M
mightynighty
Hi,
I am a 24 year old adult gymnast, began working on UB for the first time about 1 year ago. I love gymnastics, I love UB, and I am truly committed (condition outside of the gym, work very hard on my flexibility, try to make the most out of every workout, etc.).
I apologize this is so long, but this is distressing me to no ends.
Lately I seem to be losing some skills and not advancing on others, at all (lets assume this isn't a growth spurt in any direction).
- My kips, which have always been crappy and with strictly bent arms, have actually gotten crappier (pushing the bar away when going up, finishing on stomach, barely making it at all).
- I began working on pushing the bar away at the end of my BHC/barely clear hip so I could kip out of it, but I just CAN'T. I don't get it and always finish in perfect front support no matter what.
- On a similar skilll- I try casting and pushing away, so I could swing down to a kip. I can't. I don't get the skill, my legs hit the mat (I believe I'm strong enough to hold the pike), I throw my head back. It's a whole circus.
- I began working on cast handstands- mainly casting as high as I can. Despite being very, very strong compared to girls my age, I'm nowhere near as strong as I should be for this skill. I can go a bit above horizontal, but nothing further (I focus on heel drive while being tight and pushing down on the bar). My coach has started spotting me for them, and, well, I'm sure he appreciates the fact that I'm thin.
It's not just strength, it's the whole technique- I can barely open my shoulders when needed (even with him spotting me), I can't lean forward when going down, I just.. can't. I can't to the point of tears, actually.
I can't press to handstand (can't straddle press handstand either, unless I'm against a wall. Straddle/pike press headstand is VERY VERY EASY, even with weights. Can do a billion reps, at least), I can't do handstand pushups.
I KNOW my shoulder-opening strength is very weak, but I don't know what to do to get it better. Being 24, most handstand drills I've been given require too much from my wrists (no access to parallettes).
Since I have stress fractures in both my legs UB is all I can do, and it really means the world to me. However, my progress is hindered by a lot of fear and simply not wanting to do things I know I suck at/are very hard and not rewarding. Sometimes the mental work is harder than the physical one, and the longer this goes on, the more unmotivated I get.
At least my forward splits rock.
Thank you for getting this far,
-Maya
I am a 24 year old adult gymnast, began working on UB for the first time about 1 year ago. I love gymnastics, I love UB, and I am truly committed (condition outside of the gym, work very hard on my flexibility, try to make the most out of every workout, etc.).
I apologize this is so long, but this is distressing me to no ends.
Lately I seem to be losing some skills and not advancing on others, at all (lets assume this isn't a growth spurt in any direction).
- My kips, which have always been crappy and with strictly bent arms, have actually gotten crappier (pushing the bar away when going up, finishing on stomach, barely making it at all).
- I began working on pushing the bar away at the end of my BHC/barely clear hip so I could kip out of it, but I just CAN'T. I don't get it and always finish in perfect front support no matter what.
- On a similar skilll- I try casting and pushing away, so I could swing down to a kip. I can't. I don't get the skill, my legs hit the mat (I believe I'm strong enough to hold the pike), I throw my head back. It's a whole circus.
- I began working on cast handstands- mainly casting as high as I can. Despite being very, very strong compared to girls my age, I'm nowhere near as strong as I should be for this skill. I can go a bit above horizontal, but nothing further (I focus on heel drive while being tight and pushing down on the bar). My coach has started spotting me for them, and, well, I'm sure he appreciates the fact that I'm thin.
It's not just strength, it's the whole technique- I can barely open my shoulders when needed (even with him spotting me), I can't lean forward when going down, I just.. can't. I can't to the point of tears, actually.
I can't press to handstand (can't straddle press handstand either, unless I'm against a wall. Straddle/pike press headstand is VERY VERY EASY, even with weights. Can do a billion reps, at least), I can't do handstand pushups.
I KNOW my shoulder-opening strength is very weak, but I don't know what to do to get it better. Being 24, most handstand drills I've been given require too much from my wrists (no access to parallettes).
Since I have stress fractures in both my legs UB is all I can do, and it really means the world to me. However, my progress is hindered by a lot of fear and simply not wanting to do things I know I suck at/are very hard and not rewarding. Sometimes the mental work is harder than the physical one, and the longer this goes on, the more unmotivated I get.
At least my forward splits rock.
Thank you for getting this far,
-Maya