Back Bridge, or Wheel Pose as it is called in yoga, is a beautiful foundational element of the back bender’s...
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4 Things You Can Do to Address Back Pain in Back Bends
Back bends can be a glorious part of your body’s movement practice. A healthy backbend feels great, benefits your spine,...
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Got a Bendy Back and Tight Hip Flexors? Try this Short Workout
Five years ago I wrote a blog post titled The Curse of the Bendy Lower Back that laid out many...
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Spinal Anatomy for Back Benders
Back bending is one of the most challenging areas of the flexibility arts. The spine is an extremely complex structure...
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Can My Body Be Strong and Flexible at the Same Time? Yes!
One of the most common misconceptions about training is that you cannot train to be strong and flexible at the...
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What’s the Difference Between Active and Passive Flexibility?
There are two different ways that we can measure our flexibility in any joint: active flexibility and passive flexibility. It...
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How to Get More Flexible: 4 Basic Tips for All Levels
When I tell humans out in the world what I do I’m often asked—usually after a glum confession to being...
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Stretch your Shoulders without Pain or Pinching
It is possible to stretch your shoulders without pain, pinching, or compromising the strength and integrity of the shoulder...
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Tight Shoulders? Try Stretching your Pecs!
Tight shoulders restrict athletic performance and our daily activities. A key aspect of upper body health is to have full...
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How to Find and Strengthen Your Rotator Cuff Muscles
When I received my MRI back from the doctor’s office it just said “rotator cuff tear”. What a tease! There...
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3 Things You Should Know About Shoulder Anatomy to Address Shoulder Pain
When I first injured my right shoulder in 2010 I joined the ranks of circus performers, acrobats, dancers, and athletes...
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Advanced Hip Flexibility: Swim Through Splits Tutorial
The swim through splits (not sure where this term originates, I may have made it up but I don’t think...
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2 Exercises to Address Knee Pain in Middle Splits
Middle splits can be beastly. Often we push too far too fast, going past our body’s limits without the proper...
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What is the Difference Between a Straddle Split and a Middle Split?
The straddle split and the middle split are similar, and there can be some confusion between the two. However the...
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Improve Middle/Straddle Splits and Hip Stability: How to Do a Highly Effective Clamshell Exercise
I’ve often said that if I were stuck on a desert island and I could only bring one exercise,...
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How Long Should I Sit in My Split? How Long Should I Hold a Stretch? Learn About the Stretch Reflex
I wish I had a simple, straightforward answer to this question like: hold your split for exactly 45...
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How to Get A Flat Split When You’re Really Close? It’s Time to Start Training Over Splits!
There is a point in every splitter’s life when the booty nears the floor and that flat split seems so,...
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What is a “Square Split” and Why Should I Care? How Your Position in Front Splits Can Affect your Back Flexibility
When I first started training contortion with Serchmaa Byamba at Circus Center in 2004 I had already been dancing for...
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Stuck on Learning a Difficult Move or Pose? Here are 3 Strategies to Achieve Your Goal
Whenever learning a new physical discipline you’ll have the experience of trying out a new aspirational move and thinking…...
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How Not to Over-Train and Stick to Your Workout… Injury Free!
Why do we over-train? This process may sound familiar to many of you: Feel discontent with something about your body...
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