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Hip Anatomy: Get to Know Your Hip Flexors to Diagnose Tight Hips

Kristina Nekyia / August 2, 2022

What is a "hip flexor"? The term "hip flexor" is often used as if it describes one muscle, when in...

Step by Step Introduction to Back Bridge/Wheel Pose

Kristina Nekyia / June 21, 2022

Back Bridge, or Wheel Pose as it is called in yoga, is a beautiful foundational element of the back bender’s...

back bend, back bridge, back flexibility, back pain, back strength, back stretches, backbend, bridge pose, contortion, flexibility, isometrics, stretching, wheel pose, yoga

4 Things You Can Do to Address Back Pain in Back Bends

Kristina Nekyia / May 31, 2022

Back bends can be a glorious part of your body’s movement practice. A healthy backbend feels great, benefits your spine,...

back bend, back bending, back flexibility, backbend, contortion, flexibility, hip flexibility, hip flexors, tight hips

Got a Bendy Back and Tight Hip Flexors? Try this Short Workout

Kristina Nekyia / May 4, 2022 / 1 Reply

Five years ago I wrote a blog post titled The Curse of the Bendy Lower Back that laid out many...

back bends, back pain, bendy back, contortion, flexibility, hip pain, janda lower crossed syndrome, stretching, tight hips

Spinal Anatomy for Back Benders

Kristina Nekyia / April 22, 2022 / 1 Reply

Back bending is one of the most challenging areas of the flexibility arts. The spine is an extremely complex structure...

anatomy, back muscles, back pain, backbending, backbends, contortion, flexibility, flexibility for dancers, spinal anatomy, spine, stretching, vertebrae

Can My Body Be Strong and Flexible at the Same Time? Yes!

Kristina Nekyia / March 22, 2022 / 1 Reply

One of the most common misconceptions about training is that you cannot train to be strong and flexible at the...

active flexibility, contortion, dance, flexible, flexiibility, gymnastics, passive stretching, shoulder pain, strength training, stretching, strong, yoga

What’s the Difference Between Active and Passive Flexibility?

Kristina Nekyia / March 4, 2022 / 1 Reply

There are two different ways that we can measure our flexibility in any joint: active flexibility and passive flexibility. It...

active flexibility, beginner flexibility, circus, contortion, dance splits, flexibility, flexibility for dancers, hamstring flexibility, passive flexibility, stretching

How to Get More Flexible: 4 Basic Tips for All Levels

Kristina Nekyia / February 6, 2022

When I tell humans out in the world what I do I’m often asked—usually after a glum confession to being...

Stretch your Shoulders without Pain or Pinching

Kristina Nekyia / January 6, 2022

It is possible to stretch your shoulders without pain, pinching, or compromising the strength and integrity of the shoulder...

contortion, downward dog, flexibility, flexibility for aerialists, handstands, pain in shoulder joint, shoulder flexibility, shoulder impingement, shoulder pain, shoulder stretch, stretching, upper body stretches, yoga

Tight Shoulders? Try Stretching your Pecs!

Kristina Nekyia / December 29, 2021

Tight shoulders restrict athletic performance and our daily activities. A key aspect of upper body health is to have full...

bench press, contortion, flexibility, handstand position, overhead press, pectoralis major, shoulder flexibility, shoulder mobility, shoulder pain, stretching, tight pecs, tight shoulders, yoga

How to Find and Strengthen Your Rotator Cuff Muscles

Kristina Nekyia / December 23, 2021 / 2 Replies

When I received my MRI back from the doctor’s office it just said “rotator cuff tear”. What a tease! There...

contortion, flexibility, infraspinatus, rotator cuff, rotator cuff tear, shoulder flexibility, shoulder pain, shoulder strengthening, stretching, subscapularis, supraspinatus, teres minor

3 Things You Should Know About Shoulder Anatomy to Address Shoulder Pain

Kristina Nekyia / December 15, 2021 / 2 Replies

When I first injured my right shoulder in 2010 I joined the ranks of circus performers, acrobats, dancers, and athletes...

contortion, Fitness, flexibility, scapular movement, shoulder exercises, shoulder flexibility, shoulder health, shoulder injuries, shoulder joint, shoulder pain, strech your shoulders, stretching, upper back

Advanced Hip Flexibility: Swim Through Splits Tutorial

Kristina Nekyia / November 18, 2021

The swim through splits (not sure where this term originates, I may have made it up but I don’t think...

beginner flexibility, contortion, dance splits, dancer split, Fitness, hip flexibility, hip flexors, how to do a split, middle splits, splits training, straddle splits, stretching

2 Exercises to Address Knee Pain in Middle Splits

Kristina Nekyia / November 1, 2021 / 4 Replies

Middle splits can be beastly. Often we push too far too fast, going past our body’s limits without the proper...

IT band, knee pain, knee strengthening, knee valgus, middle splits

What is the Difference Between a Straddle Split and a Middle Split?

Kristina Nekyia / October 22, 2021

The straddle split and the middle split are similar, and there can be some confusion between the two. However the...

contortion, dancer split, flexibility, hip flexibility, hip health, how to do a split, inner thigh stretch, middle splits, splits, splits training, straddle splits, stretching

Improve Middle/Straddle Splits and Hip Stability: How to Do a Highly Effective Clamshell Exercise

Kristina Nekyia / September 28, 2021

I’ve often said that if I were stuck on a desert island and I could only bring one exercise,...

back pain, butt exercises, clamshell exercise, flexibility, hip pain, lower back pain, middle splits, sciatica, straddle splits, stretching

How Long Should I Sit in My Split? How Long Should I Hold a Stretch? Learn About the Stretch Reflex

Kristina Nekyia / September 7, 2021

I wish I had a simple, straightforward answer to this question like: hold your split for exactly 45...

beginner flexibility, contortion, flexibility, flexibility progress, hip flexibility, splits, splits training, stretch reflex, stretching

How to Get A Flat Split When You’re Really Close? It’s Time to Start Training Over Splits!

balance, circus, contortion, Fitness, flexibility, strength training, stretching, yoga

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