✅ How to stretch your back for rhythmic gymnastics

Back stretching is the way to a healthy body

The back is the frame of the whole body, a complex structure that nature created to ensure the normal functioning of our body. But the strong joints of the spine can fail.

Over the years, a crunch appears, there may be pain in the lower back, awkwardness in movements. These are the most common spinal problems.

To prevent their occurrence or prevent chronic diseases, you need to know how to stretch the muscles of the back and spine.

Anyone who has crossed the twenty-year mark in age should undergo mandatory back decompression. It is at this age that irreversible changes in the intervertebral discs begin - they age and begin to collapse.

The back muscles need rest, although they receive it less than others. After all, even at night the spine cannot always be at a relaxed distance.

Uncomfortable posture or the wrong pillow causes him to overwork and be bent, resulting in tense muscles at night. After such a dream, a person will feel discomfort in the neck.

Tired muscles do not allow you to move freely and simply live a full life, and this can lead to quite dangerous problems:

around the tired area of muscles, the blood supply is disrupted, the muscles gradually “melt”;
the distance between the vertebrae is reduced, the intervertebral discs are destroyed and the roots of the spinal cord are irritated.

To solve these problems, you need to know how to stretch your back daily. But not everyone can afford to hire a trainer, like professional gymnasts, so doctors recommend stretching your back simply at home, in the office, or while jogging in the morning.

Before you start doing any exercises, it doesn’t hurt to know some useful rules:

Be sure to start with a small amplitude so that physical training does not lead to injuries;
you need to stretch your back carefully, avoiding pain and crunching;
It is better to do all exercises in the evening and do this every day;
Maintain even and deep breathing.

A set of exercises to improve flexibility

As teachers advise, it is better to start stretching your back and performing gymnastics with basic exercises. These types include:

Wave;
boat;
Tilts;
Deflections.

Exercise "wave"

To perform the exercise, you need to prepare a mat. Starting position: sit on your knees on the floor, placing your buttocks on your heels. The arms are extended along the body and are almost not involved in the exercise. From a level position with your back and head, you need to gradually twist your neck to your collarbone, slowly lowering yourself to the floor face down, placing your stomach on your hips. The result should be some kind of “fetal position”, but sitting on the floor. Then you need to slowly return to the starting position: first, the lower back is pulled up, then the back returns to a flat position and the head straightens.

Exercise "Boat"

Another stretching exercise is the pump. Starting position - lying on the floor on your stomach, arms bent, palms under the shoulder. The top of the head begins to stretch forward first, followed by the chest gently rising, and the lower back becoming arched. Having reached the highest point of the lift (leaving your pelvis motionless), you need to linger for a few seconds and slowly return to the starting position. It is important to understand that you can properly stretch your back only with extreme care.

Forward bends

This, at first glance, elementary exercise is still contraindicated for diseases of the musculoskeletal system, because It is the spine that bears the entire load. Starting position – sitting on the floor with straight legs extended forward. Hands need to be clasped and extended above your head. With this lock, you should try to touch your toes, slowly lowering your straight back down and placing your stomach on your hips. It is necessary to return to the starting position slowly and carefully.

Sitting backbends

The starting position in this exercise is sitting on the floor, with straight legs extended, back straight and arms placed slightly behind the back. Keeping your head straight, you need to stretch your lower back and pull your chest up towards the ceiling. To increase the degree of deflection, you can raise the pelvis. It is very important not to put stress on your neck and head (which can happen involuntarily). To avoid this, fix your gaze on your feet - this will prevent you from pulling your head up.

Other exercises

Of course, on the Internet there are many ways to make your back flexible. But it’s important to remember that an accidental back injury may not even be noticeable right away, and will manifest itself after a few hours or days.

Another popular and relatively safe exercise for the back is the bridge - almost every child knows it since childhood. There are also several effective back exercises on a fitball. This ball is especially necessary for those who have an intervertebral hernia or osteochondrosis - the fitball significantly relieves the load from diseased areas of the body, but does not reduce the effectiveness of exercise.

Whatever the plan for home training or gymnastics to stretch your back, consultation with a trainer is still necessary. After all, you can perform just three high-quality exercises and see results, or you can exhaust yourself with a three-hour workout and not see any effect. And it’s not for nothing that general physical training in rhythmic gymnastics is recommended to be carried out no more than 7 hours a week. Such a seemingly easy intensive should be supplemented with a minimum of 40 minutes of stretching - and stable training will definitely bring the child to the desired level of training.

How to stretch your back

How to stretch your back, but in such a way as to protect yourself from pain in the lower back and under the shoulder blades? A really good question, especially if all the fitness victories are done at home under the blind supervision of a trainer from TV. Stretching your back is an important part of the warm-up for many gymnastics exercises, and the more you neglect this part of your workout, the more likely you are setting the stage for injury during simple exercises.

How to stretch your back before exercise

Before performing any gymnastics, you must perform several warm-up exercises to stretch your neck and back. This way you will protect yourself from pain and be able to increase the effectiveness of your workout.

Stretching Tips

The first comprehensive stretching exercises should be introduced in early childhood. Children have natural plasticity and it is not difficult for them to achieve elasticity in their tendons.

Before training, you should wear loose clothing and cover the floor with a non-slip mat.

You should start with warm-up exercises. A jump rope or regular jogging is perfect for this. Not doing this warm-up increases your chances of getting injured.

Breathing, like movements, should be calm. The jerk style of training is not recommended for girls. The main thing is to perform the elements at the same pace, without losing your way.

Tense positions should be held for no more than 20 seconds.

Muscle pain is a natural occurrence, but it should not be severe. The resulting burning indicates an incorrect format of the lesson.

Stretching must be done for all muscle groups, sequentially.

Exercises for back flexibility

In the generally accepted understanding, body flexibility is the prerogative of yogis, gymnasts and circus acrobats. An ordinary person does not need to do the splits, lotus position, or touch his big toe to his earlobe. But flexibility, it turns out, is not just the ability to perform gymnastic tricks. Posture, a harmonious, even silhouette and the health of the spine depend on how flexible the back is.

Physical form: what will help, what will limit

Firstly, to build a successful career in gymnastics, you need to start training from childhood, because the best stretching is developed through systematic training from the age of 5-6.
Secondly, professional sport is a heavy physical and psychological load for anyone; the presence of chronic diseases or joint problems can greatly limit the capabilities of a future athlete.
Thirdly, when participating in championships, it is necessary to take into account age restrictions: girls receive the youth category up to 9 years old, so if you manage to get into the group at an older age, you will have to defend yourself next to the kids.

Remember, the sports title of master of sports is awarded from the age of 15, sports categories: candidate master of sports - from the age of 12, I - from the age of 11, II - from the age of 10, III - from the age of 9, I junior. - from 8 years old, II junior. - from 7 years old, III junior. - from 6 years old.

Gymnastics is truly a young sport! International junior championships introduce age restrictions: for girls up to 16 years old, for guys up to 17.

Next, athletes participate in professional competitions, the Everest of which is the Olympic Games.

Also, do not forget that in professional gymnastics there are restrictions on height and weight: with a maximum height of 179 cm for girls, the maximum weight is 52 kg. There is a special measurement table that indicates the height and normal weight of the gymnast. For example, with a height of 160 cm, the weight should be 39 kg +/- 1 kg.

Why the back should not only be strong

A healthy, fully developed back should bend, bend, and twist without problems. If, in the absence of spinal diseases, you have problems with back mobility and limited movement, it means that rigid, inelastic muscles do not allow you to achieve the full range of motion. And it will get worse. The natural flexibility inherent in the human spine will gradually be lost, the back will be in a static position most of the time, which will lead to the development of spinal diseases and atrophy of the spinal muscles.

By the way. Among young people, especially men, there is an opinion that the back must be strong. This is partly true for those who “swing”, since in their case the back serves as a lever that transmits force to the muscles during a strength exercise. But along with strength, the back must have flexibility. Otherwise, it is very easy to “break it” during strength training.

The back muscles must be strong for another reason, to protect the spine from injury. Strong does not mean pumped up, but elastic, stretched, flexible. If a person cannot bend over and reach, bending over, with his hand to the floor, it is not spinal diseases that are to blame, even if they are present, but the rigid, undeveloped muscles of the back and abs.

Good stretching is the key to success: a set of exercises for stretching the core

Rhythmic gymnasts are distinguished not only by their grace, but also by their impeccable stretching. To achieve good results, you need to work hard from early childhood - the earlier you start, the better.

It is important to have good stretching and flexibility throughout the body in order to perform well in competitions. This brings up the question, how to stretch your back for rhythmic gymnastics?

Preparatory stage

Children are quite flexible by nature, so you can and should start stretching your back for rhythmic gymnastics at the age of three. The baby will be more willing to do special exercises if he has a bright example in front of him in the person of his mother.

Regular exercises will help not only engage and stretch the child, but also strengthen the mother’s muscle corset and develop the flexibility of her spine. You can perform a special complex at home. How to stretch your back at home?

The bridge is an exercise familiar to everyone from early childhood. It is done in kindergarten and school during physical education class. This task helps develop flexibility and stretch muscles.

The main thing is that it is done correctly. The technique is that the fingers should be as close to the heels as possible, ideally even touching them. The legs are spaced slightly wider than the shoulders.

In order to get a high and beautiful bridge - and this will not happen right away - you need to complete a training course, which consists of a whole set of exercises. So, how to quickly stretch your back for rhythmic gymnastics using a “bridge”:

Bend back from a kneeling position, with your hands firmly on the floor. It is enough to do 10-15 times.
The basket is done lying on your stomach. You need to grab your legs with your hands and hold your body for 60 seconds.
Lie on your stomach, stand upright with your hands and try to raise your body as high as possible, the top of your head stretches towards your heels.
The ring is made from a position in support with the hands, the legs are bent at the knees. You need to reach your head with your feet.
While lying on your stomach, the body and legs are simultaneously lifted off the floor and rolls are made. If done correctly, you should end up with a boat rocking on the waves.
The hands hold onto the support, and the body leans back as far as possible. It is better to do all this at a machine or a wall bars, but at home a strong chair with a wide back will do.
The cat-dog exercise develops flexibility well. To perform it, you need to get on all fours and alternately bend and arch your spine. Kids take on this task with pleasure.

All these exercises for stretching the back in rhythmic gymnastics are only a preparatory stage for a good bridge.

You should start it only after the muscles are prepared, but this does not mean that everything will certainly work out the first time. This will also require a little practice.

Warm-up requirements

How to stretch your back correctly was described a little higher, but it is not recommended to start performing a bridge without a preparatory complex.

Prepare a safe platform for the bridge. Lay down a mat, a carpet, something soft.
Do the exercise only with a safety net, and the child must be supported by the mother.
Take your starting position: feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, arms extended upward, gaze fixed on your fingertips.
Support the person under the shoulder blades, let him slowly arch, then lower to the floor. The heels do not come off the floor, the arms do not bend at the elbows.
Once a person sees the floor, he should carefully place his hands. Here the support can be removed.
Each time it is worth making the insurance less and less, and as soon as the implementation becomes confident, it is better to remove it completely.

When performing a task, an adult does not need to be belayed - it is enough for him to perform the bridge near the wall the first time.

To do this, you should take the starting position facing away from the wall and slowly descend along it. The Swedish wall will come to the rescue. Anyone can make a bridge this way, even a small child.

How to Avoid Injury

Sports always hide a lot of dangers and injuries, so it’s worth paying a little attention to this topic. Before you begin the preparatory stretching routine, you should warm up thoroughly.

Warming up the back in rhythmic gymnastics takes 15-20 minutes. This complex must be performed intensively in order to warm up the muscles well.

Every athlete knows how to stretch his back well, because without this you can get a serious injury while performing the most basic exercise.

Bend your body in all directions.
While sitting, stretch forward to the sides.
Lie on your stomach and do 10-15 body lifts, leaning on your hands.
Standing, bend over and reach the floor with your hands, stand in this position.

Additionally, you can use a belt to warm up your back for rhythmic gymnastics, which will help maintain your health.

If you want to get more information and similar exercises for the spine and joints from Alexandra Bonina, check out the materials on the links below.

Denial of responsibility

The information in the articles is for general information purposes only and should not be used for self-diagnosis of health problems or for therapeutic purposes. This article is not a substitute for medical advice from a doctor (neurologist, therapist). Please consult your doctor first to know the exact cause of your health problem.

I will be very grateful if you click on one of the buttons and share this material with your friends