A Fight To Remain Standing

The other day, I was stretching my hips by doing the Standing Figure 4. For some reason, I had a flashback from when we filmed that segment for the Intermediate Level and it made me laugh.

Why?

Even if you've done that particular workout, you may not have noticed... Despite the smile on my face, I was fighting REALLY hard to maintain form while in my head, I was pleading, "Please don't fall, please don't fall!" All I could think about was me toppling over mid-stretch like a tower of Jenga and the director yelling, "CUT!" It would have been an embarrassing blow to my ego, for sure.

So you can see the extent to which I'm wobbling, I included the footage. I isolated it and zoomed in so that I am the only person in the frame and then sped up it x2. The results are HILARIOUS! 😂

What I didn't realize until after watching this clip, is how the tiny muscles around my ankle were working hard to stabilize. They were on fire, twitching and percolating underneath my skin. There I was, stretching my hips and glutes, as that was the intent of this exercise, and unbeknownst to me I was also STRENGTHENING "minor" muscles that were weak and would otherwise go unattended. It truly was a case of:

Lastics = Stretch + Strength

If you need to work your way up to the Standing Figure 4, that's totally ok. You can do so by holding onto something for balance. I often use the kitchen counter while I'm waiting for some food to cook/heat up/steam (I like to multitask) but a wall or chair works fine too. As you feel your balance improving and muscles strengthening, try the Figure 4 without any aid and slowly lower yourself into the stretch. Keep the counter, wall or chair nearby should you need to use it. Don't forget to stretch out both sides!

Finally, it's common to have a dominant leg so the Standing Figure 4 on one side, may look and feel completely different than the other. If you watch and stretch along with us in the Intermediate Lower Body video, you'll see that's absolutely the case for me!

Drop a comment below to share your experiences with the Standing Figure 4 or any of our other Lastics stretches. 😄

Learn more about Intermediate Lastics.