Back flexibility

[gym-monkey]

reply

thank you so much if i may bother you one last time how do i increase my shoulder flexibility
my coach says i have a very good bridge position since i practise it almost every day
gym-monkey

 

[Valentin]

Hi gym-monkey

Well given that your bridge is good, you have the required flexibility to do this skill easily. The bridge is a measure of shoulder extension range of motion (some people call it shoulder flexion but this is fundamentaly wrong based on the definition of extension in anatomical terms) so you dont have to worry by the sounds of things in doing anything much more (until your coach deems appropriate) the what you are doing already for shoulder flexibility training.

I think most likely you need to be spotted a gently over a course of a week or so for about 10-20walkovers a day and you will have the skill. It sounds to me you are just lacking the transition between going back into a bridge and kicking over..so that transition is easily learned via spotting.

If you can't be spotted for whatever reason just do it on a fat mat, that way going back is not dangerous and it spares your from hard crashes.

 

[LasswadeCoach]

Valentin, once again i am very impressed. I try hard to concentrate on flexibility alot, my girls train flexibility about 7-10 hours a week, i have so many exercises, but some of the girls seem to be unflexible in strange places, is there any exercises you could give me that you think i wont have done before?

any would be greatly appreciated

Thanks!

 

[gymnasticsbabie]

okay heres my problem, my lower back is super flexible and then my shoulders are the tightest thing in my body. i can do bridges fairly well because it really stretches my lower back. what are somethings that i can stretch my upper back and shoulders without stretching my lower back.

 

[BlairBob]

For shoulder flexibility, I use stick dislocates, cat stretch on something about hip high, and this shoulder stretch: http://drillsandskills.com/stretching/Shoulder/sd004

I used to use the straight arm version, but I was pointed out by Gina Pongetti that puts unneccesary stress on the elbows, and I have enough kids with natural hyperextension in their elbows ( working on fixing that now as well ).

 

[LasswadeCoach]

Blairbob: I have one gymnast with extreme hyper extension, about 6 months ago she dislocated one of her elbows and the hyper extension has gone away in that arm, the other one is still extremely hyper extended leaving her lopsided in alot of skills, she is a very very talented gymnast and i would love to find out more ways to help reduce her hyper extension, any suggestions/exercises?

 

[gym-monkey]

reply:youtube attachment

Hi gym-monkey

Well given that your bridge is good, you have the required flexibility to do this skill easily. The bridge is a measure of shoulder extension range of motion (some people call it shoulder flexion but this is fundamentaly wrong based on the definition of extension in anatomical terms) so you dont have to worry by the sounds of things in doing anything much more (until your coach deems appropriate) the what you are doing already for shoulder flexibility training.

I think most likely you need to be spotted a gently over a course of a week or so for about 10-20walkovers a day and you will have the skill. It sounds to me you are just lacking the transition between going back into a bridge and kicking over..so that transition is easily learned via spotting.

If you can't be spotted for whatever reason just do it on a fat mat, that way going back is not dangerous and it spares your from hard crashes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1B80H1j1yQ- this iis me attempting backwalkovers if anyone can see anything im doing wrong and can improve on PLZ TELL ME via the commenting system r by quoting this etc....
thanks
gym-monkey

 

[Valentin]

Valentin, once again i am very impressed. I try hard to concentrate on flexibility alot, my girls train flexibility about 7-10 hours a week, i have so many exercises, but some of the girls seem to be unflexible in strange places, is there any exercises you could give me that you think i wont have done before?

Well the first thing to remember about stretching is that each stretch (passive stretching this is) works only 1 motion of a join. So for example when you strech the forearm/wrists, by pulling your fingers and palm back you are work wrist extension flexibility by stretching the wrist flexors. This will i no way improve your wrist flexion aside from making those muscle groups (wrist flexors) stronger. (Yes indeed stretching is also a form of strength training). So as much as i would love to recommend some stretches its not going to be of any use, unless 1 i know what you are already doing, and 2 what range of motio and joint you want to improve.

Can i ask do you coach Rythmic cause 7-10hrs a week just on flexibility sounds like A LOT haha. Especially with Artistic Gymnastics.
So i would love to help, but just let me know what you need help with..

Also stretching is really not so much about the stretch but the way you stretch. 7-10hr a week suggestes you have time to stretch hard so i in your case each stretch can be held between 1-3min at a time. With every 30sec or so, the gymnast breathing in and trying to push a little harder. The gymnast needs to pretty much at the peak of their pain threshold from start to finish of stretch. Most kids never even get there if you don't reming them, stay on their case, or give them the gentle push to keep them there.. Its a pain but unless they realise this flexibility improvements will be slow, if any.
They should also be doing at least 3 sets per stretch with about 20-30sec rest inbetween set.

If you have been doing only passive flexibility i would strongly encourage you to add in active and dymanic flexibility training as well. Or add in some PNF stretching if you know how. PNF is great for improving the passive flexibility (when mixed in whith passive stretching+active stretching, as the benefits of PNF are short lived lasting only about 1hr or so, but with a combination of strethes you really get it done, but this is reallllly time consuming so it is unrealise in most artistics gymnastics situations).

Hope that helps

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1B80H1j1yQ- this iis me attempting backwalkovers if anyone can see anything im doing wrong and can improve on PLZ TELL ME via the commenting system r by quoting this etc....

As i susspected. you do not push over your shoulders, and well your bridge flexibility could be/should be worked on more. What you should do when you do bridges training is rock backward and forward working on feeling how you are shifting your weight from feet to hands and pushing those armpit over your hands as much as you can. So much that idealy it should really rock up of your hands and up of your feet (of course you dont need to get to this stage to do a walkover but its a good gooal to work on as this will help with any such skill as a walkover)

If you do those drill i recommended before + work the bridge harder then you have been (by increaseing time held, sets, lowering your feet, pushing over further etc.) you will definitely be able to do it.



gym-monkey

 

[BlairBob]

http://www.chalkbucket.com/forums/member.php?u=367LasswadeCoach, look up Gina pongetti.

http://www.occusport.com/PDF/publication1.pdf Last congress she was presenting clinics on her hinge theory. I was unable to attend that one and some else was supposed to tape it, but it hasn't been dumped to DVD yet.

I'm trying to incorporate a lot more bicep related exercises to compensate for the tricep muscle being far stronger than the bicep ( besides being bigger ). All the supporting in gymnastics is mostly tricep, delts, and lats. About the only bicep work we do is rope climbs, dips, pushups ( somewhat ), etc.

I just noticed a few more girls at the new gym I'm at have it and I'm determined to nip this in the bud in coaching all of my athletes.

 

[LasswadeCoach]

Thank you both very much!
I coach artistic gymnastics, and we do spend alot of time on flexibility because we deem it very improtant at my gym

I do alot of active, passive and PNF stretching, my gymnasts love to be stretched, and one even tells me she likes to be pushed to tears because she knows it will 'make her a better gymnast' I find stretching the gymnasts myself easiest, as you know where to push and how to push, however I agree that it is very important for a gymnast to learn to push themselves to the limit when stretching flexibility. Have you got any hip flexor stretches that you do in your gym, I have a few but it remains the one area we struggle with, also the upper hamstrings over the butt!

Thanks again!

 

[KBT]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1B80H1j1yQ- this iis me attempting backwalkovers if anyone can see anything im doing wrong and can improve on PLZ TELL ME via the commenting system r by quoting this etc....
thanks
gym-monkey

You need to start moving your weight in the direction you are kicking over just before you kick off the floor. Right now you kick off the floor but do not start transferring your weight so you end up right where you started. While you're in a bridge try rocking your weight over your shoulders. Kick off the floor as your weight is rocking over the shoulders.

 

[BlairBob]

lunge on knee stretch.

seated heel lifts in pike and straddle. reach beyond your knees, lean your chest over your hips and lift. Do them both for holds ( isometrics ) as well as moving ( isokinetics )

stand and simply hold the leg up with good posture. work on holding for time as well as lifting without opening the hip angle ( once this is done and it becomes a kick-swing, it's very easy to get it high ). Leg swings should be in your flexibility routines somewhere.

The only other hip flexor drills I can think of are L sits and L hangs and straddle L sits and hangs.

 

[Valentin]

Have you got any hip flexor stretches that you do in your gym, I have a few but it remains the one area we struggle with, also the upper hamstrings over the butt!

We personaly don't do specific hip flexor stretches aside from one girl who has very tight hip flexors which is effecting her pelvic posture.
For her we do a modified thomas test stretch. The Thomas test in a measure for Iliopsoas flexibility, so what i do i tell the gymnast to hug one knee, while with one hand i stabilise their opposite hip, and with the other hand i gently press down on the knee. as in the picture.

We also a quad specific stretch against a wall (not a swiss ball but that work too haha

Or kids have to do splits with as square hips as possible, and we tend to push on their back hip down which inselft really stretches the hip flexors.

There is no way to stretch a particular region of a muscle, so "upper hamstrings over the butt" is not possible. You would probably want some glutteal medius, maximus and minimus as well.
These stretches will help with that region

http://www.abc-of-fitness.com/images/tutorials/glute-stretch-step3.gif'
http://www.fitnessgenerator.com/images/exercises/Prone Hip Rotator Stretch.gif - but keep the shoulder up as high as you can. and if the stretch to easy decrease the angle of the knee flexion so from like 45deg to like 90deg and you will definitely feel it. Also keep hips leveled.

You might be already doing these.
And sorry for the cheese pics. Hope that helps.. There aren't really any really fancy stretches for this area.

 

[LasswadeCoach]

Don't worry about the cheesy pictures

Ive done all of those stretches apart from square splits & pushing the back hip, i shall try that next time we are in the gym, so thank you very much!

Rachael

 

[BlairBob]

Single leg squats aka " pistols " will work the upper hamstring area though I often consider them more of a strength exercise.

Simple pike stretch with a straight not rounded back will stretch those hammies.