question regarding Art 19 and Secrets of Stretch

[CSta]

In article 19, it is stated that, if you can do 10–15 repetitions of bench extensions with extra weight of 1/3 of your body weight, then your back should be strong enough for more intense hip flexor exercises—lying leg raises without weights. Also, it is stated that when you begin to get in shape, you can do squats without weights. The time to add weights is when you are permitted to perform good mornings (1 set of 500 unweighted sit-ups), which occurs prior to the 1/3 body weight extension mark.

In the DVD, it is stated that before you may perform the "leg exercises" you must be able to do 3 sets of the 1/3 body weight bench extensions. Does that 3 set rule apply also to Article 19? Also, are we to assume that even if we cannot perform 3 sets of such bench extensions, we may still perform squats and lunges WITHOUT WEIGHTS?

[CSta]

After thinking about this question for a while, I think I have a partial answer. When the DVD states that, before you may perform the "leg exercises" you must be able to do 3 SETS of 10-15 reps of bench extensions holding at least 1/3 of your body weight, the "leg exercises" it is referring to are the leg raises, adductor flys, and the adductor pull-downs (not the squats or lunges). Reasoning: In Article 19, it states that you may add weights to squats when you are permitted to perform good mornings, which occurs prior to being able to do the back extensions with at least 1/3 of your body weight. Article 19's standards for progressing are more conservative than those in the DVD for flexibility. Thus, if under Article 19 one may add weights to squats prior to the 1/3 body weight extension mark, the same must be true for lunges described in the DVD.

[Thomas Kurz]

Think principles: You have to have a stable base for your movement (say, the lower back in leg raises, the shoulder blade in arm movements, etc.). If the muscles stabilizing that base don't keep it solid, you have to strengthen them until they do.

[CSta]

Thanks.