Rissa Flexes

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Contortionist in the wild 🥨

Photo by: Tsogtbayar Namsrai
Edits by: .lin

Tried so hard to find a before pic of my middle splits. Top is around when I first started pole and wasn’t super focused on training flexibility. I hated middle splits until a few months ago. That’s 4-5 years of not enjoying middle splits and dreading them, feeling like my hips were going to break, straining my hamstring or feeling it in the backs of my knees, etc. I spent my 1-1.5 years being pushed into my pancake and sometimes middle splits which did not help either. Nowadays if I am pushed during a session with Serchmaa, I am way more in control and engaged instead of trying to relax. But I don’t really like being pushed in my stretches in general.

Some people ask me if middle splits ever get better. In my experience, yes, they can get better. How long will it take? Some people feel better in months and maybe it’ll take years like it took me. It might take even longer.

🙃

Hello upper back 🙋🏻‍♀️

Even though my shoulders have never been tighter than they are now, you can’t really tell right?

I love/hate this one. So tiring and low key scary but helps me access my cervical spine.

And that’s a wrap! Thank you so much Serchmaa for a wonderful intensive. I learned a lot this week and loved getting all the spots that made me look like I can do my contortion push-ups 😅 and the biggest win was today when I held my freestanding handstand on that ledge ❤️ Excited to build my act with you.

📸:

April 2021 vs June 2022

And ➡️ for April 2018. A little for ya 🙃

I decided to revisit this the other day because I found that I could do the chair wild thing stretch so much easier and my narrow bridge is also taking less time to get into. So happy to see the difference that developed in the last year. For those of you who are thinking “they look the same 🤔”, here are the changes!

👍🏼tighter curl
👍🏼hands can walk down the chair now instead of on the wall
👍🏼more hip extension (knee is on the edge of the chair instead of at the back)
👍🏼on my tiptoes = 10x more balance control

My right side is still lagging behind my left, but I’m glad it is still progressing.

I only have a picture from 2018 and you can’t even see the details clearly, but I remember them very well. I couldn’t arch my back by myself so I walked my hands down the wall bars. I was precariously balanced and needed someone to help me get into position. My leg is also straight so I could hook my foot under the bar. No upper back at all because I have naturally “open” shoulders so I can guarantee that my shoulders were taking the brunt of it, armpits were being stretched at full force, and I was probably experiencing some finger tingles.

There’s a reason why a lot of my older “super bendy” or “progress” photos don’t come with videos. they were more of a one and done kind of thing. But it’s okay! I can confidently do them now without anyone spotting me 💪🏼

Just splitty things 😌

Never thought middle splits would ever feel good enough for me to do a backbend in them.