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The Bendy Blog: Flexibility Training Articles
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Quick and Easy Shoulder Warm Up
Shoulders are a critical part of any circus practice, whether you’re backbending, handbalancing or doing aerials - so it’s important to give them the proper love and attention they need in your warm up.
Here are some great exercises to help warm up your shoulders, get your joints moving, and start explore your mobility. I like to start with mobility work, then move on to conditioning.
Protecting Your Low Back When Backbending
Does your low back always feel sore after backbending? It's extremely common for people to "dump" a lot of the bend from a backbend into their low back. Your spine has a natural curve here in your lumbar spine, so this is typically where your back “wants” to bend first! But without proper core engagement you may be relying on your bones and joints in your spine to hold the bend instead of your muscles - ouch!
PNF Stretching at Home: Middle Splits
If you’re working to get your middle splits but your stretching routine only consists of doing a middle split and holding it for 5 minutes, it’s going to take you ages to get your hips to the ground. Instead of endlessly passively stretching your hips, add in a little active flexibility work each practice to teach your body to overcome the stretch reflex.
Best Bows for Contortion Archery
I can’t remember what inspired me to want to start shooting things with my feet - it may have been the fever of the Hunger Games recently being released. Lo and behold my disappointment when I started researching what type of bow to use, and no amount of feverish Googling could find any resources on the subject. I mean, this is the internet, I thought EVERYTHING was on here (especially foot stuff…). So here is my own experiential research and recommendations for you, dear reader!
The Ultimate Bridge Pose Progression Guide
Being able to do a bridge is a common back flexibility goal, but if you can’t just “do a bridge” you may not know where to start! Here we have a simple progression of pose variations you can use as goals to practice and build the strength and control to eventually do a full bridge. Let’s get started!
Wall Heel Slides for Tight Hamstrings
If you have tight hamstrings and trying to touch your toes in a standing forward fold feels like a laughable exercise - it’s time to switch up your stretch. While there’s nothing “wrong” with a good ol’ forward fold, for the less flexy among us it’s honestly not an ideal exercise to start with. Give these Wall Heel Slides a try instead!
Active Straddle Warmup: Pancake Good Mornings
This is favorite warm up by far for straddles and middle splits. Straddle pancake good mornings can be done with body weight as part of your skill-specific warm up routine, or with heavier weights (dumbbells, weighted plates, etc) as a conditioning exercise later in your practice.
Trouble Breathing in a Chest Stand? Elevate Yo’ Shoulders!
Having trouble breathing in a chest stand? Is your neck upper back flexibility holding you back? Most people need to spend a lot of time training upper back (thoracic) flexibility as well as neck flexibility to get a nice round curve in a chest stand (and to be able to safely hold that pose without dumping too much pressure into the neck). But in a pinch you can use props to help adjust and progress!
Knee-Friendly Hip Flexor Stretches
Not everyone’s knees like the good ol’ “knee on the ground hip flexor lunge” - here are a couple of knee-friendly hip flexor stretches that you can do without unpleasant knee pressure.
How Frequently Should I Stretch?
Stretching every day may be dedicated, but it’s going to cause more harm than good if you’re trying to make flexibility gains. Rest days are an important part of any flexibility program - read on to see a sample training schedule and learn more.
No Partner? No Problem! How to Use PNF to Stretch for Splits
Working on your active flexibility is arguably one of the best (and fastest) ways to improve in your splits. PNF (proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation) is a stretching technique that alternates passive and active stretching to help increase your range of motion. And it’s super easy to do at home!
Build a Better Hip Flexor Stretch
Got tight, lazy hip flexors? Here are three exercises to whip them into bendy shape!