In today's edition of Yoga for Climbers, Petra Zink shows you how you can build strength with the L-handstand and practice the handstand position in a controlled manner.
Movement processes in the body are always carried out by the cooperation of several muscles, the so-called muscle slings, executed. The functional unit of muscles that is used when climbing is called a pull loop. The opponents of these muscles work together in the compression sling, and they are activated during support training.
When climbing, frequent passive hanging in the overhangs can often lead to instability-related problems in the shoulder joint come. This relative weakness in the scapula stabilizing muscle groups and muscles of the rotator cuff you can do well by a support training equalize
L handstand
The wall L handstand is more strenuous than the regular handstand and is a good way to build strength and practice the handstand position in a controlled manner.
- Starting position: four-legged
- Before doing this, however, measure the length of your legs and place your palms approx. 1 leg length away from the wall. Walk up the wall with your legs from a quadruped position.
- At the end go back down the wall.
- Duration: 3-15 breaths.
- Final position: child's pose.
- Caution: For discomfort and tension in the neck area as well as for inflammation of the hand, elbow or shoulder joints.
Starting position: four-legged
L handstand
End position: child posture
Variant: L-dolphin
This variant protects the wrists and strengthens the shoulder muscles particularly strongly.
- Starting position: quadruped on forearms, but before that measure leg length: place the middle of the forearms approx. 1 leg length away from the wall
- Walk up the wall with your legs on all fours
- At the end go back down the wall.
- Duration: 3-10 breaths.
- End position: child posture
Variant L-Delfin
Book with yoga exercises for climbers
In the book “Yoga for climbers and mountaineers” introduces the yoga teacher, sports scientist and enthusiastic alpinist Petra Zink 54 selected yoga exercises that are dedicated to the stressed parts of the body of mountain athletes: wrists, shoulders, back, hips.
Readers from Germany and Austria can order the book here.
All articles in the yoga series
You can find all articles in the yoga series at the following link.
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About Petra Zink
Petra Zinc is a yoga teacher and sports scientist. She was a competitive athlete herself and has trained young athletes to Olympic champions. She is currently developing exercise and health concepts for tourism and business with a focus on yoga, health and mindfulness.
She lives out her great passion for the mountains with her husband in her adopted home of Carinthia and on trips through Europe and North America. The combination of yoga and mountain sports has increasingly developed into an attitude to life, she passes on her enthusiasm and knowledge in numerous workshops and yoga retreats (www.petrazinc.com).
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Credits: Cover picture Stefan Koechel