Stretch Like A Gymnast

Stretch Like A Gymnast is perfect for: • Gymnasts • Dancers • Cheerleaders • Retired Athletes • Aerial & Circus Artists • Acrobats & Yogis • Handstand Enthusiasts • Calisthenics Athletes • Stunt Performers • Martial Artists • Personal Trainers • Coaches … and any athlete who needs flexibility to increase their performance or quality of life. You can pass on this course if you are: • Hypermobile • A Contortionist • A Rhythmic Gymnast • Pregnant • Experiencing a spinal injury • Experiencing a hip injury

WARM UP: Use this time to stretch your muscles, warm up your body, and mentally prepare to face new challenges. With Andrea’s artistic gymnastics background and Meghan’s rhythmic gymnast background, you will find yourself performing a diverse range of exercises that will fully prepare you for what’s to come. FRONT SPLITS: The goal of this module is to increase flexibility in your hamstrings, hip flexors, quads & glutes. Exercises in this module include kicks, lunges & pike stretches. If you wish to challenge yourself further, advanced oversplit variations are included as well. MIDDLE SPLITS: The goal of this module is to increase flexibility in your hip flexors, adductors, abductors, hamstrings & glutes. Exercises in this module include circles, kicks & straddle stretches. If you wish to challenge yourself further, advanced oversplit variations are also included. BACKBENDS & MORE: With Andrea, you will go through wrist, neck, & shoulder stretches as well as progressions that will prepare you for scorpions. With Meghan, you will learn stretches for your back & hips, as well as stretches that will prepare you for backbends and chest stands. Please note that some exercises in this module will require you to already have your splits. PARTNER STRETCHES: Grab a partner and join Meghan and Andrea as they demonstrate different ways you can stretch with a buddy. The goal of this module is to increase your own flexibility using methods you would not be able to do on your own as well as provide fun ways to stay accountable to your stretching routine.

First and foremost, you’ll need your body! If you want to take your stretching to the next level, I would recommend using a yoga strap and yoga blocks for depth, assistance, and efficiency. If you don’t have mats or carpet, blankets and pillows will make stretching more comfortable.

Flexibility is measured in millimeters and improves with consistency. The more often you stretch, even for a short amount of time, the more you will see improvements. If you stretch hardcore for 2 weeks and stop for 3 months, you will have difficulty noticing progress. Consistency is key. I recommend setting a daily reminder to stretch and scheduling 10-30 minutes for movement. Stretching can be done first thing in the morning, after a warm shower, before or after a workout, or at the end of the day.