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are you not breaking a bit at the low back on your DLs? looks a bit like you set well and then when you start to pull you soften a little bit right at the top of the hips. could just be a trick of the light, still something to pay close attention to.

angle crappy but yeah, from what's visible, looks good.

- GMB F1 W6 D1
did less than the prescribed work because rushed. this week is going to be insane at work, most evenings full including tonight. will get in as much as possible and if i have to restart week 6 next week, that's okay.

let us pray.

john wall, please lead this team to victory in game 7. the DC sports curse is the bane of my life as a fan and your partial exorcism of that curse, in the face of the most insufferable fan base in the country, would be a balm on my soul. bless you, john wall. may your feet be fleet, your shots true, your vision sharp, and your defense all-NBA-level.

amen.

yeah, i would say that it does improve body awareness, or at least it has for me. learning completely new skills from a baseline of zero means learning totally new body organization, and that means you're clumsy and have to pay close attention to what you're doing. i've always had decent kinesthetic awareness: i'm an okay athlete, can pick up the basics of new sports pretty easily. but for example i knew my handstands were sagging even before i saw those videos the other day, and that's because i was paying close attention to my whole body.

once the basic skills are ingrained -- pirouettes, kip-ups, handstands -- i have no doubt that will translate to improved balance. one thing i like about the GMB program (they have something like 10, actually, and i'm doing Floor 1) is that it's cumulative. you start easy and add complication in a clear way.

as far as moving better in general, too early to say. one thing i will say is that my wrist mobility has definitely improved, and i think shoulder mobility a bit as well. wrists don't play much role in overall movement but i'm a believer now in their commitment to stretching and mobility, which i'd kind of drifted away from for the last few years.

yeah i totally feel you about the form purism. i'll get to backflips and front flips when the program does, as i mentioned earlier i don't want to rush ahead now that i've bought (literally) into GMB. when i do, i'll see if i can find a spotter.

- GMB F1 W5 D5
phase one complete. made some good progress on pirouettes today. also filmed some kip-ups so y'all can see what i'm doing wrong. the ones that are slightly closer to success are where i pushed harder with my arms. unfortunately that's uncomfortable for my shoulders, especially the left.

reflections on phase 1: overall i'm happy. it's the most fun i've had training in a very long time, feels good to give myself over to a prescribed program and just trust to incremental progress. made huge strides on wrist mobility, cartwheels (done properly for the first time in my life!), crow, and handstands (also done for the first time in my life!). on the other hand, could not nail kip-ups and was discouraged by repeated banging on the ground, which gives me a headache and saps motivation to continue practicing and trying different things. they're just not explosive enough.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XApFs0LFNNs" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XApFs0LFNNs</a>

nice! your technique is different than the one GMB describes. they have the arm throw as a key to getting the body upright, and the target is to land in a deep squat. i'll try anything, though. just want to get on my feet.

and not hassling at all, i really appreciate the tips and encouragement.