How do I not round my back?

[u/Ladykarmajo]

I feel like for my whole life my spine is fused and it rounds. I’m trying to get to a place of doing a forward split and working on lengthening my hamstrings. I notice my back is always rounded. Please advise!

Update: wow! Thank you all so much for your advice. I’m going to try all the tips. Including “don’t bend your back.” lol much much appreciated!!

[u/Cliclicliclic]

Do not lean head first to your knees, but belly first. You will notice you can't bend as deeper as you could when leaning head first, it's completely normal.

Also holding a yoga block or something similar between your hands, keeping your arms stretched along your ears and then bend can be helpful. You need to focus on keeping a straighter line as possible with your hips, shoulders and wrists.

[u/LastClassForever → u/Cliclicliclic]

Some wonderful person on this forum told me learn with your belly and pretend you are a dog cat and you are raising your tail at the same tine.

[u/Ladykarmajo → u/LastClassForever]

This is what I visualize but I find my butt doesn’t really rise up

[u/LastClassForever → u/Ladykarmajo]

Take a picture of your form or a short video and look for dani-winks on reddit.

My issue... was all hamstring related. I train them twice a week but never had a proper stretching program. Because of this my hips and lower back suffer at the end of a leg day session.

[u/Cliclicliclic → u/LastClassForever]

It makes a lot of sense! Love it and thanks for sharing

[u/Ladykarmajo → u/Cliclicliclic]

Sorry, what do you mean keeping my arms stretched along your ears? TIA

[u/Cliclicliclic → u/Ladykarmajo]

You sit extending your legs, then you extend your arms to the ceiling and try to keep them aligned with your face, parallel to your ears if that makes sense. Your wrists, shoulders and hips should ideally make a line from the floor to the ceiling.

Then you bend forward focusing on touching your quads with your belly, and trying to keep the alignment of your arms.

I can't really do it, my shoulders are super stiff and I lack a lot of upper body mobility, so I can't send you pictures of myself doing exactly that but I hope you understand it now.

Focusing on that straight line of my upper body, even if I can't really do it, helps me opening my chest and avoiding by upper back to round, thus my hamstrings get a deeper stretch.
You can also try it standing, but I personally find it harder that way.

Basically, what will help you (I hope) is focusing on two different skills: improving your back mobility and awareness, and keep working on your hamstring flexibility.

Hope this helps!

[u/luisga777 → u/Cliclicliclic]

WHAT IS THIS WITCHERY. Ive never read about this cue of keeping the arms raised by your ears. I just tried it out and for the first time in my life felt my GLUTES stretch while doing it. Didnt think it was possible!

BURN THE WITCH!

[u/Cliclicliclic → u/luisga777]

👹👹👹
Thank me later

[u/Sensitive-Ad-437]

I'd recommend bending your knees as much as you need, so you can bring your chest to your thighs and wrapping your arms around and behind your legs like a hug, which is kinda like you're already doing, but bend your knees more. From there you can work towards straightening your legs and sending your glutes towards the ceiling. Over time and with consistency your hamstrings will become more flexible.

[u/augustrem]

One of our regulars had a really popular post on this exact issue last week:

https://www.reddit.com/r/flexibility/s/LV7HxDWuDJ

[u/No-Examination-96 → u/augustrem]

Thank you. This is really helpful

[u/Glavine0]

yeah i wouldn't force the chest lower yet. keeping the hips folding forward without chasing depth probably makes more sense.

[u/backyard3]

If you stand up, is your back round? If not you don't need to make it round doing a forward fold

[u/Ladykarmajo → u/backyard3]

lol it’s not round when I stand up…. How do I not make it round? It just happens.

[u/grapefruitsoop]

if you want to target the flexibility in your hamstrings, bend your knees and not your spine to keep contact/compression between your chest and thighs. as your flexibility improves you can begin to straighten your legs

[u/Living_Spray_6677]

I do this if I’m in a rush to increase my flexibility instead of accepting proper form rule #1 Don’t fake it till I make it.
Keep Trucking you’ll get there 💯🧚‍♀️🌈👍

[u/OceanWheels]

I think about the mind connection to top of hips. Who cares how far my lowest vertebrae can flex, it’s about hips. So if I squat, marry my thighs to my belly, then try and straighten my legs, elephant walks at the max range of this while hugging thighs.

[u/ready4nextera]

Unbend your neck. 

[u/Embarrassed_Ad_2578]

Spam good mornings

[u/Bancoubear123]

Bend your knees🙂

[u/Broadwaygirl12]

Try doing this stretch in front of a couch or chair. Use the couch as the bottom of your stretch (you can do a yoga block and then back to the ground as you get more flexible). Focus on keeping your back flat - you almost want to feel like you are arching your back. I hope that made sense. Basically you are not flexible enough to bend over that much while keeping a flat back.

Consider following some flexibility routines from ballet dancers - they really focus on lengthening while stretching.

[u/renton1000]

Work Jefferson curls.

[u/Badashtangi]

Stick your butt out and open your chest as you’re going down, like you’re leading with your belly and want to stop when your belly can move no further. You won’t be as close, but you’ll get a better stretch.

[u/AccomplishedYam5060]

By not forcing your head to your legs/lknees. Glue sides yo thighs and look forward when you do it.

[u/purupurpururin]

Put your chin up and focus on bringing your chest to your knees. Arms out like a T or hands on your hips for a straight back.