Bon-Bons!

♥ Bambi

Chest-stand update and progress pictures!

Currently stuck at the elbows. Can I has more upper back flexibility right away, please?! I am determined to get this done before the end of Summer...

And is any one getting tired of seeing pink leotards yet lol?

The Splits

♥ Bambi

My stretching routine.

I have been getting asked what I do for my stretches, so I figure I will explain it in detail here, as opposed to trying to explain it individually.

First off, I am no expert. What I do know is from what I have read, learned, and experienced first-hand. We are all individuals with different fitness goals and different starting flexibility, so you may find other stretching techniques to be more appropriate for you. It all comes down to what your body feels comfortably doing, i.e. stretching should never be painful!

There are a handful of different "kinds" of stretching, but the main two are static and dynamic stretching. I do both, with static being the most prominent in my routine. There are people who believe that it is better to do dynamic only, and they may be right... for some people. My focus is on increasing my flexibility substantially, and static stretching is better suited for that. If you are looking to just maintain your flexibility or to increase it enough for a full range-of-motion in your exercises, just dynamic stretching should be fine. It all goes back to what I said before: different things work for different people.

A significant difference between static and dynamic stretching is when to do them. You can do dynamic stretches as a warm-up or before a work-out. Static stretches, on the other hand, should be done only after a warm-up or a work-out. Put them all together and this is how a simple stretching routine would look: dynamic stretching, warm-up/work-out, static/dynamic stretching.

What I do:

- A few minutes of dynamic stretching (back, chest stretches and small lunges) to prevent stiffness in the warm-ups.

- 30 minutes of warm-ups (running, jogging and, yes, hula hooping :p) to warm up the core. Body temperature plays a HUGE role when it comes to stretching and flexibility. There is a reason why there is such a thing as "hot yoga", where people practice in rooms of 100+ degree heat. Higher body temp = more loosened muscles = more stretching. So with that in mind, do some serious stretching indoors if it is a cold day out!

- 1.5-2 hours of static stretching (40 min for splits, 40 min for back bends and 40 min for handstand/forearm-stand/conditioning). The emphasis of these stretches is on back flexibility, which is what I am getting asked about most. Obviously the general person is not going to need to stretch for this long lol, but the more time you put into it, the more flexibility you will maintain and gain. In general though, 10-15 min of simple static stretching should be fine.

For back flexibility, the best ways to increase it are:

The Cobra Pose

The Bow Pose

And the Bridge Pose

- I stretch every day. The general person can get by doing it maybe 3 times a week, although I would say that you should do it every day that you work out! It is good for your muscles. And you have to stretch on a regular basis to maintain whatever flexibility you gain. There have been a few times where I did not stretch for 3-4 days or even a whole week, and you bet I lost some flexibility in just that short span of time! Just like any other aspect of fitness, good flexibility requires commitment.

One other thing that can affect stretching and flexibility is eating food high in potassium (my favorite being bananas). They will help prevent muscle cramping.

So... I think that about sums it up. Hope this answered some questions and won some people over to do stretching exercises!

♥ Bambi

Vamp

♥ Bambi

Some videos from before.

My camera records only 30 seconds at a time, so they are really short clips, and you can see me sort of rushing through the poses to try to fit them into the time frame.

These are from a while ago.

The first is of me doing a back-bend against the wall. By constricting myself against it, it will help make my bridge be "tighter" and more compact. And please ignore all my funky body spasms! LOL :/ Normally I am MUCH smoother in my transitions, but again, I tried to fit it all into 30 seconds.

This is of me doing a back-bend / bridge without the support of a wall. Obviously, it could be better. As my back flexibility increases, the better it should look.

♥ Bambi

Imagine waking up like tihs every morning ;)

♥ Bambi

Back-bend progress.

Hey everyone.

I am going to use this a photo blog as I progress along in gaining more flexibility. Strength training is not my primary fitness goal as it is with many of you, however, I am testing out some exercises to strengthen my core and back. It will be a little added diversity beyond just doing crunches and ball exercises.

Some background: Although I have been a "flexible" person for most of my life, I have actually started contortion training only just late last Fall (~6 months ago). It is a late start, (especially when you compare it to people who have been training since they were 6!!!) and the chances of getting to do this on stage is much slimmer... but you know what? I love it. I love reaping the benefits from the progress I have made, and I want to see how far I can push myself and excel in. But it really comes down to this: it is never too late to try something!

So... I feel I have made some good progress in the past month. The momentum has definitely picked up considerably compared to the slow start of the first few months! As of now, I can do a back bend / bridge, comfortably, from standing posture, although there is room for improvement to make it tighter and more graceful.

And now some stretching poses, with a few unflattering ones...

♥ Bambi

Hooker heels and some semblance of abs...

♥ Bambi

Self-Photography

♥ Bambi