How to do the swallow exercise to develop flexibility and balance

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Simple movement for injury prevention in sports and everyday life.

Exercise "swallow", or horizontal balance, is a posture in which a person stands on one leg, straightens the other and lifts it back to failure, tilts the body and spreads his arms to the sides.

This position does not look difficult, but in order to correctly perform it and hold it for more than a couple of seconds, it may take more than one week. At the same time, the "swallow" develops different aspects of physical fitness, and if you decide to master this pose, you will receive many benefits.

What are the advantages of the "swallow" exercise

• Develops balance. Maintaining a one-legged posture teaches the body to stabilize and maintain balance in difficult conditions. In the long term, this protects against injury both in sports and in everyday life.
• Strengthens muscles. During the execution of the "swallow", the muscles of the foot, lower leg and front of the thigh, buttocks and extensors of the back, and the muscles of the core work.
• Improves flexibility. The exercise gently stretches the muscles on the back of the thigh and develops upper back mobility.
• Eases back pain. Strengthening the glutes, core and lower back muscles helps to improve posture and biomechanics of movement, which positively affects the health of the spine.
• Corrects imbalances. In exercises on both legs, one limb can take up most of the load, while in movements on one side, both will receive the same amount of work. In the long term, this helps to deal with imbalances.

How to do the swallow exercise correctly

This exercise does not require special training and leading movements. The only thing - at first, perform the pose next to a wall or chair to adhere to when you lose your balance.

• Bring your legs together, raise your arms to the sides to shoulder level. Take one leg back and place it on your toe.
• Feel how the weight is evenly distributed over the foot of the supporting limb. Straighten both knees, tighten your hips, glutes and abs, straighten your chest and lower your shoulders.
• Raise your standing leg behind and at the same time bend in the lower back to parallel with the floor. Ideally, the free leg should be at least horizontal, but if you are still lacking in stretch, try to reach the highest possible height.
• Pull your chest forward and upward, keeping your neck straight and your shoulders straight.
• Do not bend your knees, make sure that your pelvis and shoulders do not turn to the side.
• Hold the pose for as long as necessary, and then at the same time lower your leg to your toes and straighten your body.
• Repeat on the other leg.

What mistakes should be avoided

1. Don't slouch. Straighten your chest and bring your shoulders back and down. Looking forward will help to avoid lowering the chest.

2. Do not bend your knees - this will break the posture and prevent you from stretching the back of your thighs well.

3. Do not turn your pelvis to the side. Keep your hips and shoulders straight, even if you have to lower your leg lower.

How often and for how long do you need to do the swallow exercise?

You can use this movement every day - for example, as part of an exercise routine or as one of the pre-workout warm-up exercises.

Hold the position for 10-15 seconds or five breathing cycles, do 2-4 times on each leg. Over time, when the body learns to maintain balance, and the muscles of the legs stop burning, you can increase the time to 30 seconds or add more complex variations.

How to complicate the "swallow" exercise

If you can easily hold the swallow for 30 seconds and do not make technical mistakes, try the following options.

With closed eyes

Even if you are confidently standing on one leg, the lack of visual information will make you stagger. Try to focus on how your foot is feeling: imagine three points along the edges of the pad and heel, and keep your attention on this triangle.

On an unstable footing

You can try the BOSU balance board or platform. Just be sure to stick to something to avoid injury in the event of a fall.

On a limited support

Performing on a narrow support such as a gymnastic bench, curb or log is in fact no more difficult than "swallow" on the floor, but at first you will be uncomfortable due to the visual component.

Raise your legs forward

This is a combination of "swallow" with an additional movement - keeping the leg in front. This combination of exercises will challenge your sense of balance and load more muscles.

Stand straight, spread your arms to the sides and lift your straight leg forward to the maximum possible height. Hold this pose for a few seconds, and then move this limb back into the "swallow". Fix the position again for a while, move your leg forward, wait a little and lower it.

Make five of these ties on each side. Alternate your legs every other time.

Squat

Stand in a swallow, and then bend your supporting leg and do a quarter squat. Try to turn the support knee slightly outward. As you exit the squat, try to raise your free leg higher. Fix the "swallow" for 2-3 seconds and repeat the exercise. Make 5-10 of these ligaments with a pause in the "swallow" for each leg.