Deepening the three wings simultaneously

[Nick1974]

Is it realistic to deepen one's practice in each of the 3 wings (intu, prasara, athelticism) simultaneously, or should we focus attention on one wing per cycle? Meaning, can we have "prasara goals" running simultaneously with "athletic attribute goals" in the same cycle?

[dferguson]

Greetings, Nick and great question!

I understand the answer to your question to be yes. While we are taught about the integration of the 3 wings (versus the compartmentalization of 3 steps), I find the proof to be in my training.

By warming-up thoroughly with Intu-Flow®, I'm prepared for my TACFIT® sessions, and am able to experience deeper tension releases in the cool-down asanas. The interdependence of the 3 wings allows for very encouraging progress.

Note: My overall progress has been hampered in the past by inconsistent training, resulting in a lack of GPP. Now that my GPP is appropriate, I'm aiming to use this second TACFIT® cycle for fat loss. It might just be where I'm at on my journey, but I cannot go as deep in my Prasara practice without the work from the Metcon sessions. And I do not dare enter a high intensity session without Intu-Flow® for injury prevention. Further, I'm recovering so much faster with consistent Prasara cool-downs.

I used to look at at the 3 wings separately but have since learned to enjoy appreciate their integration. Example: I have a cycle to do in the future dealing with the wheel pose. However, I'm going to have to balance lots of thoracic and shoulder mobility work with shoulder/arm "drive" to complete this goal. I'll then need to do more asana work to compensate for the sessions' tension.

[shadow]

The three wings can be studied seperately.... but in truth they completely overlap.

Tri-ring integration is just as Don discussed.

Joint-mobility warmup -> conditioning (clubbells or otherwise) -> prasara cool down

This can go even further within a 4x7 cycle where there are days within that cycle given to deepening each of the wings.

A no intensity day which allows one to have a singnificant and extended joint mobility session and a low intensity day which allows one to have a significant and extended prasara session.

This is the real magic of the CST system, the tri-ring integration.

It allows us to become more mobile, stronger and flexible (or deepening movement) simultaneously.

:)

Hope that helps.

[lorenzodamarith]

hello,

nick1974, resounding yes! while working all three wings simultaneously, it is still possible to "focus" on one. it is possible to construct 4x7 programs to address just about anything you can imagine...

range of motion
maybe just "opening up the hips or shoulders"
or "breath scale mastery"
or anything.

anything at all. because of the overlap inherent in cst, it is possible to make significant improvement in something you aren't even working on (directly)!

do you have a goal? something in particular?

thanks

[Nick1974]

Thanks guys for the responses.

I understand the theory of mobility to warm up before a "workout", and prasara to cool down after and prasara and mobility to compensate for the work on the low intensity days. That makes good sense in theory. But in practice, how can one deepen and improve ones performance in each area when one's work is spread out between the met con and the prasara. Eg how can you deepen and improve your asanas after you are beat up from a met con session, or experiencing doms from the session the day before? How can you make the recommended baby step incremental progress in your prasara flows if you are only dedicating one session every 4 days to doing so? How can you, for example, release your hamstrings and prosterior chain sufficiently to improve your Forest Flow if your hamstrings are firing and generating great tension on your met con days in the same cycle, and are tightening up agaian as a result?

Don, you give a good example of wishing to improve your wheel pose, thats something I would like to do as well. Thats what I would define as a "prasara goal". You confirmed that you will dedicate a cycle to this. Does that mean that you will "shelve" your met con workouts for that cycle? If you don't intemd to do that then how will you prevent your met con work from competing with your wheel practice. Do you think you will be able to improve your wheel on top of improving your met con work in the same cycle?

Thanks again folks, and sorry for the barrage. I'm just trying to make sense of a complicated system.

cheers.

[shadow]

Nick,

It really depends on one's goals.

Deepening a wheel pose can easily be worked on within a 4x7 structure, I have done so myself including wheel work in either the moderate and/or high intensity days (even more so than the low intensity which I used to compensate for the wheel).

Also you will be suprised how much you actually can deepen an asana by including it in both the recovery portion of work days as well as the Low intensity Prasara days!


CST is a system of incremental progression. If one applies themselves intelligently progress will be made constantly and consistently even if it is totally gradual.... the plus for taking such time.... sustainable gains!


It would be best if you could outline specifically what it is you are trying to improve or work on and that way instructors or Coaches could make comments and give examples of how this might fit within tri-ring integration or a 4x7 cycle.

Hope that helps!

[Nick1974]

It would be best if you could outline specifically what it is you are trying to improve or work on and that way instructors or Coaches could make comments and give examples of how this might fit within tri-ring integration or a 4x7 cycle.

Hope that helps!

Nothing specific. I would just like to deepen my yoga, and also push the enevelope on my "athletic attributes", and I wondereed if both can be achieved simultaneously (because in my confsued mind they are opposing goals) or if one should create cycles which focus on one or the other. Its a big question I know. Not a black and white issue.

[lorenzodamarith]

Nothing specific. I would just like to deepen my yoga, and also push the enevelope on my "athletic attributes", and I wondereed if both can be achieved simultaneously (because in my confsued mind they are opposing goals) or if one should create cycles which focus on one or the other. Its a big question I know. Not a black and white issue.

hello,

nick1974, think it through... you are doing prasara... it deepens... hmmmm... breathing is more controlled... greater ranges of motion, strength improving... workout duration increasing...

sounds like attribute development, neh?

yes, you can create cycles which focus on one or the other, but that isn't ALWAYS necessary. it may sound strange, but this really isn't a big question at all. the difference between prasara depth and attribute development might not be "black and white", but the question of "which to work on" IS black and white.

from your question, it really sounds like the question is "GOAL". as shadow pointed out, defining your goal will really help you. make it something tangible... quantifiable. any confusion you are experiencing appears to stem from not having a goal.

this is fine, easy to remedy.

think of your "ubergoal". then break it down into steps. break those down into steps.

it will involve a bit of thinking, but you can do it! remember, if you think you have "more than one goal", it just means those are "subgoals". it is ok to want more than one thing, as long as you are willing to work incrementally.

be sure you define "deepen your prasara" and "athletic attributes" completely. what do you REALLY mean/think of when you say these things. and of course, soliciting help would be in order. drop some cash and pay a coach for a full program design if you must. it will be money well spent.

if you can't, just think it all through, and be "brutally" honest with yourself.

thanks

[shadow]

Nothing specific. I would just like to deepen my yoga, and also push the enevelope on my "athletic attributes", and I wondereed if both can be achieved simultaneously (because in my confsued mind they are opposing goals) or if one should create cycles which focus on one or the other. Its a big question I know. Not a black and white issue.

Yes... what do you mean by "deepen your yoga"?

What aspect in particular of yoga? Develop a solid wheel pose? Forward bend? A particular Prasara flow?

What do you mean by "athletic attributes"?

Do you want to be stronger? Faster? Have more cardio-endurance? Strength endurance? Or is there a particular skill you want to develop? A set of skills? Jump higher? etc...



See the beauty of the CST system is that at it's core it is not a plug-&-play fitness system, it is a design system.

Of course there are many fine programs released by RMAX that ARE plug-&-play, but they are like training wheels giving the newer members that may not have clear goals to just start moving in a direction. They are also learning tools in that consistent application of them results in a growing understanding of one's own body and how to apply movement to get desired results.

But again at its heart, it is a design system. Through the integration of the three wings one is able to select a specific goal, whether that be attribute development, particular skill development, or otherwise and then design a program to achieve said goals.... stepwise. Without boiling the frog.



So be specific. If you are clear that you want to deepen your yoga, then choose an area to deepen. If you are clear you want expand on your athletic attributes then choose an area to expand.

Often with intelligent design, several goals if fitting may be pursued simultaneously.


A couple of great CST quotes (rewritten by me because I can't remember the exact quote or who wrote it):

"Dig deep rather than wide, and once you have dug deep then dig another deep hole next to the first one. That way eventually one ends up both deep and wide.
If you try to dig wide constantly all you'll ever end up with is a wide, shallow hole."

i.e. trying to train everything at once leads to getting nowhere fast.

"Cycle or circuit but don't cocktail"

i.e. cycle your training plans according to your goals, allow that to flow over time as one progresses. Don't try to just lump everything into one workout like random WOD's. There is no depth, no quality of movement in that, unless they are designed and formulated by a very intelligent Coach.

"More is not better, better is better"

Kinda speaks for itself.


Hope that helps!

[Nick1974]

Thanks to all that inputted to this thread.

[Coach Billew]

Just to give a specific example from my own practice.

I am currently focusing on my wheel pose, and particularly moving in and out of it in a variety of ways working towards a back walk over.

The wheel work is an intense coordination and tension release challenge, but doesn't really target my endurance or strength in depth, so it is on the moderate day of my 4 day cycle. The heavy day is an intensive metcon style workout, but when I designed it I chose exercises that are specific to the issues I am having in my wheel pose, specifically core/lower back strength and shoulder stability in the side and back ranges of motion. Therefore even though I am not specifically training my wheel on those days, the work I am doing helps prepare me for my wheel work.