaded barbell, kneel and grab the bar with your arms straight and perpendicular to the oor. Lean forwards until your torso and hips form a straight line. Contract your abs, and pull the bar towards your knees to get back to the starting position.
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Phase 4
FrONT LEVEr BACK LEVEr INVErTED rOWs WITH rINgs (ALTErNATINg sIDEs) LOW L-sIT DIps
Day 1
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Front lever
Assume the front lever straddle position described in phase 3 day 1. Bring your legs together and brace your entire body so that if forms a line parallel to the ground. Point your toes.
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Back Lever
Assume the back lever straddle position described in phase 3 day 1. Bring your legs together and brace your entire body so that if forms a line parallel to the ground. Point your toes, and keep your arms active.
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Hang the rings at about hip height. Lay with your back on the oor, and your feet braced against something. Grab the rings with one arm, and cross the other over your chest. Keeping your whole body straight, pull the ring into your chest, and resist rotation as much as possible. Repeat on the other side.
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L-sit dips
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Assume the l-sit position (legs fully parallel to the oor). Keeping your legs straight out in front of you, lower yourself until your upper arms are parallel to the oor. Press back up until your arms are straight.
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Phase 4
RINg MUsCLE-Up L-sIT (ADVANCED): V-Up STATIC frONT rAIsE HOLD
Day 2
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Ring muscle-up
Hang from the rings with a false grip. Pull the rings downward and into your chest. Rotate your wrists to neutral. When the rings reach your sternum, rotate your hands so that your forearms are perpendicular to the ground. Once you are over the bar, press up until your arms are straight. It is okay to kip with your legs until you master getting over the rings. Try to be as controlled and slow as possible.
False Grip
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L-sit (advanced)
From on top of the rings raise your legs until they are parallel to the ground (this is the standard l-sit position). From here, bring your hands back towards your rear, open your chest forward, and raise your legs to slightly above parallel. This will make the position substantially harder. Point your toes.
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V-up
Lay down at on your back with your arms extended overhead. Simultaneously lift your legs and arms to meet at a point in the air over your hips. Be as slow and controlled as possible.
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Grab a barbell and lift it up in front of you until your arms are parallel to the oor. Hold this position, and ass weight if necessary.
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Phase 4
PLANCHE TUCK FrOg bALANCE TO frEE HANDsTAND RINg L-sIT pULL-Ups FULL rOLLOUTs (NEgATIVE)
Day 3
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Planche tuck
From on top of the rings, tuck your knees into your chest. Lean forward until you are facing the oor. Keep your arms straight and outside your knees.
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Begin in the frog balance position described earlier, this time with your head facing a wall about a foot away. Tilt forward, and drive your legs up into the air while pressing into the ground with your shoulders. Straighten out until you have reached handstand position.
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Hanging from the rings, raise your legs out in front of you until they re parallel to the oor. Pull yourself up until your chin is over the bar. Keep your legs straight and your toes pointed throughout.
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Using an ab wheel or a loaded barbell, kneel and grab the bar with your arms straight and perpendicular to the oor. Straighten your legs so you are in a plank position. Lean forwards until your whole body forms a straight line, resisting collapse the whole time. When you reach the oor, put your knees down and get back into the starting position.
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required just to hold the basic support position. Remember the rst time you tried to bench press? The weight was probably difcult to stabilize, as well, but the more you did it the stronger your stabilizers became. Same thing here. Just be patient, and keep practicing. Q: Can I do this program if I am carrying some extra body fat? A: By denition, any extra weight you carry will make all bodyweight movements harder. However, if you are making concerted fat loss efforts in addition to using this program, your decreasing bodyweight and increased strength will allow you to make excellent progress. Q: Im a big guy. Can I benet from gymnastics training? A: Absolutely. Gymnastics is all about developing high levels of strength relative to your size. Large people with good relative strength are known as ridiculously strong Q: How long should I rest between sets? A: These are not conditioning or bodybuilding workouts. Each set is about matching or improving your performance from the last set. Rest as long as you need to recover.
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Final thoughts
These exercises will help you in your quest to grow stronger. Through this program you will develop new levels of upper body strength and stability that will carry over to other areas like grip, grappling, climbing and other strength sports. However, there is one catch: you must be patient. This is not a quick results program, and attempts to progress faster than you body can handle will probably result in an injury. If you take your time and progress only when you are ready, you will develop a very solid foundation of gymnastic strength that will serve you well in the weight room and in life.
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Points to Remember
There is no set time for how long a phase should or will take. Move to the next phase only after all of the movements in the current one have been mastered Progress is measured in time for static positions, and reps in dynamic ones. A movement is mastered when a minimum of 10 seconds is achieved for a static position, and a minimum of 10 reps is achieved for a dynamic one. You may find that you are able to perform 10 reps of some of the accessory movements on the rst try. Again, do not move on to the next phase until all movements have been mastered. 4 sets per exercise Rest between sets until you are fully recovered. (The goal is to perform as well or better on the next set) Use this program as an addition to your current program at the beginning of a workout or as a replacement for the gymnastics component of the original Grow Stronger Method. As Elliott says, GROW STRONGER!
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