Good afternoon,

When trying to progress from the shrimp squat level 2 to level 3 (holding back leg with one arm), I notice that the back leg throws me completely out of balance and I struggle to get up exactly because of this, as the back foot drives me back and down. I can comfortably do 6-8 reps of the lvl 2 shrimp but struggle heavily with this.

What could it be? Can it be just quad tightness to work on or would you recommend something else?

Curious to hear your thoughts.

Massi!

Yes it can be a tough bridge to gap, as mobility starts to play a stronger role/restriction here.

Firstly, the balance aspect is certainly more present the more you progress. So take that into the practice. The body-structure starts to take on an interesting combination of being both somewhat over-stretched (i.e. holding the foot), and yet also really compressed (i.e. hinging forward) This both shifts & elevates the tension in your body so it can be more difficult to balance compared to being more relaxed, and also gives you less-space to negotiate balance.

Notice how your center of mass SHIFTS when you take the foot. Where & the direction in which you apply force through the floor changes. You'll need to adapt as it won't be the same as when not holding the foot. COUNTERBALANCE with the upper-body. If you're slightly restricted in dorsiflexion, you'll notice that you'll need to shift the weight into the BALL of the foot. This then challenges the strength & integrity of the knee more. The glutes almost get eliminated from the equation, playing only a stabilising role. It gets "heavier".

Proposals to help:
- If you've restrictions in dorsiflexion (e.g. resting squat not sustainable/comfy), then add this work into your prep for that session, or even just before.

- In the same section, put the 'Long-lunge to knee-drop & foot-hold' & work toward achieving heel-to-ass in the foot-hold. Go for just 1 set of 20-30" ea. variation: Long-lunge / Knee-drop / with foot-hold ea. side. You can do this near daily - the same with the dorsiflexion - to help things along: https://www.movemorevrl.com/videos/quadriceps-hip-flexor-stretching

- Build capacity of the LV2 shrimp up to a decent level. A minimum of 10x, but 15-20x would be better.

- If you've trouble counter-balancing forward due to difficulty compressing to tightly, consider adding a compression routine such as the pike one here. At the end of a session, 2-3 sets in a around with some other quad-stretching context. Paired with 'Low-bridge slide' would be a great buddy.

https://www.movemorevrl.com/videos/v-sit-pike-compression

Do keep us updated with your journey and feel free to upload a video from Youtube or so in the 'Share my practice' board - let's turn that Shrimp into a lobster!

With energy & fire for the open road ahead

J

Thank you! I've posted a video of my current shrimp on the shared practice board––looking forward to hearing what you think of the form.

Also, what do you think of an elevated (deficit) shrimp as the bridge between level 2 and level 3? While I get accustomed to the lunge routine and building increased capacity on the standard level 2, I could also add one day where I keep the reps lower (4 to 6) and I stand on a couple of plates or a very low step to elicit more mobility development and knee strength.

Then, I could do each week one "heavy day" with the deficit shrimp for lower reps and one "lighter day" where I go with the normal lvl 2 trying to progressively hit 15-20 reps per set.

Does it make sense or better stick to the normal lvl 2 and then just move to something else, for example figure 4, as a step in between?

Have gotten back to you on that thread my man.

Before looking into the deficit, simply plug the "featherlight" intention in from the other thread and assess after 6-8 weeks.

I say this because whilst deficit is certainly a viable tool, it won't be targeting the weak spot - the forward-lean, shifting weight into ball of foot. It actually does the opposite. A deficit allows you to keep weight more BACK in the heel.

I have used deficit on the past, but only from single-hand hold, onward.

First, cross the bridge. Then, climb the mountain.

Stick to Lv 2. with the featherlight intention. You can also work figure-4 simultaneously, possibly alternating between sessions or in the same session if the volume is feeling sustainable. It's actually a nice compliment because progression (i.e. "on toes") in the 'Figure-4' also makes this shift onto the toes, although the intensity is much lower.