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The Bendy Blog: Flexibility Training Articles
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Active Back Flexibility with a Body Wheel
As I’ve written before, my body wheel is one of my favorite flexibility props. It’s a nice way to get some support in stretches - particularly for your back and shoulders.
As I’ve harped on before, a large component of getting more flexible is getting your muscles stronger while they’re in a stretched position (that’s that “active flexibility” all the cool kids are talking about these days). The wheel is great for this because it supports rounding active back exercises in a comfier way than yoga blocks ever can. Here are some of my favorite drills…
5 Puppy Pose Variations for Open Shoulders
One of my favorite stretches to work shoulder flexibility - especially if you’re trying to open up your shoulders in your bridge - is puppy pose. And just like with any flexibility work, it’s helpful to work on both your passive and active stretching, so here’s a short sequence to help you do both, utilizing different variations of the classic puppy pose.
Foam Rolling Your Low Back (Safely!)
Are you guilty of PUMMELING your low back with a foam roller? While it may sound like a good idea, a foam roller on a floppy spine can cause more harm than good - especially if you have any back pain. Learn how to safely roll out your low back.
The Best Etsy Shops for Aerial & Contortion Costumes
I often get asked for costume advice/ideas for contortion - and I freaking LOVE Etsy for catsuits and bodysuits. You have to be prepared to pay $100-$200 for a costume, but rest assured you are getting a quality costume that will last you a long time!
How To: Wall-Supported Scorpion Forearmstands
As a follow-up to last week’s forearmstands for beginners post, here are a couple of “bendier” versions of wall-supported forearmstands that are fun to play with: a half-scorpion and full scorpion.
Forearmstands for Beginners
Been eyeing those bendy yogis and circus folk on Instagram effortlessly balancing on their hands? Lucky for you forearmstands aren’t reserved for the realm of contortionists, anybody can get started with some beginner-friendly handbalancing with a wall-supported forearmstand!
Split Variations if You Can’t Do a Flat Split
If you can’t yet sit flat in a front split, you actually have a lot more “options” of splits to practice than you might realize! In addition to do plenty of complementary hamstring and hip flexor stretches (like in this 10 minute splits routine), it may be helpful to shake up what kind of split you’re doing for an endurance hold.
Can’t Touch Your Toes? 8 Beginner-Friendly Hamstring Stretches
If you’re working on being able to touch your toes, but your hamstrings are so tight you can’t even sit up straight in a pike, stretching can be very frustrating - especially if you’re following “tutorials” written for bendier practitioners...
But never fear, there are plenty of legitimately beginner-friendly stretches you can do that safely and effectively target your hamstrings without stressing your low back.
Why Are My Hamstrings Tight? (and How to Fix Them)
If you have tight hamstrings, you’re not alone! Unless you have a regular stretching practice as part of your workout routine, odds are you can’t touch your toes. Don’t worry, that’s is a pretty “average” level of flexibility in our era of so much sitting.
But why are they tight? And what can you do to help loosen them up so you aren’t getting so much carry-over tension in your low back?
“Big C” vs. “Little c” Backbend from Standing
A lot of people struggle with being able to backbend into a bridge from standing (sometimes called a “drop back”) - and rightly so, that shit’s hard. You need a lot of core and glute strength on top of general back and shoulder flexibility to be able to lower with control. The secret to a safer (and easier) backbend from standing is all about your center of gravity…
Advanced Shoulder Warm Up for Contortion
Contortion-style backbending asks a lot of your shoulders. To make sure I’m properly warmed up before I practice deep backbending postures, there are some extra drills I like to include beyond my “regular” shoulder warm up and conditioning exercises that cater to the more difficult work shoulders will asked to help with in contortion, like extreme shoulder rotations.