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The Bendy Blog: Flexibility Training Articles
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3 Ways to Get into a Wall-Supported Forearm Stand (Pincha Pose)
Forearm stands are one of my favorite contortion shapes (because they are so fun to balance and there are lots of “options” for styling with your legs!) - but they can be daunting to try to tackle if you’ve never trained them before. That’s where learning some safe progressions can help build up your shoulder strength and flexibility, and your own confidence with supporting your body weight in this pose. These are 3 variations of forearm stands I like to work on with “begintermediate” students who are starting to work on forearm stands (similar to pincha mayurasana in yoga) for the first time.
Middle Split Oversplits: A Primer on Technique
I’m not going to lie - I have a love/hate relationship with middle oversplits. I love how big a difference they can make in how comfortable my “regular” middle splits feel. But I hate how the oversplits feel when I practice them (personally, I think they’re hard AF compared to front leg oversplits, but that’s how I’ve always felt about middle vs. front splits). But despite them being an exercise I minorly dread, I think they’re an important tool for students who have very middle split-y aspirations. Just like with front splits and front oversplits, middle oversplits can be a sneaky way for students who are oh-so-close-to-flat to challenge their hips a tiny bit more to help them touchdown.
Getting a “Pointier” Toe Pointe
The cue “point your toes” can be a bit misleading, because often when we talk about a traditional, ballerina-style toe point (aka “pointe”), what we really mean is point your ankle (and then point your toes). If your coach has yelled at you to point your toes before, and your foot automatically curls into a gargoyle claw, while technically correct (you are, in fact, likely pointing your toes), if you want the traditional aesthetic lines of a nicely pointed foot, you’ll have to work on your ankle flexibility. Lucky for you I have a slew of exercises and stretches that can help, including ones that isolate the ankle stretch from your toe pointing (no gargoyle toes allowed!).
How to Flatten Your Middle Splits
Just like with front splits, the last couple of inches in your middle splits can feel like the most challenging to train. If you feel like you’ve hit a plateau and are “stuck” in your middle split training, it’s time to re-assess your training.
2 Minute Neck Foam Rolling Routine to Ease a Sore Neck
Your neck may not be something you normally think about foam rolling - but man it can feel good! If you’ve got a tight neck from craning your head all day, or if it’s sore from doing lots of backbending and neck extension work (looking at you, fellow contortionists!) using a foam roller to help give it a stretch and gentle massage can feel quite nice.
7 Oversplit Preparation Drills for Active Front Split Flexibility
Working on oversplits with your leg(s) on blocks is of course helpful for students who already have splits to take it to the next level - but they’re also helpful for students who are looking to close the last couple of inches on their splits to get them flat once and for all!
A great way to prepare your hips before diving in to full oversplit holds is to work on active drills for your hamstrings (front leg) and hip flexors (back leg) to challenge them in the elevated and increased range-of-motion positions they will be in when you are in a full oversplit.
4 Active Flexibility Drills to Strengthen Your Front Splits
If you’re trying to get lower in your front splits - passive stretching is only part of the equation, you need to make sure you’re strengthening your muscles to support this unique range of motion in your hips (front hip flexion and back hip extension). These 4 drills help strengthen our hips to support both the front AND back leg stretches needed to flatten our front splits.
Am I Too Old to Start Contortion? (Spoiler Alert: HECK No)
I see this question all. the. time. on Reddit (shoutout to all my flexy practitioners in r/flexibility!) and all over the internet for that matter.
The short answer is no you’re not “too old,” literally anyone can start working on flexibility even if you’ve been a total slug your whole life.
Controlling Rogue Hips - Keeping Your Hips Square in a Split
On Monday I talked about what it means to have “square” hips in a split, and why that’s often a preferred position to train in. Today we’ll talk about ways to help train your hips to stay square to ensure you’re getting that sweet sweet hip flexor stretch, and avoid letting your hips open to “cheat” the stretch.
How to Tell if Your Split is “Square” (the “Butt Cheek Test” and More!)
Are you keeping your hips square when practicing front splits and lunges? Do you know how to tell? Here are some of the most common ways I like showing students you can check for yourself if your hips are properly “square.”
Why Your Upper Back Sucks at Backbending (and How to Make it Suck Less)
Are you struggling to bend from your upper back? You’re not alone! In my 11+ years of training & teaching, I’ve found vast majority of students have a hard time arching through their upper back in backbends - and that’s because our upper back isn’t really designed to bend. Thankfully you don’t have to be doomed to have a flat-as-a-board upper back in all your bridges and backbends forever. With the right training and coaxing, anyone can improve their upper back flexibility and let it join in on the backbending part-ay!
What Muscles Do I Need to Stretch for the Front Splits?
If you’re asking what muscles do you need to stretch for a front split - then congratulations on trying to train smarter! Understanding the basic anatomy behind stretches can not only help you choose better stretches to reach your goals, but it can also help you understand where you should be feeling the stretch, and how to stretch with proper form.