Some Yoga poses (asanas) that can help you improve your mobility, work the deepest layer of your abdominal muscles, and complement your bodybuilding posing routine:
Upward-Facing Dog Pose (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana) is a versatile backbend pose that can help you improve the Back Pose in some female divisions such as Bikini and Wellness. When you do this pose, engage your shoulder blades on your back to target your traps.
Tabletop Pose (Bharmanasana) with a couple of sets of Nauli Kriya breathing (abs “vacuum”) — which I’m still learning — to target the transversus abdominis (TrA).
Once you’re ready to come out of the pose, you can extend your legs to shift the tension from your knees and stretch the hamstring muscles.
If you are menstruating or less than three months post-delivery, it's best to skip this breathwork due to possible abdominal strain.
Head-to-Knee Pose (Janu Sirsana)
This pose helps stretch the hamstrings + glutes, as well as improves the body’s range of motion, primarily in the hips, shoulders, and knees.
Wild Thing Pose (Camatkarasana)
This pose is wildly invigorating!
It is essentially an arcing Side Plank variation with a more open chest and shoulders. This pose can make a good drill to practice expanding your rib cage and expelling air out of your lungs, which helps you to nail poses such as Front Lat Spread Pose and Side Chest Pose.
Triangle Pose (Trikonasana) can make a good exercise to twist your torso and achieve the v-taper look.
Images by MGMedia
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