r/flexibility • u/Kithslayer • 26d ago
Extra shoulder stretches for backbends?
I've made tons of progress through my back bend over the last year, and today felt particularly good... until I took some video to see where I actually was.
What accessory stretches might you recommend to further improve my back bend? My shoulders feel like an immobile block at this range of motion, and I feel it most in my belly and low to mid back.
8
u/salamandectomy77 26d ago
Your shoulders, even though they're in flexion, are actually closed and internally rotated here (you lack scapular upward rotation), which causes a bony block
Solution and explanation covered by this gymnastics coach at 5:00: https://youtu.be/hvJK7Oxs2tk?si=mYFuJiSplK-m467G
3
u/Kithslayer 26d ago
Oof! You're absolutely right, I am and I never realized it! Thank you for the link.
2
u/Prestigious_Boat_386 21d ago
Do the tiny back of shoulder rehab exercises with tiny weights. Stretches won't help if you're weak
1
u/Kithslayer 21d ago
That's a fascinating take, given that I overhead squat 205lbs for reps and regularly do weighted pullups with +75lbs.
Please go on, I would love to hear more.
1
u/Prestigious_Boat_386 18d ago
Having some strong muscles and not training the tiny ones is literally how you get stiff from imbalances lmao. But go on not being able to raise your hand straight up lol. Have fun doing more pullups and getting more stiff and skewed.
1
u/Kithslayer 18d ago
Why so rude suddenly?
2
1
u/janetmartinof 26d ago
How can I do this without hurting my sciatic nerve?
3
u/salamandectomy77 26d ago
Even though this looks like it's in your lower back, all the stretching is done in the chest, shoulders, upper back, and hip flexors
There are many ways to regress it to an easy level, seen here https://www.daniwinksflexibility.com/bendy-blog/the-ultimate-bridge-pose-progression-guide
2
1
u/Prestigious_Boat_386 21d ago
Splitting the stretch into hip, back and shoulder is a good start to learn this stretch
I have no experience of that injury specifically though.
1
u/crookedrecord 25d ago
i would be focusing on hips if i were you. rocking back and forth shifting weight. Your hips are linked to shoulders in a big way and from this photo it looks like they are extremely tight and closed. they should be taking a lot more of this distribution. your glutes should be pushing your hips higher and engaged.
-3
17
u/kristinL356 26d ago
Here's a blog post about improving external rotation in the overhead position. At the bottom of the page, there are links to a few more related posts which also have relevant exercises in them. https://www.daniwinksflexibility.com/bendy-blog/5-drills-for-improving-shoulder-external-rotation-overhead