As part of our yoga series, we present you with yoga exercises at regular intervals that are tailored to the needs of climbers. The exercises will be presented by Bächli Bergsport and Petra Zink. In today's issue, Petra shows you how you stretches your hip flexors with the lunge.
A large number of muscles pull over the hip joint, the excessive tension of which can cause blockages and restricted movement in the pelvis, lower back and leg area. Because the hip area is where our elimination and sex organs are located, there is a lot of inherent tension in this area. In addition, the amount of time that we spend in the actually unnatural sitting position is not intended for our body.
The following exercise stretches the relevant muscles and gives the hip joints a deep massage. And when the hip joint is free to move, it is also possible to climb high and far out.
Information on the lunge exercise
This pose stretches the hip flexors. The variant lunge with side opening (below) is a particularly deep hip opener.
- Starting position: four-legged
- If necessary, place a blanket under the back knee.
- Raise your torso as you inhale.
- Raise your arms on an inhale.
- At the end, on the exhale, bring your arms down and push your leg back into the quadruped.
- Duration: 5-7 breaths per position and leg.
- End position: child posture
- Caution: For acute complaints in the hip and knee joints as well as in the lower back.
Starting position: quadruped
1st position
2st position
3st position
Final position
Variant: lunge with side opening
This variant is a particularly deep hip opener.
- Starting position: lunge position 1
- Make a fist with your supported hand if necessary.
- At the end, on an exhale, bring the arm down and push the leg back into the quadruped.
- Duration: 7-10 breaths per side.
- Final position: child's pose
Starting position
1st position
End position
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.
That might interest you
- This is Jakob Schubert's training wall in the garden
- The ultimate hands-on upper body workout
- Fascia training for regeneration after climbing
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