[Gymstar]

Hi, I have my grades in 3 weeks and I'm struggling with my russian lever on beam - any sugestions? :( thanks!

[rudi_in]

Thank you for posting your question to the Ask Me Help Desk.

Conditioning is great. Don't underestimate or give up on your conditioning. This skill requires a lot of strength and you will need as much conditioning as you can get.

One of the best ways to condition a skill is to specifically condition the muscles that you will use for that particular skill. In the case of a hold such as this it is best to practice by holding the actual position or a variation of the position.

Have you tried working against the wall? Position yourself appropriately against the wall (you will have to determine the distance of the hands away from the wall) work it so that your butt/hips rest on the wall and all while you are trying to lift the hips up off the wall. The wall sort of acts as a spotter and depending on how much help you need you can adjust where on the wall to place your butt/hips. You can also vary the hold slightly by holding a tuck position as well.

Be sure to keep strong arms behind you. Bent elbows will cause you to collapse quickly.

You can also work on a set of parallettes, just be careful not to fall on them. Using these will also help you to transition from your prior skill whether stooping through from a handstand or squatting through from a stand on the floor as in a mount.

Spend lots of time strengthening the position.

Good luck.