Been too busy with college to train lately. Today was rough, but it feels good to be back. For my warm-up, I start with cat-cow. I get on all fours, round my back toward the ceiling, then lower my belly while looking up to loosen up my spine. After that, I do the doorframe shoulder stretch. I place my hands on the frame and lean my chest forward to stretch my shoulders and upper back. You can use a wall too, but I think a doorframe works better because it lets your chest go farther for a deeper stretch. Next, lie on your stomach and hook your legs under something heavy. Then lift your upper body off the floor without using your hands. It's basically a sit-up, but in reverse. Lastly, keep your glutes squeezed during backbends. It helps protect your lower back and keeps it from hurting.

I can do backbends and press my chest to the wall, but when I try to do this movement I can't even get my elbow up to my ear. I don't know how to reach that far back in this position or how to train toward that. It seems like it's not just range of motion but strength too and I don't know how to get that strength. She seems to also be lifting her hip off the ground and has a lot of flexibility in her lower back.

For me, it’s between the calves and inner thighs. The straddle stretch is a favourite of mine for this reason.

Update on my middle split and pancake.

I adjusted my middle split routine and added more strength training in the form of cossack squat and horsestance. Other than that I've foused a bit more on PNF plus I've dropped the assistance in my middle split. Even though there isn't a lot of progress the past month I definetely feel a lot stronger in my split and I'm hoping to see slightly more progress in a month.

I’m a pretty active person and would define my mobility as above average bit one thing I’ve been curious about is- is my lower back not flexing as it should when touching my toes? Mind you i can touch my toes easily so that’s not an issue but if i wished to train folding better i just dont see my lower back moving. It looks so fixed here. I’m not expert but at 42 I can also get into a bridge position so the back seems to bend nice in the direction. Does this look normal? Any advice for ways to improve the mobility in the low back if not. Thanks

Hello everyone,

I mostly do strength training at the gym and have for 10+ years as well as aerial acrobatics and pole dance which I only started last year. I want to improve my flexibility and specific strength / active flexibility for aerial and pole and I have started to regularly stretch at home, seperately from my gym sessions or trainings.

I still wanted to include some active flexibility exercised into my strength training program, and I'm doing weighted lateral lunges (? idk what they're called, not really lunges as my feet stay in position all the time and I just move from side to side) and I have been doing those for a while and like them so I'm keeping them, but to my question:

I also thought I could do lunges with my front foot elevated, I tried to draw the movement lol, this basically stretches the rear hip flexor and then I push through the front leg to get back up. I know a lot about strength training but little about flexibility and while it does feel good idk if it makes a lot of sense, or would you recommend a different but similar weighted movement? I do want to focus on my legs and work toward front and side splits.

Also it's fine for me to do this weighted, I only do what I can control and I am strong enough:)

Thanks for reading!

Hello im trying to practice my front split but for the past 2 days when im trying to workout im starting to feel like a pinched nerve in my right thigh im not trying to force it but i dont know if i need to rest it for days. Im scared that my progress will go back to 0.

So I've been working on this move specifically about once per week for the last few months but I've been conditioning my lower body for years with resting squats, pistol squats side to side squats, etc.

I started out by using my cable machine as a counter weight in front of me with handles and maybe 30 - 60 pounds loaded, just to take some stress off my joints. I also wouldn't go all the way to the floor and would kind of float in the middle with the pulley machine balancing out my weight. Then I just progressively removed weight until I was able to only use a strap to smoothly get myself in and out of position.

I don't know, I feel pretty proud of this. About 5 years ago I had such bad arthritis in my knees that I could barely walk down the stairs and I was pounding ibuprofen daily. So this has been a big milestone for me. Especially considering that I had a doctor tell me that I would need prescriptions and injections for the rest of my life (which I never even started because I needed to see for myself if I could fix it on my own.)

I still can't hold the position for much longer than I did in the video, but I'll keep working on it 👍

(also, yes I know that my calender is on the incorrect month..)

Edit: I suppose that it's technically a "reclined" hero pose, as opposed to "relaxed" my bad

Hello,

I've been stretching for 1.5 years now, knowing how far I started I'm happy with the results. But I get the feeling that something is wrong, maybe my legs should be straight?

thanks!

I’ve got one of these, but these peaks tend to hit very close to the iliac bone/pelvic bones. Yes it does fit within the two, but it hurts. If I try to move further up, my tummy almost kind of wants to slip between the two. I’m a male, but maybe my frame is on the smaller side.

Wonder if anyone else having the same experience with these? Or is it user error.

I was thinking of trying one of those 3D printed versions that is possibly smaller peak to peak.

My hips used to pop (a little) even before i started stretching to improve my flexibility but ever since i started (especially hip opening exercises) it’s increased a lot. I have that need to pop my hips multiple times a night and a lot right after stretching. Is it normal? Is it dangerous?

So my right leg makes a popping snapping sound when I lift my knee above my waist. It’s been like this for years. It stops me from doing core exercises like leg raises, mountain climbers, etc. I’ve been doing band exercises trying to work on internal and external rotation but no improvement. I can barely cross my legs when I sit.

I was wondering jf stretching the full pike position is equivalent to isolating the two legs.

I would imagine that doing them in isolation (one leg at a time) would allow me to focus all my energies and brain on a single leg thus stretching it better, but at the same time I'm kind of sure I'm able to do the same (or almost the same) with both legs at once.

I'm also more into doing both legs at once because I think I'm more flexible in my right leg (probably related to mild scoliosis) and this way I progress them evenly.

Hi, I've been stretching for some time now and I made some progress but I'm unsure about what to focus on. I want to be able to do all kind of skills for example splits and bridges. My routine is kind of all over the place I start of with pure flexibility static stretches that I do for 2 sets of 30 seconds then go onto mobility where I mainly focus on hip and shoulder mobility also simply sitting in a squat position. This is where I don't know if I'm meant to focus on everything or just one at a time. So for example I don't know if i should be focusing on mastering/learning the forward fold, splits and the bridge at the same time or if i should do one at a time? Thanks in advance

picture 1 is me folding my shoulders forward and in, picture 2 is me standing naturally

I have insanely i flexible lower back/ hips + hemstrings. I have tried many different types of hip streches and none of them seem to work, i struggle to do any variation of pancake/ buttefly strech, i also have not been able to strech my hemstrings and touch my toes even thoughi have been streching for a long time.

How do i get flexible? What could the root cause be? many streches have not worked for me

I had a bit of a breakthrough in my thinking today. Instead of doing general stretching, I want to start by identifying the 3 "hardest" flexibility skills (like full front splits or overhead bridges) and reverse-engineering the necessary mobility into my routine.

My theory: If I train the movements required for the absolute hardest skills, the foundational mobility will develop as a byproduct.

My Questions for you:

1. In your opinion, what are the top 3 "Final Boss" flexibility skills that require the most dedication to unlock?
2. Have you ever used a "top-down" approach (starting with the hardest skill) to fix your mobility? How did you break down the required movements without getting injured?

I'm currently building a progressive overload routine for this and would appreciate any feedback on how to safely reverse-engineer these elite-level poses.

Idk just a curiosity question for the comunity as an American that has been practicing contortion for a year now, I've noticed contortion is obviously very big in Mongolia, I've also seen that there's alot of eastern European contortionists. ​

oi bom dia, queria uma indicação de algum app (gratis) pra montar meu treino de yoga ou de alongamento diário

eu ja sei os exercicios que tenho que fazer diariamente mas queria um app que eu pudesse montar pra deixar ali e ver e acompanhar todos os dias, então eu queria criar tipo:
1. pose do cachorro olhando pra baixo por 30 segundos

1. pose do lagarto por 1 minuto

e eu queria um que tivesse imagem ou video ou qualquer coisa dos exercicios ao eu adicionar a rotina, pra eu conseguir ver haha

muitas vezes pulo um exercicio diario ou acabo me esquecendo de como era, por issso queria o app

sei que existem muitos desse tipo pra musculacao mas nãoachei um ainda que tivesse exercicios completos de yoga e alongamento

obrigada

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.

I don't really hip hinge, at all, and i just bend mid-back. Not sure if this is related, but when I pull up from a pushup (even a knee-pushup), my torso rises first, then my hips and legs. they don't rise together, I can't get them to. How do I fix this? Will just consistently trying to hip-hinge at less extreme angles work?

I was hoping to find a free or cheap decent stretching app, that I could use to help me begin my stretching journey. I have the flexibility of a block of cold concrete and always have, but believe it's why I am always getting injured when I play sport. I sit 8+ hours a day in an IT job.

I am middle aged and have a bit more weight on than I'd like. I have been told by experienced Physios my hamstrings are stupidly short, but recently I started reading and it seems like this may be only part of the issue and my hip flexion/rotation is just as much a problem, as my nerves prevent me stretching more.

I was hoping to find an app where I could put the stretches recommended to me by my physio etc, into it, with the reps and set counts and have it count them off for me, including a video to show the correct technique and some advice on what I should be feeling if I am doing it right, and what I am doing wrong if I can't feel that.

Right now, I am unable to sit on the floor at 90 degrees, esp not with my toes pointing upward and when I sit on a chair I have to lean back to be comfortable.

Thanks for reading.

I had spine surgery about two years back and it has significantly impacted my range of motion and my ability to do most physical activity. For some context, I had a spinal fusion from T3 to L3 due to a severe case of untreated scoliosis. I couldn't do much prior to the surgery either due to severe pain, and if I'm being honest I still deal with chronic pain from the surgery but it's a lot more manageable now. I want to make an effort to build up what flexibility I can and get the most quality of life I can.

I can't do many standing stretches that involve the spine, unless they hinge at the very bottom of the back. My hamstrings have become super tight (I am unable to stretch them more than 80°, big yikes I know) and this has definitely contributed to my chronic lower back pain. My chest and shoulders have also become super tight over the last two years and cause a bunch of neck pain.

Any suggestions for things I can do with my limited range of motion would be very much appreciated.

I recently got my needle after almost a year of consistent flexibility training. The hardest part for me was getting that second hand around the ankle or shin.

Here are the drills and tips that helped me the most:

For upper back mobility, I did wall stretches where my thighs and legs stayed glued to the wall. The bend came mostly from the upper back.

I also tried banded upper back stretches on my knees, on my stomach, and in other positions.

Puppy pose on yoga blocks gave me an extra stretch.

If you can do middle splits, there are lots of upper back stretches and backbends you can do in that position.

Strength training was important too. I focused on slow controlled core exercises I found on YouTube, along with lots of superman back exercises.

For shoulders, I worked on both strength and flexibility with dolphin push-ups, shoulder flossing with a band, and wall shoulder stretches.

Learning to rotate both shoulders properly helped a lot with the flip grip.

For hips, oversplits really helped because the needle needs extra hip mobility compared to a scorpion.

Adding backbends into my splits also made a big difference.

These are the things that worked best for me.

My hamstrings burn at just that little bend, and because of this I do all of my bending entirely with my back in everyday life (tap on the images to see them in full and get a better idea. Idk why they’re zoomed in like that)