Pancake is a great flexibility goal, and yes, there are some specific things we can work on for it. The main thing is frequency. Pancake usually responds really well to short, regular practice. A simple goal would be doing pancake work 3 to 5 times a week for around 10 minutes total. One easy way to do that is: about 1 minute of stretching, then a short rest, then repeat a few rounds. The next big thing is where you are trying to move from. A lot of people focus too much on rounding forward with the upper back, but for pancake we really want the movement to come more from the hips. So instead of thinking “chest down,” think more “belly button down” or “hips tipping forward.” You can also use a little assistance if it helps, like holding onto something in front of you or using light weight to encourage the stretch. The main thing is still staying focused on the hips, not just collapsing forward. Another thing that can help is working on middle split flexibility a bit too. It is not exactly the same as pancake, but it can help support that wider hip position. And the last piece is active mobility, not just passive stretching. So that means things like: • sitting in the straddle and trying to lift the legs • straddle compressions • or gently pushing in and out of the stretch with control So overall, I’d focus on: • regular pancake stretching • hinging from the hips • some middle split work • and active compression or mobility work too

That is a really strong session, and there are a lot of wins in there. Balancing in headstand, getting better and longer in crow, figuring out the hip and knee position, hitting a one arm hang for a few seconds, dead hanging for over a minute, and getting more confident walking closer to the wall in handstand is a lot of good progress in one day. I also like that you kept it to drills and shoulder warm-up, because that kind of focused practice usually helps skills move forward fast. What feels like the biggest win to you today, the headstand balance or learning to bail the handstand without fear?

@Patricia Pepe

That is a really cool challenge, and honestly a great way to make strength work feel more fun and skill based. A flow like that asks for a lot, not just leg strength but also balance, control, and smooth transitions, so finishing it and then doing it in reverse to keep things balanced was a smart move. That kind of detail matters more than people think. Which part of the flow felt the trickiest, the pistol up, the Cossack switch, or keeping it smooth all the way through?

@Emma Liao Yes, that is a very reasonable way to do it. If your current routine is working, your main lifts are progressing, and nothing feels clearly limited, then it makes sense to stay with the base plan and only add isolation work if you notice a real weak point later. A lot of people add extra exercises too early and just create more fatigue without getting much extra benefit. If you cannot tell that anything is lagging yet, that usually means the smarter move is to keep training the main movements well and keep an eye on what starts to show up over time. What usually gives you the clearest signal right now, a lift stalling, one side feeling weaker, or just a muscle not feeling involved enough?

@Emma Liao The main thing is if you are progressing on the main lifts. IF you have time, you CAN do the extra work. Sometimes less is more when it comes to quality.

That is a huge win. Getting the unassisted rep on the right after already having the left side for a while is awesome, because it means the movement is starting to even out and not just live on one side. And yes, now that you have the rep, the next step of getting it without holding the leg makes a lot of sense because that will make the whole thing feel cleaner and more controlled. What do you think will be the main challenge there, balance, hip mobility, or coordinating the leg without using the hand?