Level 2

Vertical Quadraped (Level 2)

You were introduced to the Vertical Quadraped in Level 1. Please take the time to refer back to the detailed notes that were provided for a review of the important elements of this exercise and how to get the most from your practice.

The key difference here in Level 2 is the amount of weight you will be using.

This is one of those exercises that gets progressively more challenging as the weight goes up. It could be said it is “easy” with very light or no weight.

It could also be said it is extremely challenging – very hard – with a very heavy weight. 😊

Level 2 Progression:

In Level 1, your first goal was to learn the VQ without a weight in your hand. You should have practiced it as though you had load in your hand – thinking of it as an imaginary load in order to “groove” the sequence of steps in the exercise.

Now that you are at Level 2, you should have a firm grasp of HOW to perform the VQ and be comfortable with the weight targets which were provided for Level 1.

If you don’t feel you’re ready for the heavier weight or feel that you’d benefit from more practice time at Level 1, that’s fine. In fact, it might be the smartest choice you could make – to spend a bit more time on Level 1 in order to ensure you’ve gotten a good handle on the exercise and are mastering it before moving on.

To quickly review, here are your Level 1 Weight Targets:

Here are your Level 2 Weight Targets:

Do you remember when you learned how to ice skate or perhaps, to ride a skateboard?

Learning new skills can be tricky, you know? There are times when we need to focus on the most basic and fundamental skill level with the goal of mastery of those basics, and yet at the same time, there are also instances where we need to push the envelope a little bit. Get closer to the edge and challenge ourselves, even if we don’t necessarily feel comfortable doing it.

I call it “dancing on the edge of our ability.”

That dancing is probably what you did a lot of when you were younger, learning a new skill like ice skating, skateboarding, or any other similar kind of fun activity.

You jumped on, or perhaps coerced yourself into getting on….you probably felt wobbly, awkward, and even scared. Fear can sometimes be the overwhelming emotion we feel whenever we’re completely and totally OUT of our comfort zone, am I right?

Fear and an unwillingness to feel awkward or like we don’t know what we’re doing, can hold you back. It can keep you from making progress. And that would kind of suck. Because progress is what you want most.

You must go get it. You must be willing to push and challenge yourself in a smart way. You must be willing, when the time is right, to dance on the edge of your ability.

Yes, mastery of the basics is essential for success. But too much analysis leads to paralysis. At some point, when the time is right, you hit the dance floor ready to challenge yourself and make some progress.

Think of the times you fell on the skates. Or the times you fell off of the skateboard. If you wanted it though and were persistent, chances are you’re looking back thinking, “I did it!”

That’s what we’re looking for here!  Good luck and keep at it!