Exercises with a gymnastic stick for posture and spine

A little about the gymnastic stick

A gymnastic stick is the simplest sports equipment that allows you to correct a crooked spine, strengthen your lower back and perform complex gymnastic elements. It should be used in training during classes:

1. Pilates.
2. Gymnastics.

Pilates is a system of exercises that allows you to get muscular joy. It should not be confused with ordinary muscle tension in bodybuilding. Have you ever felt a pleasant sensation throughout your body after doing physical exercise? This is exactly the effect Pilates gives. To perform some exercises in Pilates, you need a gymnastic stick.

Some elements in gymnastics require increased flexibility and mobility of your shoulder joint. This can be achieved using a gymnastic stick. Therefore, if you decide to take up gymnastics, you first need to purchase it.

Its cost usually does not exceed 300 rubles. If you buy a complete set, which includes a rubber band and a massage surface, then its price will not exceed 1 thousand rubles. You can buy it at any sports store. The material of the product will not affect the quality of your training in any way, so you can save money on it.

The length of such sticks varies from 70 to 120 centimeters. You can buy a stick of any length to suit your taste. However, it is better to purchase a projectile with the maximum length. Because thanks to this, you will have access to many more exercises.

How to prevent osteochondrosis

Office employees, students, drivers and anyone who spends most of their time sitting are susceptible to osteochondrosis. Everyone can protect themselves from the disease if they regularly carry out preventive exercises. They will not amount to any complexity or special skills.

The most effective exercise is to periodically hang on the bar. Then the distance between the vertebrae will expand, which will prevent the appearance of osteochondrosis.

Another preventive exercise is stretching your back. It’s easy to do – just make stretching movements as you would after waking up. If you follow all the doctor’s recommendations, as well as with regular exercise therapy, you can get rid of osteochondrosis forever.

What exercises are needed for poor posture?

Is it possible to hang on a horizontal bar if you have scoliosis?

What exercises for pregnant women use for the back?

The best exercises with a gymnastic stick

The main advantage of training with a stick is that it is almost impossible to get injured. To do this you need to try very hard. We can say that when working with body steam, you perform warm-up exercises of increased complexity. Accordingly, there is no need to warm up before such a workout.

Moreover, such training is available to people of any gender and age. So your problems with the spine and excess weight are completely solvable.

The most effective exercises with a gymnastic stick:

1. Body twists are the simplest but most beneficial movement for the spine. Place the body pair on your shoulders and grab it with your hands. Straighten your back and place your feet shoulder-width apart. Rotate your body as much as possible. Don't forget to breathe properly.
2. Bringing a stick behind your back is an exercise that gymnasts often perform. You need to take the body pair with a wide grip, lift it above your head and begin to lower it back. At the lowest point, your hands with the stick should be behind your back at the level of your buttocks. This movement is excellent for developing the elasticity of your shoulder joint.
3. Ab crunches are performed in the same way as usual. Only here you must put the stick on your shoulders and grab it with your hands. This allows you to exclude all muscles from work except the abdominals. This exercise is not recommended for beginners. However, for people with a high level of physical fitness, it is very effective.
4. Squats and lunges with the body pair raised up. When your arms are raised and you are holding a body pair in them, your back automatically becomes straight. This means that the technique of doing squats and lunges becomes ideal, and most importantly, does not harm your spine.
5. Bend forward, hands with a stick below. In the starting position, your hands should be behind your back and hold the body pair. Your task is to lean forward and stretch your arms up as much as possible. This allows you to develop flexibility in your back and lumbar joint.
6. Press up - here we need a rubber band, which can be purchased complete with a body steamer. You tie it to a body pair. After which, you stand on it and take the stick in your hands. In the starting position, you hold it at chest level. Your task is to squeeze it up like a barbell. This exercise will increase your muscle strength and reduce the risk of shoulder injury if you are involved in bodybuilding.
7. Raising the stick forward is also performed with a rubber band. The difference from the previous exercise here is that at the bottom point you hold the body pair at hip level. And at the top point you should lift them so that they are parallel to the floor. An excellent exercise for the muscles of the arms and shoulders.
8. Side bends are a very simple, but at the same time effective exercise. It perfectly accelerates blood in the lumbar and pelvic areas. Your task is to hold the body pair at the top with straight arms, and bend to the sides as low as possible. Mentally, you should strive to reach the end of the stick to the floor. This is almost impossible, but you should think about it to maximize the flexibility of your lower back and obliques.
9. Hyperextensions - here you will need the help of another person. Your task is to lie on a bed or other support so that your body is under load and your legs are supported. Your companion should hold your feet. And you must bend forward and then rise. This exercise perfectly develops the lower back muscles. Doctors recommend performing it for people who have problems with the spine. When performing this exercise with a stick on the shoulders, all muscles will be isolated, and the movement will be carried out only due to the efforts of the lumbar muscles.
10. Shoulder rotations - take the body pair in your hands. At the lowest point, it should be at the level of your stomach, and your arms should be bent at the elbow joint at an angle of 90 degrees. Your task is to raise your hands. At the top, your forearms should be parallel to the floor. This exercise develops the rotator cuff, the most traumatic part of the shoulder joint. The average weight of a body pair is 1 kilogram, which is enough to perform this exercise.

Naturally, these are not all the exercises that can be performed with a stick. But they are the most effective. If these are not enough for you, watch a video on the Internet, where a professional will tell you about other exercises and the nuances of performing them.

Exercises while sitting and lying down

Such exercises are well suited for strengthening the muscles of the lumbar spine, abs, hips and buttocks. At the same time, it is possible to achieve improved blood circulation in this area and prevent diseases of internal organs.

1. Bend forward. We sit on the floor, with our feet shoulder-width apart. We place the projectile on our shoulders and smoothly bend forward. The exercise can be made more difficult by raising the stick above your head or fixing it between your bent elbows. We do 2 sets of 10–15 times.
2. Bends with a stick. We sit down with straight legs brought together, the stick rises above our head. We lean forward so that the projectile touches the feet. The position is held for 3–5 seconds. 1-2 sets of 15-20 times.
3. Lifting the body. We lie on our stomachs, the stick is placed on the thighs under the buttocks. From this position, you need to lift the front of your body as high as possible, moving your arms back. We hold the pose for a few seconds and lower ourselves. At least 10–12 times per approach.
4. A similar exercise, but the projectile is held with outstretched arms in front of you, then pulled back to the shoulders.
5. Boat. In the prone position, the apparatus is placed on the front of the feet. It is necessary to bend upward as much as possible, lifting the front of the body and legs off the floor. We stay in this position for 3-5 seconds and lower ourselves. 10–12 times per approach is enough.
6. Twisting. Starting position: lying on your back with your knees bent. The projectile is held in front of the chest in outstretched arms. Without changing the position of the limbs, abdominal crunches are performed. At the same time, we pull our shoulders and arms up. 2 sets of 15–20 reps.
7. Birch. We lie down on the floor, holding the projectile with a wide grip in outstretched arms. We pull our legs bent at the knees to the chest, and place the stick under the buttocks. Gradually straighten your legs and body upward, while your hands remain on the floor and hold the projectile. We stand in the birch tree for at least 30 seconds.
8. Plow. A similar exercise, but the legs are pulled back and held in weight or touch the floor behind the head. Hold the pose for 20–30 seconds. Inverted poses have contraindications: the first 3 days of the female cycle, spinal hernia, traumatic brain injury.

The first results of such exercises can be seen within a few weeks. The muscles will strengthen and will easily hold the spine in the anatomically correct position.

In addition, therapeutic exercise with a stick will serve as an excellent prevention of various diseases and will help you lose extra pounds.

Additional Tips

The recommended grip width is wider than shoulder width. However, the individual characteristics of the body and the person’s age should be taken into account. If you are more comfortable doing medium, go ahead!

It is worth performing exercises with a body pair for 4 or 8 counts. Remember how you did warm-up exercises in physical education classes at school. Do them with the same rhythm.

If you are just starting to exercise, you should warm up well. For example, run a few laps around the yard at an easy pace. After a few weeks of training, when your body gets used to constant stress, you won’t need to warm up.

Muscle pain after the first workouts is a good sign. Don't be afraid of this, on the contrary, rejoice!

Don't make sudden movements. Most exercises with a stick are aimed at developing flexibility. If you overdo it, you can get injured.

Start your first workout with 10 repetitions of each exercise. In each subsequent workout, increase the number of times. After a few weeks of training, the number of repetitions will not matter. Do as much as you can. The main thing is that you feel muscle joy.

It is recommended to practice body steam an hour after meals, and at least an hour before bedtime. Otherwise, it may lead you to problems with digestion and sleep. The best time for such activities is morning. Make pole training your morning habit, and you won’t notice how easy it is to wake up and feel energized throughout the day.

Training with a stick will not take you much time. If you are in doubt whether to buy a body pair or not, then buy it! You will spend only 300 rubles , and in return you will get a healthy spine and a flat stomach, spending only 20-30 minutes every day.

Preparation for classes

Selecting equipment for therapeutic exercises is not difficult. Typically, exercises to correct posture are performed using a 120–130 cm long stick made of wood or plastic. Such shells can be bought at any sports store. In extreme cases, you can resort to improvised means (for example, a mop handle will do).

It is best to do gymnastics outdoors: in a park or on a sports ground. During the cold season, a gym is a good option. If you have enough free space, training can be done at home.

The ideal time to practice is morning. Exercises with a posture stick can be performed during the day, but not on a full stomach. After eating, at least 1.5–2 hours should pass. If there is no time at all during daylight hours, gymnastics is done in the evening, but no less than 2 hours before going to bed.

Before performing the main complex, you need to warm up properly. It is recommended to start with a light jog, jumping in place or skipping rope. Stretching exercises for all muscle groups and joints are performed. Breathing practices are very useful.

Before correcting your posture using stick exercises, you should consult your doctor. This type of gymnastics has contraindications.

If you have injuries, diseases of the musculoskeletal system, or pathologies of internal organs, it is better to perform classes under the supervision of a qualified instructor.

Description of the problem

1. The disease begins with dehydration of the nuclei of the intervertebral discs; as a result, the nuclei become flattened, the vertebrae move closer together, and the spinal column itself “settles.”
2. At the next stage of the disease, spondylolisthesis occurs - displacement of the cervical vertebrae, ligaments and muscles change their position. Neck mobility is limited and pain appears.
3. The third stage of cervical osteochondrosis is characterized by the appearance of intervertebral protrusions (hernias) and the occurrence of arthrosis.
4. At the fourth stage of cervical osteochondrosis, osteophytes appear - bone growths, with the help of which the body tries to compensate for the lost support function. The spine is practically immobilized.

When can it be used?

The doctor prescribes exercise therapy for spinal osteochondrosis, taking into account the individual data about the patient’s disease. You can perform exercises only in the remission stage, that is, when there are no symptoms. Before starting, you need to measure your blood pressure and pulse, especially in elderly patients. If the indicators deviate from the norm, you should not engage in exercise therapy.

Indications

Exercise therapy is prescribed as therapy and for the prevention of disease in patients:

• Suffering from osteochondrosis of the thoracic, lumbosacral and cervical spine.
• Elderly people.
• Those with spinal injuries.
• Working at a computer.
• People with weakness of muscles and ligaments.
• Having flat feet.

Contraindications

You cannot engage in exercise therapy for certain diseases, so as not to cause deterioration of the patient’s condition and complications. Such diseases include:

1. Malignant tumors and metastases.
2. Hypertension.
3. Thrombosis.
4. Increase in ESR.
5. Heat.
6. Bronchopulmonary diseases.
7. Threat of bleeding (internal or external).

Some patients may exercise with limited exercise . These are people suffering from diseases such as:

• Mental disorders.
• Physical disability.
• Lesions leading to deformation of bone tissue.
• Aortic aneurysm.

Pregnant women can perform physical therapy exercises depending on the duration of pregnancy, the characteristics of its course and the patient’s well-being.

You cannot engage in physical therapy if there is a threat of miscarriage, placenta previa or fetal growth retardation. In case of polyhydramnios and severe toxicosis, you should also refrain from doing exercises.

Why gymnastics is needed for older people

Only at first glance it seems that training in old age does not produce any special effects. But actually it is not. The practice of kinesiotherapists proves the opposite.

Experts who use preventive exercises show with their results that gymnastics sometimes brings more pronounced results than even drug therapy. But such results are possible only if the training rules are followed and there are no contraindications.

You can easily do without gymnastics at an advanced age, but this will negatively affect the quality of life. Exercise is necessary for those who want to continue to lead an active lifestyle, not suffer from pain, move freely and have a high level of quality of life. The sooner the training starts, the faster the effect will be achieved.