Your Training from September & Tips for Splits Training
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Schedule as of September
What exactly is changing?
Marie: After working with us for a long time, Marie is unfortunately leaving our team in September. We are very sad about this, but unfortunately she is heavily involved in her full-time job, which made it difficult for her to manage training on Fridays. We would like to thank Marie for the great time we had together and hope that she will at least occasionally make it to our classes!
Monday: remains as before.
Tuesday: First things first: Anton has been highly appreciated by you as a trainer for handstands and acrobatics. Due to his job as an artist, however, a fixed class is only possible for him on Tuesdays. Therefore, from now on there will be a combined handstand and acrobatics class on Tuesdays. Rosa is taking over Stretching Intensive Back, Aerial Hoop Beginner with Janett stays and Full Body unfortunately has to move to Fridays.
Wednesday: Contortion Advanced with Nicole remains, then Aerial Hammock swaps places with Hoop and now takes place on Wednesdays. Tasnim will replace Aerial Hammock for Olena until the end of the year.
Thursday: Sherry takes over another Splits class on Thursday and afterwards you can train Aerial Hoop Advanced with Olena (instead of Wednesday). This gives you a day off if you want to take both hoop classes during the week.
Friday: Contortion Beginner with Rosa stays, Marie's Stretching Intensive Splits class is cancelled, but after Contortion you can do something good for your body with Full Body Stretching with Rosa.
Hip flexor muscles - pain and stiffness despite training?
Do you regularly train your hip flexor flexibility or splits, but your hips still feel stiff or painful? The problem may lie not only in the muscles, but also in the femoral nerve.
The femoral nerve originates from the lumbar vertebrae L2 to L4 in the lower back and extends over the groin region to the thigh. It is responsible for the mobility and sensitivity of the hip and thigh muscles. These muscles are stretched considerably during splits training. In rare cases, the nerve can be overstimulated or impaired, which can lead to persistent discomfort.
Factors that can affect the nerve:
Overstretching: stretching that is too intense can overstimulate or pinch the femoral nerve, especially if there is no sufficient warm up beforehand.
Uneven strain: Uneven stretching of the muscles or incorrect technique can increase the pressure on the nerve.
Pre-existing problems: If you already have problems such as shortened hip muscles or lower back pain, you are more prone to nerve irritation.
Forced splits without proper preparation can increase the risk of nerve strain.
What can you do if your hip flexor isn't playing along?
First of all, there is a test to find out whether the nerve is restricted:
Starting position: Kneel on the floor, one foot forward, tuck your pelvis (posterior pelvic tilt), engage the glutes and hold. Bring your chin to your chest and rounden your upper back.
Movement: Slowly push your hips forwards, making sure that your upper back remains round and your pelvis tucked. If you now feel an unpleasant pulling sensation in your hips/thighs, the nerve could be restricted.
Test: In this position, only lift your chin and make sure that your hips don't pull back. If the pulling sensation is now gone or significantly better, the test is positive and the nerve must be mobilised. If you don't feel any uncomfortable pull, the test is negative.
Important: Burning or numbness and tingling during stretching exercises always indicate problems with a nerve. In this case, the exercise should be stopped, coaches informed and a physiotherapist consulted if necessary.
Nerve flossing to mobilise the nerve:
Nerve flossing is a specific technique that can help you to relieve pressure on the femoral nerve. This involves gently mobilising the nerve with controlled movements to loosen adhesions and improve blood circulation.
Starting position: as in the test (see above)
Movement: Slowly push the hips forwards while lifting the chin (making sure the upper back remains round and the pelvis tucked) and push back to the starting position, bringing the chin towards the chest.
Repetitions: Repeat this movement 10-15 times to mobilise the nerve. Perform the test one more time. If the unpleasant pulling sensation is now significantly better or even gone, the exercise was successful and the nerve is mobilised!
These measures can also help:
Mindful training: Stretch slowly and in a controlled manner to protect your muscles and not overstimulate the nerve.
Sufficient warm up: Prepare your body for splits training with a good warm up.
Propper technique: Ensure proper execution to avoid unnecessary strain.
Strengthening the opposing muscles: Strong gluteal muscles and a strong back leg can reduce the pressure on the femoral nerve and improve your hip flexor flexibility at the same time.
Glute bridges to strengthen the opposing muscles:
Lie on your back and place your legs hip-width apart with your feet under your knees. Tuck you pelvis and press your heels into the floor until your hips are maximally raised and you can feel an intense contraction in your glutes. Then lower your hips back down while maintaining the contraction and repeat 10 times. Make sure that your knees remain hip-width apart when you push your hips upwards.
With these exercises, you can effectively train your hip flexors and at the same time ensure that the femoral nerve is not overloaded. Pay attention to your body and listen to its signals!
Tip: If you want to find out more about healthy stretching techniques and training methods, subscribe to our newsletter and book our classes.
IMA Photo Shoot on Sept. 29: 1 spot open!
Es ist kurzfristig wieder ein Platz für das Fotoshooting freigeworden! Und das Beste: Du kannst zusätzlich unseren Online Workshop Posen & Shapes mit Nicole buchen und 15 EUR sparen. Alle Infos zu Shooting und Workshop findest Du in unserem letzten Newsbeitrag here.
