This is not our sought after position, however it is useful as a point of comparison while you are learning the position to come. Now, keeping your chest and quads on the floor, arch your lower back so that your glutes only rise into the air. To gain a feel for rolling the hips under, first lie prone (stomach down) upon the floor.
This is much more challenging that it would appear at first glance as it is quite possible to keep the abs flat and tight and fail to roll the hips under. Even those who swear that they have been extremely conscientious in maintaining their form will find this variation substantially more challenging.ĭo not allow the lower back to arch at any time during any of the body lever variations. Elevating the shoulders removes the possibility of unconsciously rolling your support point down to the mid-back and greatly lessening the effectiveness of this movement. Maintaining a completely straight body, lower the body until it is horizontal to the floor, pause and then pull back to a candlestick. Be sure that the elevated surface that you are working on is stable. With this variation, do not lower further than you can keep a completely extended body with the mid-back clear of the floor.Ħ) Elevate the shoulders up onto a mat or bench and then pull yourself up into a candlestick.
You should remain firmly planted on the back of your shoulders, with your mid-back clear of the floor and your back straight at all times.ĥ) Pike up into a candlestick, lower with a straight body to approximately 90 degrees and then pull back to the candlestick all without allowing your lower back to arch or your upper back to curl whatsoever. During this variation, be careful to not allow the your support position to "roll" down your back this will greatly reduce the intensity of this movement. Once you have an adequate candlestick, the following progression will help you to move onward and develop a body lever.ġ) Tuck up into a candlestick and tuck back down to supine.Ģ) Pike up into a candlestick and pike back down to supine.ģ) Pike up into a candlestick and, now with a straight body, perform a slow negative down to a supine position.Ĥ) Pike up into a candlestick and, with a straight body, lower to 45 degrees and then pull back up to the candle stand. Ideally a candlestick should be completely vertical, however this may not initially be attainable depending on the flexibility of your neck and upper traps.Īs a side note, candlesticks are also very good for alleviating shoulder/neck tension brought about by too much desk work. This will require you to tuck your chin strongly into your chest. Now keeping your weight firmly upon the back of your shoulders, pull your body up overhead into an inverted position. Experiment to find the degree of elbow bend that you find the most comfortable. For your grip, you may interlace your fingers or place one hand above the other. Be cautious here and make sure that you use something that will not fall over or slide in the middle of a repetition. To perform a candlestick, lay down upon your back (supine) while anchoring your hands overhead to something strong and immobile such as parallel bars or a smith machine or a power rack etc. It is worth the effort however, as this movement develops a unified core strength that is broadly applicable across a wide range of athletic endeavors.įor many of you, it will be necessary to learn a new gymnastics position, the candlestick, in order to perform body levers. It is always surprises me how many athletes with very strong abs and very strong lower backs, when they are able to work those areas independently, struggle to correctly execute this exercise. I find them especially useful for integrating abdominal work and lower back work within a single exercise. Body levers are one of my favorite core strength movements.
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