u/Firm-Avocado8852

Hey all! I'm trying to learn handstand, but am having trouble because of my horrible overhead mobility. I'm mainly wondering if I should continue with the banana arch I have, or work on shoulder flexibility, and once that's sufficient go for straight handstands. Any advice helps, thanks!

Hey all! Newbie here who just got into calisthenics about a week ago. Fortunately, because of past experiences with bodyweight exercises, I've quickly progressed to unlocking the elbow lever, crow pose, and L sit.

Fast forward to earlier today, I thought it'd be feasible to learn my first handstand. But to my dismay, I discovered I lacked the shoulder flexibility for a straight handstand. Said mobility problems cause an INSANE arch my in back during handstands. This is particularly my ribs flaring out.

So I understand I should take action on fixing my mobility, but do I continue practicing handstands (likely with bad form), or do I stop altogether and wait till my shoulders have better mobility?!

TLDR: Learning handstand but shoulder mobility sucks, creating banana back. Continue practicing while improving shoulder mobility or stop altogether until ready?

Hey all, I've trained pushups frequently over the past two years, with the goal of growing my max unbroken reps. I always did pushups to failure whenever I had time. This definitely worked and three months ago, I managed 55 pushups! But now I've been stuck at 55 for three months and want to break the plateau. I've heard of two methods and need your guys' help on which one is better!

Method 1) Even more reps.

Push past this plateau doing more reps, no matter how long it takes. Pretty simple, just keep grinding.

Method 2) Progressive overload with weights.

Have a fixed amount of reps and add more weight every time you hit that rep count. I have heard this method builds more power (e.g. one hand pushup) than endurance (what I am seeking).

I am a highschool rower who loves getting out on the water. My team practices 5-6 days a week, with one land day dedicated to conditioning. The thing is, these erg days destroy me, and I end up fearing them every week. Is this a normal dread, and how would I overcome it?

Our erg days involve running -> warmup and intervals -> heavy piece (2k, 5k, etc.)