Sebastian Brosche · Strength · 6 min
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Strengthen your back and improve flexibility with this 5-minute yoga flow designed for BJJ athletes. Lunge, twist & stretch.
focusing on the spine, a bit of a lat stretch and some strengthening on the spine. Starting on your hands and knees, cat cow. Arch the spine towards the ground and round to the ceiling attempting to move the entire spine. Middle back, upper back and lower back.
And now move into side stretches. Right side stretch, left side stretch. Checking in, noticing how that feels. Come to center, place the right hand in front of the left, any amount, but you want it way above the left.
Lower the right shoulder down towards the right ground. And you'll feel that stretch through the lat, through the armpit and all of that is connected, right? All the back muscles are connected to the spine and this is just a really nice release. Come to center, other side, so left hand above the right, lower down.
You'll begin to see patterns of what we do. So what I mean by this is step the right foot to the outside of the right hand, lizard lunge. So we've done lizard lunge, we do it quite often but it's such an effective one and it's like eating broccoli, you need to eat broccoli during the day or you're at vegetables, you need to brush your teeth and we need to do some of these stretches to reverse what we do in jiu-jitsu or to balance it. So lower the left knee down, coming up for your low lunge, pushing the back hip forward.
We need to release the front of the hips so we can get into the spine, do a bit of spine work. We need to release the front of the hips. Because the front of the hips are tight that will actually pull the pelvis out of alignment and that affects the lower back which goes up the chain of the entire back. Hands and knees, other side, left foot to the outside of the left hand, down for your lizard lunge.
I like to know why. When I do something I like to know why and then it makes sense that's why I take a minute to explain to you guys why. Knowing I'm not just throwing a bunch of random stuff together it's like no there is a purpose for this coming up for your low lunge. Push the back hips forward.
You know knowing that this can be enjoyable doesn't have to be like work so much of life is work so you might start it and be like oh this is this is really enjoyable these five minutes. Okay hands and knees all the way down to your belly moving into your locust. So hands beside the hips palms down lifting the legs lifting the hands feel the engagement upper back middle back lower back release hands under the shoulders zip up the legs together engage the quads using only the arms to pull your torso up and forward cobra release and turtle. So that's incredibly important strengthening of the spine and the turtle is a rest in between.
So we go through the locust and then the cobra. Locust targets entire back, cobra is especially that upper back between the shoulder blades and it might feel it might take a while to activate that you might not feel it right away and that's okay. Shoulder blades that's thoracic spine where a lot of people are dead in there. It takes a while to activate it.
To your belly find your locust shoulder blades towards the spine and down upper back middle back lower back release hands under the shoulders zip up the legs cobra release turtle hips to heels move through this one more time. Belly to the ground locust notice that engagement in the back and don't net crank yourself don't be looking forward look anywhere on the ground our focus is the back zip up the legs hands under the shoulders cobra release turtle and this is a nice way to practice turtle hips to heels more you practice this the lower the hips can get the hardest for people to get their hooks in which is what we want. And there we are so stay in turtle if you like or if that's enough that's enough. Awesome good work we'll see you next class.
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