After a hell of a beatdown (and a hell of turnout) on Tuesday, things slowed down quite a bit for Thursday’s class. Instead of an all out push, the tempo was slow and concentrated, with the focus being on achieving and maintaining good form, especially through the mid-line of the body.
Deadlifts were Rx’d at 100-150% of body weight, but were limited to no more than 12 reps. Again, the focus was not on numbers, but on maintaining perfect form through out all 12 reps. Hollow position holds and handstand holds were done for as long as possible. Rest periods were for a minimum of 45 seconds (goal was to limit rest-periods to no more than 120 seconds if possible though).
This triplet really emphasizes the importance of postural control, especially through the mid-line, and it’s relationship among seemingly unrelated exercises. Maintaining proper posture in the deadlift get’s harped on by . But the every respected strength coach till they’re blue in the face. However, the need to control the lower back position isn’t a one-time deal, nor is it a one-way deal. Lower back and mid-section control isn’t just about creating and keeping the lumbar-arch position. If you don’t have enough control over your mid-section to keep your back from arching in the hollow position, or over-arching in the handstand, you probably won’t have enough control to keep it from rounding during a DL.
Part and parcel of the handstand is the hollow position. We’ve worked the hollow position and progression
quite a bit as of late, and while it may seem tedious and redundant, we’re seeing some really marked improvement in people’s form during movements which incorporate the hollow position. This includes kipping (for either pull-ups, K2Es, & T2B), push-ups, the dreaded mummy crawl, and of course, handstands. While class was definitely smaller on Thursday, check out how many people felt more comfortable trying out wall-facing handstands (as well as the resulting improvement in posture and positioning):
Slower pace, but just as much, if not more, to be gained from a class-program like Thursday (as opposed to Tuesday’s). Here’s hoping each and everyone one of you have a great holiday weekend, as well as safe travels for all of you leaving the Metro-area. Remember, Sunday’s class (Christmas day) is CANCELLED, and the gym will be closed Saturday through Monday. The regular schedule begins again Tuesday, December 27th. See you all then.
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Last 4 pictures = time-out CFDC style?
considering the 5 individuals shown, it would be appropriate, wouldn’t it?
Mmm hmm. It was either that or a gallery of the thigh-lights of the day.
Thanks Tom, Chris, Steph and Sara for staying around for the two of us during the 7P class. It was a big change from the 22 person class on Tuesday!
I thought I wouldn’t have much trouble with the deadlifts but I had to scale down weight pretty significantly throughout the workout. I started at 225# and ended with 185#. I enjoyed the workout because I felt improvements on both my hollow holds and handstands across the 5 rounds.
Happy Holidays everyone!
Although the pace of this class was much slower than Tuesday’s, I still got a good workout and felt somewhat tired at the end.
I did sumo-dl instead of conventional and stayed light. Did plank holds instead of hollow holds. Tried to do handstands as well as I could. I saw some improvements in my handstand holds last night but there’s still quite a few areas I need to work on.
Headed down to NC in a couple hours. Hope everyone has a great holiday! See everyone on Tuesday!
Great effort from everyone in class Thursday. Like Steph said, I too was pretty tires after this workout. I used 205 for the deadlifts and held between 6-8 reps each round. They felt fairly light which made me feel good. I think I’m getting My deadlifts back. YAY!!!!!
Holy massive set of thighs I have. I clearly have a hip flexer limitation that is very noticeable in that handstand picture. I need to work on that mobility.
My lats are incredibly sore after yesterday. Ofcourse that is to be expected.
If that was the CFDC timeout, we would have some serious handstand masters.
Looking forward to seeing everyone tonight!
I’m slow to comment, but wanted to be sure to record what I did…
I worked with Steph and did 70# deadlifts, sticking to 12 each set. I scaled the handstand hold at about a 45-degree angle.
I enjoyed this class – both in the pace and the actual workout.
Deadlifts: For all five rounds, I did 245# x 12. It felt…good. My glutes, hamstrings, and upper back were “talking” to me immediately after class.
Hollow holds: Outside of cramping in the later rounds, not much of a problem here. I need to remember to raise my hips a little more as Coach called me out on that.
Handstand holds: Again, not much of a problem here. I was one of the few who performed the “conventional” style handstand and not the “wall walker” version as pictured (maybe I will try this in the future). I was amazed at how my Santa hat stayed on while I upside down. 🙂
Post-class: I went to yoga. It hurt so good as Winnie had us working on a lot of hip stretching.