In yoga, this pose is a symbol of spiritual freedom, independence from the limitations of the mind and the lightness of the body in space. In gymnastics, acrobatics and many martial arts, this is the standard position, without which no, even the simplest workout is unthinkable. This article will describe in detail the benefits and dangers of twine, as well as provide answers to many questions of concern to beginner athletes related to this pose.
Types of Twine
When friends learn that a person is engaged in gymnastics, yoga or martial arts, the first thing they ask right away is: "Can you do twine?" For some unspoken reason, this pose is considered the standard of flexibility, although in fact it is not very difficult for the body. Twine has two options:
- Transverse. When the legs are bent to the side, forming an angle of 180 degrees, that is, one straight line. In yoga, this position is called Samakonasana, and in society it is considered the limit of a person’s dreams of a flexible body. A vivid example of this is the famous stretch of Jean-Claude Van Damme, which he demonstrates in almost every film.
- Longitudinal. One leg extends forward and the other back, forming a straight line. In this position, it is important to keep the pelvis in the closed position without distorting it, which is a gross mistake in this position. Hanumanasana - as this posture is called in yoga, considering it very important for health. It is divided into two subspecies: right and left, with the leading foot in front, respectively.
There is also the concept of "beyond" or royal twine, when the position of the legs exceeds the standard 180 degrees. The exercise is performed in a deep sag on blocks, chairs, as well as in a jump, standing and even in a handstand. The Internet is replete with photographs of this kind, encouraging many people to try to repeat the same thing, which sometimes ends in failure.
Is twine good for the common man?
Anyone who is closely acquainted with attempts to sit in this position, performing all kinds of leading stretching exercises, sooner or later wonders what the benefits of twine are. After all, his achievement is associated with pain from stretched muscles, tendons, pressure in the hip joints and aching lower back. Perhaps this situation is beautiful in appearance, but dangerous to health?
In fact, how one reaches a strong stretch of the body in big sport borders on abuse of the body, since almost all actions are performed under pressure and violence, but without knowledge of the anatomical features of a person. Yoga works correctly with various types of twine and leading exercises, in which much attention is paid to the correct work with the body, which means that there simply can be no harm to it.
Hanumanasana Pros
This position directly depends on the quality of the extension of the two main lines of the legs: front and back. At the same time, the hip joints perform the opposite function: one bends forward, and the second bends back. In this case, the position of the legs is significantly affected by the sacral region and the entire group of gluteal muscles. And if they are enslaved, then they will not succeed in sitting in the desired position.
What is the use of longitudinal twine?
- Stretched thigh muscles indicate that there are no circulatory disorders and lymph movements. This is a powerful prevention of varicose vessels, leg edema and pelvic diseases in general. In this case, the muscles become tightened, strong, which means that they perfectly fulfill the function assigned to them.
- Moving hip joints will not allow the development of a disease such as coxarthrosis, nor will they lead to a fracture of the femoral neck, which often happens in older people.
- To sit in longitudinal twine, it is necessary to work out the area of the gluteal muscles and sacral joint with high quality, which will allow you to quickly get rid of lower back pain, pinching of the sciatic nerve and iliac displacements, which happens in people who lead a sedentary lifestyle. The benefits of twine in this “scourge of modernity” are priceless, since every fourth suffers from pains of this nature.
You need to know!
Working with twine allows not only to relax the pelvis, but also to remove the load from the entire spine, since the hip joints are the main shock absorbers of the body. If the joint is not blocked by tight tendons and is not constrained by muscles, then it has a free amplitude of circular movements. The pains disappear throughout the entire spinal column, posture improves, since the muscles of the legs, and therefore the joints, finally begin to work together, giving freedom of movement. The use of twine for legs extends in another direction. Since the area of the hip joints loosens up and correctly distributes the load on the spine, the knees (the second most important shock absorbers) cease to receive excess load, which means it hurts.
Important advantages for the female body
Due to the qualitative extension of the internal muscles of the legs and pelvis, directly connected by the abdominal zone, the benefits of twine for women increase several times:
- Active blood circulation in the pelvic area eliminates various disorders of the reproductive system. In the history of medicine, there are thousands of cases that describe the elimination of problems with conceiving a child. Due to the fact that the woman did stretching exercises to sit on the twine, she was able not only to become pregnant, but also easy to give birth, as the internal muscles were obedient and healthy.
- Also, due to good blood circulation, problems of a gynecological nature go away: inflammatory processes, menstrual irregularities, painful periods and other unpleasant moments of a “female” existence.
At the same time, do not forget that the abdominal zone is responsible for the coordinated work of the entire digestive tract, and therefore for the health of the whole organism. Therefore, the health benefits of twine can be considered total, that is, affecting not only the legs, but the whole body.
Transverse Twine, or Samakonasana
If the longitudinal twine mainly depends on the elongated muscles, then the transverse one is an indicator of the total freedom of the hip joints, their interaction with the entire pelvis, and hence the elastic tendon apparatus. It is important to emphasize here: elastic, and not stretched, as young and ignorant people often “blunder” their joint structure in pursuit of the desired position, not understanding what this is fraught with.
In fact, any twine (and transverse especially) does not mean super flexibility, but skillful use of the body, knowledge of its structural features. After all, by and large, to sit in any position is not a problem, but staying healthy for the longest possible number of years is much more important, deriving significant benefits from the transverse twine. The priority is to put health, not a spectacular-looking position for photos on social networks.
Pros of Samakonasana
In addition to all the above positive aspects from the development of longitudinal twine, without which it is impossible to make transverse, it is worth pointing out the following factors:
- The deeper connections of the internal muscles and their management ultimately give the absolute health of the genitourinary system.
- The benefits of twine for women are invaluable: due to the tone of the pelvic diaphragm, the problem that worries them in middle age is eliminated - urinary incontinence during a sharp sneeze or fright, as well as the prolapse or prolapse of the organ, which is called "uterine prolapse." Due to the increased elasticity of the musculo-ligamentous apparatus of the inner surface of the pelvis, all these problems will gradually go away.
- The possibility of becoming pregnant significantly increases if there were problems with conception before, and it is also easy to give birth, since the pelvic zone retains mobility and a large range of movements, and the abdominal zone - elasticity.
In addition to all the positive aspects associated with internal organs, transverse twine will visually make the legs more slender, taut, and the buttocks more elastic and round. For women, this is also important, because external beauty and internal health always go hand in hand.
Can children do splits?
Some worried parents whose babies attend gym classes ask, "Is twine good for children or is it harmful at a young age?" Among less educated people, there is an opinion that too deep stretch marks on the twine can change the structure of the child’s reproductive system and even tear the hymen from excessive efforts (there are people who really believe in this even in the 21st century!).
Professional sports doctors unanimously reject these crazy ideas: twine can be done at any age, if there is no special indication for this because of big health problems. Moreover, there are no clear age limits at what age it is worth starting - even with diapers, if only it would be competent and wisely, and not at the cost of inhuman efforts, as is the case in big sports.
Can you do twine at any age?
Given the popularity and promoted benefits of twine, many people wonder at what age it is worth stopping attempts to perform this exercise, because most confidently say that after 35 it makes no sense to even try, since the body is already "ossified". In fact, it is not age that restricts movements in the muscles and joints, but their condition, as well as the congenital structure of the pelvis. There is a small percentage of people to whom transverse twine is unavailable due to the small angle between the acetabulum and the femoral head, but they can perform longitudinal. Over time, the human body becomes stiff due to low physical activity, past illnesses and injuries. But if a person is actively involved in stretching, then he will be able to perform the splits even at an advanced age.
Can twine be harmful?
The harm, as well as the benefits of twine, is a very subjective assessment. Some active people have no problem with stagnation of lymph or blood in the pelvic organs, therefore they do not consider the elimination of these factors as pluses - they are already a priori. The dangers of splits and deep stretch marks of this kind can only be said in one way: when they are carried out fanatically, in pursuit of an external result, and not health.
Many young people earnestly begin to pull and stretch tendons, not understanding what actually leads the body to the position of the twine, so later, when the stability of the center of the body is violated, problems will begin: immediately with the joints of the legs, then the sacrum and, as a result, the entire spine. Therefore, it is important to competently approach the development of all the splits, better under the guidance of a competent trainer.
Are there any contraindications?
There are no significant “cons” in pursuit of the benefits of twine, but a number of “buts” are worth considering:
- previously obtained fractures of the femoral neck or pelvic bones, as well as fractures of the spine;
- destructive changes in the hip joints: arthrosis and especially coxarthrosis, various arthritis;
- hip dysplasia.
In addition, you should take into account existing problems with the spine, whose work is directly related to the pelvis, as well as hypertension and cancer.
What do the experts say?
Another important plus from working with twine is noted by many doctors - this is the effect on libido in women and potency in men. Therefore, for some people, this information will be another incentive for regular stretching exercises.
Another significant benefit of twine for men is the elimination of problems with the prostate, since when exposed to the internal muscles of the pelvis, this organ is perfectly enriched with blood. Stagnation that occurs due to insufficient activity of the pelvic cavity is eliminated. Therefore, it is important to do the splits for men who want to maintain sexual activity for a long time.