WE ARE MOVING!!! WWW.MYPLANCHETRAINING.WORDPRESS.COM

WE ARE MOVING!!!

2010-10-03T01:51:00.000-07:00

HELLO FELLOW ACROBATS...JUST A QUICK NOTE TO LET YOU KNOW THAT WE ARE MOVING TO:
WWW.MYPLANCHETRAINING.WORDPRESS.COM
AND THEN LATER ON NEXT WEEK WILL BE.
WWW.MYPLANCHETRAINING.COM
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME!!!
LUIS SARABIA.

C U THERE!

straddle planche, tuck twist, straddle planche...

2010-10-01T05:53:00.000-07:00

Just a very quick note on this move...it is a advance move and it will help you to develop your sense of balance plus will give you a lot of strength on your shoulders and lower back...and we all know how important those muscles are 4 us acrobats.

Tip: twist from the hips only and try not to drop your knees to low..it will make it a lot harder.

Have fun!!!

Give a a good go and drop me a line on the comment box bellow, telling my what you think!!!

Luis Sarabia

Here 2 help!!!

1 HAND...HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT ABOUT THIS? WIDE vs NARROW HAND STAND.

2010-09-27T07:01:00.000-07:00

Luis Sarabia here reporting from Sunny Mallorca!

Well, I have to say that talking upside down is not something you see every day and not easy either, especially when you trying to communicate on a foreign language...I did a dozen of this little video and never go it right. This is the best one, so imagine the rest that I just delete. Even my recycle bean ask me..what should I do with this rubbish? Well, I did it the best I could. The more important thing is that the message get across. Just let me know if this hall thing make sense, and if not I will try it again when I'm not drunk.

TIP. Standing on your hands with a wide stand make it a lo harder to transfer the weight onto the balancing arms.(L to R or R to L depending in which hand you are going to balance). I suggest you shorten the distance of your hands assume a narrow stand from the beginning of your handstand. This will make the transfer to the balancing hand a lot easier. When doing a one hand handstand you want to avoid as much unnecessary movement.Think about it!!!

If you find this interesting just drop me a quick line bellow!!!
All the best.

Luis Sarabia

PLANCHE TRAINING..THIS WILL HELP YOU BIG TIME

2010-09-25T16:46:00.000-07:00

Just a quick video on how to go from frog position to straddle planche and back.

You are going to get tired of me telling you to tuck your chest in, to push the floor harder, to lean forward, to round your back and contract your abs...but this is the way to do it...trust me, I have try a million way and this one is the easies and more effective...try it for yourself!

So, here we go...

Round your back by tucking your chest in and lean forward bringing your hip up... just over your head. at that point your legs still bend...now gradually start to open straight them back..note that at this point you have to lean forward a bit more to lever the weight. Do this slowly, take your time and feel what you are doing!

Go 4 it!!!

Have a go at this!!!

and see how it goes for you.

MY TRAINING SYSTEM... S.T.S CONDITIONING

2010-09-23T15:49:00.000-07:00

Allow me to introduce S.T.S Sarabia Training System

Bodyweight Conditioning for acrobats

After competing in my first and last bodybuilding contest in 2006 I decide to have a break from weigh lifting..by the way there's nothing wrong with bench press, barbell row, squat, military press etc..I highly recommend them. They are excellent for developing bags of strength and to prevent injuries. There's 1 millions benefit that I could list here..but I'll live that for future post.

The thing is that I got bored of the routine and decide to go back to my roots and start doing free weight exercises, and my goal was not to use any equipment whatsoever...in fact I didn't even want to go to the gym..so, not gym need it and no equipments. Then I start developing all the training programmes for my clients with that philosophy of “NOT GYM NEED IT” and it work, it work so well that I got kick out of my fitness instructor job at my local gym because some of my clients left the gym and decide to train with me outdoor!

This workouts are very functional and will challenger you like not other training system around, plus they are fun to do! They may look simple at first but once you give it a go you will see what I'm talking about. Excellent for as acrobat...It will challenge your mind and body to the max! They are highly functional, making you get fit all over. you will become faster, stronger and more flexible in not time.

Here it is a short demo!

PS: they may look simple to you or complicate to others. just remember that this is the way I train myself and my clients and they are not acrobats...the key is on the intensity and believe me they are intense!!!

If you are interested I'll design a training routine for you!!!

contact me to discuss price.

luissarabia@planchetraining.com

HELP!!!! HOW SHOULD I CALL THIS?

2010-09-21T09:03:00.000-07:00

Just another one of those movement that you have never done but you have been thinking about it for sometime...and then one day you go...what about if i do this? then you just go for it. you may get it wrong a couple of time but after some try and error..Bingo!!! Done.
i had done the rocking and the twist but not holding it there on that position.
And know you got me thinking...what about if?

TRY THIS!!! PLANCHE TRAINING CONDITIONING

2010-09-20T12:14:00.000-07:00

This couple of movement came to my head This morning after finishing training a client

They are very similar and will serve the same purpose .The are design to develop strength on your shoulders and core, getting you fit for the planche...one is a variation of the other. So choose one and have a go!

I know that at first the look simple but that doesn't mean they are not effective when done properly.

On the first one you just jump leaning your shoulders forward as far as possible. The idea is to hit the full planche position for a fraction of a second(try to make the contraction longer on each one) but remember that the idea is to pass by the planche say hello and go...do not try to hold.

And the second one is pretty much the same...just be careful when arching your back...do it gently, don't drop your hip at 100 km p/h because you may hurt your back. Start by doing 5 sets of 10 reps and see how it goes!

TIP: when you are trying to do the planche your mind is telling you to lean forward and you have to do this..she's right. But here is a little trick...have a chat with your mind on your way down to planche and think the opposite...resist gravity by pushing backward..you will see what happen!!! I find hard to explain this one...hope you can work it out!!!

HERE'S A TOP TIP TO PUSH UP TO HANDSTAND

2010-09-18T13:40:00.000-07:00

When you pull, your biceps, back and shoulders muscles get involve, and when you push, the triceps, pectorals and shoulder do the work. that is exactly what happen when you Push to handstand.

Dose tree muscle become a team to get you up there and down the easy and more comfortable way.

What happen if one of then goes on holiday? The other two have to work extra hard to help you up.

A common mistake that I see some acrobats doing when trying to do this exercise is that the tend to open the elbows out, breaking the synergy between dose muscle groups (Synergy?... Wow, not sure if that's the correct word) but sounds good! Hopefully you know what I mean. You will better understand it when you watch the video.

Lest cut the crap and keep it simple. This is my tip...”TUCK YOUR ELBOWS IN AND DON'T ARCH YOUR BACK”...push...push and push some more.

PS: 2 hours previous to me doing this short video I was in hospital in agony with my back problem and this beautiful nurse give me a Valium injection...knocking my down...so I was a bit drowsy...my apologies if my English sound worst than ever!

All the best.

GIVE ME A COUPLE OF WEEKS....

2010-09-17T07:41:00.000-07:00

Not an easy one this one. Do you know where the complexity is? I know I just said is not an easy one, but for the advance acrobat and with a good planche it shouldn't be that hard, after all the only thing you have to do is stop the motion at the right place, lock and contract, hit the position and hold. What make it difficult is the shoulder position in which you have to land...you have to give it the right angle, it depend in how much you lean forward or not. If you have a look at my shoulders when I land, you will notice that for security I'm living then to far back. I just need to convince myself that is OK to land on my face a couple of time. The other thing you may see, is that my hips are to low... but that again is me been careful...bringing then up will result on my shoulders going forward, wish is exactly what I need to make a perfect Jump Twist straddle Planche...wow that is a mouth full of a title for a single exercise!

I'm going for it...so I better stop writing and start training.

Give my a couple of weeks and I'll master this one 2!!

HOW TO FIX YOUR HANDSTAND..From banana 2 straight

2010-09-16T00:03:00.000-07:00

This is a very common mistake when doing a handstand and is do to a lack of technique and Of Course and I'm going to repeat this forever..BC body-conditioning. This could be easily fix with some set of dishes and planks. But this is for another post.

I'm telling you now my friend, don't get into this lazy habit of doing a banana handstand if you ever want to do more than a simple handstand. Tackle it right from the beginning...fix it quick. The longer your live it the harder will be to correct.

OK, this is my quick tip for you!

To go from banana shape handstand to straight handstand you have to start by doing 3 things gradually at the same time.

1. Tuck your head in.

2. push the floor hard with your shoulders..get them as close to your ears as possible.

3. Bring your legs to the straight position starting from your toes.

PS: take your time, feel every movement, be aware of every thing that is going on at the same time...i know is a lot to take in, but hand balancing is about feeling, control, readjustment, concentration and enjoyment!

Go 4 it!!!

ONE HAND....WHAT ARE YOU DOING WRONG AND HOW TO FIX IT!!!

2010-09-14T00:05:00.000-07:00

One of the biggest mistake people do when trying to balance on one hand is that the take the hand too fast from the floor, or they take it to far from the body, or too high or back and forward...what I'm trying to say is that whatever you do with that hand will influence the hall handstand...that hand is your steering wheel...if you take it to the front your body will twist to the front, if you lift it too fast or to high it will take the hips with you, knocking you down the handstand. go the point?

What i recommend is to take your time when taking that hand off the floor.
First go to the tips of your fingers...hold the balance..feel it, pay attention to what is going on on you
entire body especially your shoulder and hips...then you will know when to take your arm off the floor.
when you take your hand from the floor take a very slowly to the side and leave it hanging there( but closer to the ground) take your time to move that arm any further Thant that...and now....FEEL AND HOLD!

Good luck!!!

THE DAY I CONQUER THE TIGER.

2010-09-12T13:54:00.000-07:00

Just when you think there's nothing else to learn, not because i think of myself of bn any better than anyone, just because i decide to park my body on the garage 2 years ago after using it and abusing it for more than 30 years, jumping up and down, landing on my head from time and breaking some bones while having fun. It come the day when you say, OK I'm happy I got my medals and trophies is time to stop...but not, we can't stop, we just rest, we have breaks, sometime very long break and then one day you get up and feel an acrobat again and start playing around again...and this is what's happening in my life at this moment. As you all know I'm a 41 years young man and have so much energy and passion for what I do that I can't stop and never will...sometime I think myself as been a 70 o 80 years young man doing a headstand or even a handstand...you never know, I may even learn a new trick.After all we never stop learning. And thanks to Michael from the PLANCHE TRAINING FORUM who ask for help on the Tiger Bend...Tiger Bend, what's that? I have to be honest and call me whatever but I never heard off in my life. So I discreetly when to Youtube ant type the pussycat bend, and there it was...a million of amazing acrobats standing on there elbows with arch back and pushing up to handstand.

Wow...”Just when you think there's nothing else to learn”...got my camera out, did a short warm up and went on my elbows and press all the way to handstand and there it was...THE TIGER BEND!!!

This is how I did it.

From tiger position you start leaning forward with your shoulders and your feet at the same time... there is a tendency to drop your legs...so you should keep then over your head at all time. then press to handstand...On the way down start by bending your arm slowly like a reverse press, then when you almost touch the floor start leaning backward leading with your elbows and always keeping your feet over your head(that's the idea)...very technical indeed.

you have to take it easy and feel every single move.

was it good for me? ...definitely. It was good to try something new but....

Do to my 3 fracture disc in my lower back i find it a bit uncomfortable and even painful, but i did it. not something that i will be doing every day.

I was playing around a bit and manage to do some alternate tiger bend...another one to try!

next week...ALTERNATE TIGER BEND!!!

CAN YOU SPOT WHY I FALL DOWN?

2010-09-09T12:41:00.000-07:00

Can you spot why I fall down?

1. Was I really ready to do the one hand?

2. Do you think the transfer of the weigh was too fast?

3. Was my balancing shoulder going in and out of position?

4. Did I lift my right hand off the floor too fast and too high?

5. Or did I rotate my hips too much?

to be continue...

I look forward to your comments!!!

Luis Sarabia

PS. "MASTER PLAN-CHE TUTORIAL 1. SPECIFIC CONDITIONING FOR PLANCHE.

COMING OUT SOON!!!

SCAPULAR STRENGTH EXERCISE..VERY IMPORTANT FOR HANDSTAND

2010-09-07T11:32:00.000-07:00

TRAIN YOUR SCAPULAR MUSCLES TO PREVENT AND TREAT SHOULDER PAIN.

Since scapular muscles are heavily involve in handstand and planche training, we should know what they are, how they work and how to train them.

I remember back in Cuba on the mid 80Th when I was a junior gymnast, they make us do this exercise shown in the video above. I ask, what they are for? For your scapula, was the answer...and what's the scapula? I didn't got the answer for that one...(hey coach, your forgot to do you home work!)sure my coach didn't have a clue, so he decided to skip that one..but hey, the Russian gymnast where doing it, so it have to be good! And I'm sure he was wright...touch wood. Through my career I have injured, my back, neck, ankles, wrists... even my left ear, but never my shoulder...so, it works!!! Sorry couch, but I have to apologise because I completely forgot about the hall scapular thing till now...some 25 years later. Yes, it took me that long to find the answer to my own question. What's the scapula and what does it do?

I have found a short but very interesting article that I will like to share with you, so you don't have to wait another 25 years. Read here...

Any way the real purpose of the video was to show where the shoulders should be place when holding a two hand handstand or a one hand handstand for this matter.

Shoulders should be completely push out, next to your ears or as close as possible...you know what I mean? Push that floor and grow tall and lock your shoulder and the SCAPULAS!!!

Luis Sarabia

PS: Remember..."MASTER PLAN-CHE TUTORIAL 1. SPECIFIC CONDITIONING FOR PLANCHE" ..coming soon!!!

ARE YOU TRAINING TOO MUCH?...

2010-09-07T00:47:00.000-07:00

I think I over did it when training this. I went from not doing any acro for almost 2 years to do it every single day...keep forgetting all my injuries, but they haven't forgot me. You know what I'm trying to say here, don't you? I did 10 set of 5 reps of this beautiful move. ok...let this be a lesson “Don't over do it , because you may get Over injured!!! now I'll have to rest for at least a week, and that is a long unwanted break. You don't need to practice for hours and hours, and you don't need to do 1 million set of 2 million reps. Keep it short and intense...be intelligent when training and listen to your body..plan ahead your training session. Think about how much stress you are putting on your joints..especially your wrist when doing planche. You want to be injury free as much as possible!

All the best.

Luis Sarabia

PS: Remember..."MASTER PLAN-CHE TUTORIAL 1. SPECIFIC CONDITIONING FOR PLANCHE" ..coming soon!!!

WRIST ENJURIES ...MY TIP!

2010-08-31T01:37:00.000-07:00

In gymnastics, the wrists bear a tremendous amount of weight and are exposed to forces that well exceed normal daily activities. A gymnast's wrist is inclined to injuries because many routines place the body's weight on the wrist while bending it backwards, and often require fast, jolting movements to the wrists and hands. This results in injuries that are both acute, such as fractures, dislocations and sprains, and chronic (long-term). Most acute gymnastic injuries are treated like any other sport injuries, however, two chronic injuries, dorsal wrist impingement and distal radial stress fractures, require specific treatment.

Dorsal wrist impingement

Dorsal wrist impingement is the most common injury to a gymnast's wrist. The injury results from the repetitive combination of hyperextension (extending or straightening the joint beyond its normal range of motion) and axial loading, (placing force on the joint or bone) The injury occurs when the dorsal (back) edge of the radius impinges on (strikes) the wrist bones. This injury often occurs during routines that include walkovers and handsprings. On a vault or balance beam, the injury can intensify when the stance is held with the full weight of the body on the wrist, such as during a handstand. When injury occurs, the gymnast feels pain and tenderness on the backside of the wrist. The pain usually subsides after the routine has ended.
very interesting article...continue here

As this is a very common enjurie on gymnasts and acrobat in general...I GOT MYSELF ONE!!!

Growing up in a communist country, sometime you are force to be creative because the luck of everything.
but thanks to this i have manage to safe myself a lot of money on buying things that could easily been made at home jsu using a bit of imagination.
so here it goes!
the idea is to get something under the palm of your hand that give you a comfortable angle and take a lot of pressure from your wrists. I use a peace of rubber and strap around with and elastic band, to hold it on place. again, the pictures below will explain it better.

Wrist down...if i lean forward it cause a lot of discomfort because the luck of flexibility do to the injure.

Notice how just by placing something under the back of the palm of your hand, give you a nice angle, allowing you to lean a lot forward...exactly what you need when doing a planche.

Hope this help!

All the best.

PLANCHE TRAINING..tuck, planche, tuck

2010-08-28T11:47:00.000-07:00

As much as we all hate conditioning, we often underestimate the importance of keeping our muscles in shape. If you've ever taken any time off from working out, long enough for you to lose some muscle tone, you probably noticed some skills are much harder to do when you got back, right? In addition, many gymnasts who are learning new skills wonder why they might be having such a difficult time. Often, it's because their muscles aren't strong enough.
Now, as much as we all hate to hear it, the rememdy for this is ... conditioning. Let's say it together, with enthusiasm: "Conditioning!"

And talking about conditioning...have a go at this exercise on the video bellow.
Tuck..Planche..Tuck .4 sets of 10 reps. 4 x 10.
Don't forget to tuck your chest in!
Have a go and let me know how it goes.
Have fun!!!

Hello Fellow Acrobats and Welcome to PLANCHE TRAINING!

2010-08-27T15:19:00.000-07:00

Hello there!!!
Thank you ever so much for stopping by.
My name's Luis Ernesto Sarabia, you can call me Luis( I think that will be a lot easier to remember)
I'm an ex-gymnast, professional acrobat, personal Trainer and own a degree is Sport Science and Physical education.
OK that is enough of me for now.

First let me start by telling you what you won't be getting from me.
As you have probably notice by now, English is not my first language and I find it a bit frustrating to communicate by writing (I'm working on this, it may take a while)

So, no long articles telling you a lot of nothing, just filing up empty spaces, and taking a lot of you time and money, just to justify the price of info-products, tuition, memberships etc.

And let me tell you. I don't remember learning a good handstand or a planche by writing anything down, and even less by reading it on a book!

There are good people around that with the best of intention are offering courses and tuition on how to Master the handstand in 6 weeks or how to train for somersault, or how to become a great acrobat..etc, etc. but again they are giving you a lot theorical information, tons of reading material but no much of practical advice and some of then go even beyond all this and claim that they know the SECRET on how to hold a handstand for 30 second in only 6 weeks!!!

Sorry to tell you my friend, and you probably know it already...THERE IS NO SECRET...this is the honest truth and nothing but the truth, you have to “PRACTISE” you have to do the basic, you has to do a lot of functional training and body conditioning. Maybe by SECRET they mean they know some tips and tricks that you don't because they got the experience by doing it themselves. But again they tend to skip the important things.

They know that now days people want everything done and achieve by yesterday; but you can't not sale a physical skill by writing it down, you have to interact, you have to communicate, by video conference by webinar, by e-mail, by video tuition. And that is exactly what my intention are with you.

I want to be your personal coach!!!

I want you to send me your video with your questions, I want for you and me to communicate, and if I have to,
I will do a personal video addressing your personal problem. But again...there's no “SECRET” you have to work really hard to achieve your goals, whatever that may be. You have to PRACTISE and PRACTISE some more until you get it right, and I'm here to help you every step of the way...but not by writing. This is probably the longest article you will ever get from me!!!

So this is what you wont get from me and believe me there are people out there selling you this:

17 Exercises for the Fingers, Wrists, and Forearms
20 Different ways to position your Legs
25 Different ways to position your Hands
12 Different ways to position your Body and Head
10 Different ways to change your Finger positions

Sorry but I'm not having any of this.I don't remember my coach seating in front of my telling me..Luis Today you are going to learn the secrets of how to do a planche. So are you ready to learn the 17 Exercises for the Fingers, Wrists, and Forearms?
As you can see I'll never make it to millionaire. Growing up in a communist country doesn't help, I bean trying to become more capitalist but I can't do it by lying.
You don't need to know the 17 exercises for the fingers, but you will need strong shoulder, lower back, abdominal, an overall condition, excellent body control and a lot of determination...can't help you on the last one, but the rest we can do it together!!!

Why you should listen to me any way?

I'm a 41 years old man who learn to stand on his hand at the age of 6, not long after I learn to stand on my feats. Won my first gold medal at the age of 8 and become Cuban national champion by 14. wining 8 gold medals in a single competition( the maximal amount to be won in a gymnastic competition) becoming athlete of the year. As a professional acrobat, I have performer on more that 23 countries working in top cabarets and venues around the world. But again, that's enough of me!!!
Lets get to work!!!!
Start by joining and posting your questions or sending your videos...I'll have a look at it and will answer with the best of my knowledge!
Here to help!!!
PS: sorry about my English grammar!

ANY QUESTIONS?

See you inside the forum!

LOW PLANCHE?

2010-08-25T13:32:00.000-07:00

Hi There! Luis Sarabia here.
This Is another way of doing planche, I call it The Low Planche...as you can see my body is quite close to the floor, just passing the horizontal. It's not an easy movement, but a lot easier than the Full planche. I think is a lot easier to lock your lower back, but again, it does put a lot of stress on your elbows. OK, not as hard as the full planche but still thinking that it is a beautiful movement.
The only thing that it make it a bit complicated is that in order to do it you must come down from handstand and because you have to lean a lot forward than the usual planche, you have to twist your hands with your fingers facing backward toward your feet's...( note how far forward my shoulders are )
Hope you like it!!! but before I let you go I most confess something...you probably notice anyway.
That was my attempt to do a full planche, but is not happening yet...jejejejeje give me another week and I'll give it another go. Sure it won't be like the good all days, but I'll give it my best shot!!!
all the best.
Here to help!!!

Handstand lift compilation 1

2010-08-22T08:19:00.000-07:00

Tuck to handstand
Tuck to handstand press up
Lever up to handstand
Straddle to handstand

Straddle Planche sample...

2010-08-21T08:04:00.000-07:00