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A few stretching tweaks that can get you past a flexibility plateau

Posted on April 23, 2015April 23, 2015 by Cathy Vandewater

Hey guys,

I’m hoping to get some pics up soon (especially since I got an awesome new bluetooth clicker thing that enables my iPhone to snap photos from across the room, holla!), but basically, I’ve started taking flexibility classes at B&P that have been GAME CHANGING.

I know, I know, I was all “lol I can stretch at home, why would I pay for this” too, but trust me: the prompts that you will receive from a good teacher in these classes are everything. Here’s a few key, simple things I’ve learned so far that have my flexibility game on serious fleek.

(Accompanied by pictures I stole from the internet for explanation purposes)

1. In back bends: think of opening your chest, NOT about crunching your back

Not only did this make back bendy stuff feel so much safer and more comfortable, focusing on opening my chest and getting it up and over my back activated all the muscles in my upper back–which are what make that nice, rounded, SAFE (have I said safe enough yet?) shape in a backbend instead of that “hinged at the lower back” look.

2. In hamstring stretches: pop your booty out and arch your back

This creates that nice burn of opposition, making the stretch so much deeper and more effective, while keeping it totally in your control.

3. In lunge stretches: think 360

lunge side bend a — Photos: https://elsieyogakula.wordpress.com

lunge back bend arms down — Photo: http://www.twofitmoms.com

It’s easy to just cycle between lunges and hamstring stretches, but if you’re struggling with splits, hitting those hip flexors from new angles may be just the thing to get you into deeper territory.

A few things to try:

-Back bends in a deep lunge stretch (just make sure you’re squared off to get the most out of it). And try arm circles: sweep into them with one arm at a time, up and over, front to back, side to side.

-Pushing the inside of the front knee away in a deep lunge stretch (so that your knee opens and the weight shifts to the outer edge of your front foot). Turn away from the front leg for a little added opposition.

-In a bent over hamstring stretch (one leg straight in front, the other kneeling): turn the front leg out from the hip (so that the pinky toe is closest to the ground), and turn your body to face it, planting hands on the outside of your extended leg as you lower your torso to meet it. (You can allow your kneeling leg to pivet into a “knees together” position). You should feel a deep stretch in the inner thigh.

Do you guys have any flexy tricks up your sleeves? I’ve honestly made so much progress in my back in a few months that I think I’m going to attempt a crescent again! (For the first time since failing at it and swearing off it forever 2 years ago).

And huge shoutout to Emily Sanderson at B&P who teaches flex and is fabulous. Just saying.

XOXO

16 times that dancing is the literal worst.

Posted on September 16, 2014July 28, 2016 by Cathy Vandewater

1. When you get a note you don’t understand (what does “quiet collarbones” mean I should do?)

2. When you go over the hard part of a dance over and over and then mess up the easy part in a performance.

3. When your teacher says, “one more time!” for the 900th time and you’re starting not to believe her.

4. When your feet are dirty and you have to put your nice flats on.

5. When “warm ups” are code for “flexibility contest” (it’s a silent contest, but a contest nonetheless).

6. When a sequence is so fast that if you think, you just missed it.

7. When you get multiple notes at the same time and you can’t seem to do one without messing up the other (your shoulders lift when you try to straighten your knees, your feet flex when you try to keep your face soft, AHHHH MY BRAIN IS EXPLODING).

8. When a movement just doesn’t look the same on your body as it does on your teacher’s.

9. When you randomly can’t do the thing you totally did yesterday.

10. When your body just flat out won’t do something and you have little hope that it ever will. (Re: dinosaur arms.).

11. When the floor is too sticky, the pole is too cold, and nothing is working.

12. When you learn a dance in class and try to practice it home but blank out on 3/4s of it.

13. When you’re waiting in line to do something in front of the class that you’re definitely going to suck at.

14. When the teacher calls out a correction for “some people” and you look down and you’re the one who lost your turn out.

15 .When you remember to pack everything except your sports bra.

16. When you only nail it if no one’s looking and you forgot to hit “record.”

Now your turn!

Side TOTALLY matters when it comes to splits.

Posted on November 6, 2013November 6, 2013 by Cathy Vandewater

So I was at the gym the other night, doing what I always do when I’m “working out”: 60% actually working out, 40% checking out a cute guy.

Now, you guys, this guy is INTO me. I can tell, because every time I pass him I’m all, “Hey,” and he’s all, “…” (he doesn’t say anything because he already passed me).

SURE SIGN HE’S INTO ME, right?

So I did what I always do when I’m trying to get a guy to look at me in the gym: SPLITS.

Okay now, I’m not really sure what sort of message I’m trying to send by doing splits. But they’re definitely attention-getting. I suppose they say something along the lines of, “HEY, IF WE HAD INTERCOURSE IT WOULD LOOK CRAAAAZY.”

Maybe not the classiest message, but, it gets people to look at you! Which is half the battle in this crazy world of smartphones in the gym.

So anyway, I was working my left side. It was a little sticky, but finally I got it going. Looking gooooood.

Like THIS (not the flattest or most squared off I’ve gotten, but not bad considering I was stiff from class!):

Except that the guy was not looking. So, after spending like 15 minutes in that horribly uncomfortable position, I begrudgingly switched to my right side. Because got to at least pretend to keep it even, right?

Of course, this is when he comes in to stretch as well. And I’m all, LOL just kidding not flexible at all.

Damn it legs, you had ONE JOB.

For reference, this is what my right side split looks like. Yes, that’s me squealing in pain.

SO SEXY.

(Just kidding, not sexy at all).

If you were wondering how my seduction attempt played out, the guy did like, one downward facing dog and left. I know, so in love with me, right?!

So seriously, what is up with the split unevenness?

From studying the picture I’m going to go ahead and say my right ham is tight. And also, my left quad is tight.

So basically: left ham and right quad good. Right quad and left ham: shitty. For no apparent reason. Can someone explain this to me?

But let’s get technical, fill me in: how do you guys get into splits, and how do you um… warm into them? (I made that expression up, sorry).

I’ve been working on sliding into it from both legs equally (as opposed to straightening my front leg and pushing back from there, because that’s bad, right?). Hence, the socks for slidin’ around.

I was also trying TGWHR’s trick to push AGAINST the floor as hard as you can for several seconds between sets of pushing into the split and it really works! No BS! I’m also a fan of grabbing the back foot while lunging (pre splits or in between) to stretch out a sticky quad, which really helped. To be honest, this is sort of the best my right side split has ever looked, pitiful as that is, and I think it’s because of the extra quad work.

What’s your good side?

Also, center splits–we all agree, no fucking way, right?

Here’s my best attempt: