All-Star Inflexible Back

[mytriplek]

Does anyone know any good exercises for an inflexible back. The tumbling coach has said a few times my daughter's back is inflexible. She's been doing bridges. Is there anything else she can do that may help?

 

[MyGirlCheers]

My CP's tumbling coach said shoulder flexibility is more important than back flexibility. He told her to pick a wall in the house and then every time she walks by it to face the wall, place her hands on the wall above her head, then bend at the waist as low as she can with her hands still above her head and hold for 30 seconds. It's hard to describe, but really stretches.

 

[Rachal]

^^^ like above "mygirlcheers" said. But one thing i know that works good for back is doing a bridge and pushing your arms over a line, then come down and rock, and do it once more. It has helped me some what. Backs are hard to get realllyy flexible sadly):

also having someone do flyer stretches has helped me too..
these are stretches where you basically get someone to help pull skills (heel stretch, scrop, etc)
only thing is your are on your knees holding on to the person stretching.

 

[kickdblcj]

Hand stands against the wall facing away from the wall. Have Cp walk her hands out while simultaneously sliding feet down the wall. Helps with shoulder flexibility and strength, shes got to be able to hold herself up if shes gonna do bhs or bwo

 

[Mamarazzi]

Please, please, please do NOT allow your cp to just do back and shoulder stretches. Strengthen and lengthen opposing and assisting muscle groups!!

 

[elisekc9]

Please, please, please do NOT allow your cp to just do back and shoulder stretches. Strengthen and lengthen opposing and assisting muscle groups!!

This may be a stupid question but, what are some opposing muscle groups? And what are some good stretches etc. for them that will benefit shoulder/back flexibility in a safe manner?


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[Mamarazzi]

This may be a stupid question but, what are some opposing muscle groups? And what are some good stretches etc. for them that will benefit shoulder/back flexibility in a safe manner?


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Well, I'm FAR from an athletic trainer, but if you think about what muscle group you're stretching, your back, the opposite is the abs. The shoulder is comprised of the arm muscles, the chest muscles, the neck muscles and the upper back muscles. All those muscles work together. When you're trying to stretch one set of muscles, it makes the muscle fibers work better when they alternate stretching and contracting (there's a name for this but maybe a PT person that reads this can help. I can't remember.)

The best thing I can say is that if only one "side" of the body is worked, it ends up putting unnecessary stress on the structures nearby and that can end in some ugly, cheer-ending injuries. This I do know.

 

[ShoWStoppeR]

Well, I'm FAR from an athletic trainer, but if you think about what muscle group you're stretching, your back, the opposite is the abs. The shoulder is comprised of the arm muscles, the chest muscles, the neck muscles and the upper back muscles. All those muscles work together. When you're trying to stretch one set of muscles, it makes the muscle fibers work better when they alternate stretching and contracting (there's a name for this but maybe a PT person that reads this can help. I can't remember.)

The best thing I can say is that if only one "side" of the body is worked, it ends up putting unnecessary stress on the structures nearby and that can end in some ugly, cheer-ending injuries. This I do know.

can I shimmy this times a thousand? you did a pretty good job btw I think you may be talking about eccentric and concentric contractions. eccentric= elongation, concentric= shortening. basically one action will cause a contraction, the other will cause a stretch. easy example: we all know the bicep flexes the shoulder and elbow, so that means extending those joints will put a stretch on it. either that or maybe PNF stretching (stands for proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation, but you don't really need to know that)
I LOVE to use PNF stretching with my athletes. you see improvements literally after one session. There are multiple techniques you can use too. Upper body is a little more tricky, but basic concept: you put them in a stretch, take them back the furthest you can go, then tell them to push against you (resistance). you can either hold them there for about 10 seconds, or have them resist you and bring them all the way back down into neutral position. bring them back up into a stretch, and you should be able to push them further after every time, then repeat with resistance. I typically do it 3-5 times per side. Does this make sense? its a whole heck of alot easier to show rather than explain lol I'm looking for a video but I haven't found one that I like. let me know if you need clarification or more information

 

[luv2cheer92]

@ShoWStoppeR pretty much hit it right on. Contract-relax and hold-relax (what she described) are some of the most effective types of stretching, but they can be difficult to do by yourself. It's also really important to strengthen the muscles that you stretch after you stretch them in order to maintain that new range of motion.

 

[ShoWStoppeR]

@ShoWStoppeR pretty much hit it right on. Contract-relax and hold-relax (what she described) are some of the most effective types of stretching, but they can be difficult to do by yourself. It's also really important to strengthen the muscles that you stretch after you stretch them in order to maintain that new range of motion.

amen to this. this is a common misconception alot of athletes have, unfortunately myself included when I was little. If someone would have told me this 10 years ago, I would have saved myself alot of pain and frustration trying to be the flexible flyer I never was.

 

[Mamarazzi]

@ShoWStoppeR Thank you! I was thinking about PNF! Best therapy for a crick in the neck ever!

I often think of Little's rubber band body when "back flexibility" comes up. She had a beautiful needle, but the problem was that she stretched her abs to oblivion, didn't strengthen her core and abs, and had insanely strong back muscles. That screwed everything up by making her back muscles fire first in everything she does, rather than her abs or core, since it's easier for her body.
Now she's facing PT, core and conditioning and NO cheer for months, maybe longer, so she can recreate her body.

 

[ShoWStoppeR]

@ShoWStoppeR Thank you! I was thinking about PNF! Best therapy for a crick in the neck ever!

I often think of Little's rubber band body when "back flexibility" comes up. She had a beautiful needle, but the problem was that she stretched her abs to oblivion, didn't strengthen her core and abs, and had insanely strong back muscles. That screwed everything up by making her back muscles fire first in everything she does, rather than her abs or core, since it's easier for her body.
Now she's facing PT, core and conditioning and NO cheer for months, maybe longer, so she can recreate her body.

I've noticed this to be a very common issue among cheerleaders. They think if you can see the chizzled 6 pack that means you have a strong core, but that's not always necessarily the case. You can be fit and still have the world's weakest core.

 

[Nvdw]

So if I stretch for my splits, which exercises should I do afterwards to strengthen the opposite muscles?


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[luv2cheer92]

So if I stretch for my splits, which exercises should I do afterwards to strengthen the opposite muscles?


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Splits are primarily hamstrings and hip flexors, so to strengthen those you could do hamstring curls and leg lifts. The opposite muscles would be quads and glutes. So squats or weighted long arc quads for the quads (which is where you are sitting and you straighten the leg so it becomes parallel to the ground) and also hip extension, you could lay on your stomach and lift your leg up behind you to do that. Splits are a little different since your legs are on the ground, so strengthening the opposite muscles may not help quite as much as strengthening the concentric muscles (hams and hip flexors).

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[Nvdw]

Splits are primarily hamstrings and hip flexors, so to strengthen those you could do hamstring curls and leg lifts. The opposite muscles would be quads and glutes. So squats or weighted long arc quads for the quads (which is where you are sitting and you straighten the leg so it becomes parallel to the ground) and also hip extension, you could lay on your stomach and lift your leg up behind you to do that. Splits are a little different since your legs are on the ground, so strengthening the opposite muscles may not help quite as much as strengthening the concentric muscles (hams and hip flexors).

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Okay, thanks a lot!


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