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The Bendy Blog: Flexibility Training Articles
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Is It OK To Lift the Heels in a Bridge (Full Wheel)?
This is a question I sometimes get from students (and even other flexibility instructors) - should we try to keep feet flat on the floor in a bridge, or is lifting the heels OK? The answer - like with so many flexibility questions - is it depends.
10 Great YouTube Channels for Flexibility Anatomy Education
Last week I posted about some of my favorite InstagramLast week I posted about some of my favorite Instagram accounts to follow for flexibility education - to keep that same theme going, I also want to share some of my favorite YouTube channels. Like I mentioned in my last post, I’ve never taken an actual anatomy class, so all of my anatomy training has been through taking workshops, and teaching myself with whatever content I can find. Luckily there are some fabulous content creators on YouTube that make this SO easy (and fascinating!) for folks who want to learn more about their anatomy, and how to start applying this knowledge to flexibility training.
My Top 5 Insta Accounts to Follow for Flexibility Education
‘Tis the season to be thankful - and I’m kicking off this Thanksgiving week (albeit belatedly, since it’s already Tuesday…) with a roundup of some of the Instagram content producers I am most thankful for. We are lucky to live in an age where there are SO many smart instructors, movers, and educators that are passionate about sharing their knowledge of flexibility training with others for free - here is a list of my “Top 5” (and then a whoooooole lot of “honorable mentions”) that are absolutely worth following to help you on your flexy journey.
Obturator Nerve Tension Test & Nerve Glide
Obturator nerve tension refers to a situation where the obturator nerve, one of the main nerves that goes through our inner thighs, is prevented from sliding like it’s normally supposed to and instead tugged into a position of too-much-tension when we try to stretch our adductors (inner thigh muscles). This can be tricky because it may feel a whole lot like muscle tightness, so it’s important to be able to recognize whether the inner thigh “tightness” or “stretching” sensation you are feeling is actually a muscle stretch (good!) or nerve tension (probably less productive) - so let’s talk about how to figure that out!
Passive Stretching is Not the Devil
Passive stretching has gotten a bad rap y’all.
While there has been a lot of research to support that just passive stretching isn’t a great way to increase your flexibility, and most people make more, faster, progress by including drills that focus on their active flexibility - that doesn’t mean you should stop doing passive stretches!
Lift That Leg! 7 Stretches for a Higher Y Scale Leg Hold
A “Y Scale” or a side leg hold is one of my favorite standing contortion shapes because it’s one of the first ones I ever learned to do. Most students tend to enjoy this shape because it looks cool (obviously!) and is typically easier to train than a “traditional” standing split or the even-more-complex needle scale.
Earlier this week I posted a quick how-to showing the basic mechanics of how to do a Y scale. Today we’ll be looking at how to make it look bendier (working on our flexibility to lift the leg higher, make it look split-ier, etc).
How to Do a Y Scale Leg Hold
A standing side leg hold, often called a “Y Scale” in the contortion world, is a fun (and impressive!) standing balance that showcases leg flexibility. Unlike a “regular” standing split, a Y Scale is an open split position that allows for both turn-out in the hips, and a tilt of the hips to maximize how high we can lift our leg.
Let’s look at two ways to do this pose: both the traditional standing variation, as well as an easier-to-balance variation lying on the floor.
Back Stretches for Full Spinal Flexibility
When talking about back flexibility, it’s important to remember that there are many ways our spine helps us move, not just backbending! If we consider all of the different ranges of motion our spine can move in, we have: backbending (spinal extension), rounding forwards (spinal flexion), sidebending (lateral flexion), and twisting (spinal rotation). So let’s look at some stretches that cover each of these areas for full spinal flexibility.
I Can Open My Hips in a Frog Stretch, But Not Middle Splits - What Gives?
Do you find it pretty easy to open your legs out to the sides in a frog stretch, but when you try to open your legs in a middle split or a straddle, your legs don’t go nearly as far (and it feels waaaaay harder)? They’re both inner thigh stretches, so what gives?
(Spoiler alert: it’s probably your gracilis)
How to Use Neck Engagement for a Deeper Cobra Pose
If you’re working for a backbendier cobra, especially if you’re working on your toes-to-head King Cobra, learning how to comfortably add more neck flexibility can be a big help. In this post, we’ll explore a couple of different options for “engaging” the neck to see how they affect the comfort (and depth) of your backbend.
Using Bands to Help Support “Square” Splits
Do you have a hard time keeping your hips “square” when working on your front split? A long looped resistance band can be a great prop to help support keeping your hips square as you slide out into your split. Let’s see two different ways you can use a stretchy band to help keep your hips square.
Building Visual and Physical Awareness for Square Splits
’ve written before about why we often care so much about keeping our hips “square” (both hip bones pointing forwards, not opening out to the side) in things like front splits and lunges, but that’s easier said than done! Even for students who are totally on board the “I’m Gonna Square My Hips to Get a Better Hip Stretch” Train, it can be challenging to realize are your hips actually square? So today I’ll cover a couple of ways you can train both your visual awareness (can you see if your hips are square?) as well as your physical awareness (can you feel if your hips are square) to be able to identify when your hips are square - and when they’re not and they’re probably avoiding a deeper stretch.