u/Jealous_Contest_6306

Getting back into practice after taking a month off. My upper back and shoulders are naturally pretty stiff, so I use wall and doorframe stretches to open them up. For the doorframe stretch, I put my forearms against the frame with my elbows at shoulder height and step forward until my chest opens. For the wall stretch, I place my hands up high, step back, and press my chest toward the floor to stretch my upper back. I also do cat-cows to get my spine moving. Lately, I've been a bit confused because I read some yogis on Instagram saying that squeezing your glutes during a backbend isn't actually a good way to protect your lower back. I'd really appreciate it if anyone could break down how glute engagement actually works in backbends and what technique works best

Been too busy with college to train lately. Today was rough, but it feels good to be back. For my warm-up, I start with cat-cow. I get on all fours, round my back toward the ceiling, then lower my belly while looking up to loosen up my spine. After that, I do the doorframe shoulder stretch. I place my hands on the frame and lean my chest forward to stretch my shoulders and upper back. You can use a wall too, but I think a doorframe works better because it lets your chest go farther for a deeper stretch. Next, lie on your stomach and hook your legs under something heavy. Then lift your upper body off the floor without using your hands. It's basically a sit-up, but in reverse. Lastly, keep your glutes squeezed during backbends. It helps protect your lower back and keeps it from hurting.

One of my absolute best sessions. For my warmup, I start with cat cow by getting on all fours, arching my back up toward the ceiling, and then dropping my belly down while looking up to get the spine moving. Then I do the door frame shoulder trick where I put my hands on the frame and lean my chest forward to open up the upper back and shoulders. You can do this against a flat wall too, but I personally think it works way better if you rest your arms against something that lets your chest sink past it for a deeper stretch. Next up, lay on your stomach, anchor your legs against something heavy, and then bend up and lift your torso from the floor without using your arms. It is basically like doing sit-ups, but backwards. Finally, always squeeze your glutes so that your lower back will be protected and won't hurt.

Tried a freestanding backbend holding a 15 kg dumbbell today, and to be completely transparent, it was insanely heavy. Obviously 15 kg isn't a massive weight on its own, but it feels completely different when you are bent backwards like that. When I got to the bottom of the bend, the pressure made it super hard to take a full breath, and I could literally feel my face and lips swelling up from the sheer exertion. I didn't feel a single ounce of pain or pinching in my spine or lower back. Instead, all that load shifted straight to the front, and it felt like my abdomen wwas literally ripping apart under the stretch.

For my warm-up this time, I tried another trick for my shoulders by pulling out a drawer, putting my arms up on it, and pushing through to get a stretch. To fire up my back, I anchor my legs under something heavy and bend upward without using my arms, which is like a reverse sit-up. I also stretch my upper back by putting my arms overhead and pushing against a wall behind to force the bend there, which you have to do gently and slowly, especially if your upper back is highly inflexible like mine. Also, make sure you're not bloated when backbendinf because your stomach gets stretched to the absolute max under that weight, which ruins your breathimg and feels awful. And like I always say on my posts, always clench your glutes when bending backwards to protect your lower back.

P.S. Please don't try this unless you already have a really solid, establishrd backbend practice. Adding heavy weight to a movement like this without the proper foundation is an easy way to hurt yourself.

I'm trying to make a gentle-looking male sim right now and I feel like dimples would completely finish his look. I've looked at some mods online, but they all look a bit too weird.

I had her reference picture open on my phone the entire time. I don't know what happened. I think It’s the eyebrows? Emilia has those expressive, worried-looking brows and every time I try to recreate them in CAS, my Sim looks like she’s trying to do complex math in her head. She’s pretty, but she’s not entering the fire to hatch any dragons anytime soon.

Couldn't train for almost a month. I just got back to it today, and my flexibility has regressed a lot. This pose took me like an hour to warm up to and execute again. To anyone who is planning on attempting this pose, please warm up thoroughly! If your upper back and shoulders are highly inflexible like mine, try doing cat-cow stretches first. Another great drill is placing your hands on a door frame and pushing through to target the shoulders. If you already have enough foundational back flexibility and strength, try a manual activation drill: lie on your stomach, anchor your feet under something heavy, and bend your torso upward without using your hands (essentially a backward sit-up). This helps active-warm your back muscles. As I mentioned on my previous post, always remember to clench your glutes while engaging and entering your backbends. It stabilizes the lower body so your back doesn't take the brunt of the pressure and hurt as much.

I wanted to share a few more videos since the last one actually got some decent attention. I tried doing that weighted bench press version while bent in half, but honestly, I couldn't even breathe properly because the compression was so heavy, so I had to stop. Safety is definitely more important than a cool video, so if u cant breathe, u should probably back off lol. Since I live with my family and share a room, I can only really practice like this when everyones out of the house or if I lock the door for a bit. It makes it hard to stay consistent sometimes, but I make it work when I can. I always warm up for an entire hour before doing any of this because I really dont want anything to hurt. If u want to try getting deeper backbends, u should definitely spend a lot of time warming up your shoulders too. Most people just focus on the spine, but if ur shoulders are stiff, ur gonna get stuck. A big tip is to make sure ur clenching ur glutes while going into the bend and while ur in it. That technique really helps with avoiding lower back and tailbone pain. My teardrop is still just decent and not super deep yet, but I've been training for years to get to this point, so dont rush it. Just like I said in my last post u gotta keep ur legs active to support ur weight. The version where I'm pushing against the door is a great way to find extra depth but just be careful. Hope this helps anyone trying to get more flexible!

To anyone who plans on trying this pose, please warm up thoroughly before starting. While going into the bend and while holding it, make sure to clench your glutes, this is crucial for protecting your lower back. You should also engage your thighs and abdominals to maintain stability throughout the movement.

I have been training for flexibility since I was 7 years old. My current routine involves practicing backbends every day to maintain this level of extension. Daily practice, though I prioritize active recovery and rest days whenever I feel any lower back strain or discomfort. My routine focuses on a combination of deep passive stretching and active engagement. I use strength training, specifically upper-body dumbbell work, to provide the structural stability needed for deep spinal extension. I focus on bridge variations, wall-assisted stretches, and consistent core engagement to protect the spine while in deep bends.