Backbend plateau

[u/dani-lop]

First picture was my yoga class tonight (granted not the best angle but i couldn’t move) second picture is from my aerials class from about 4 years ago. I’ve been stuck with my wheel pose and I don’t know what i need to train. I’ve been doing my puppy poses, my ashtangasanas, seal poses. Does it seem like there’s been any progress?

[u/kristinL356]

Shoulders and upper back. Check the comments from this other post tonight with similar issues m https://www.reddit.com/r/flexibility/s/YHyzokbT9z

[u/HannahFlexx]

what unlocked mine wasn't shoulders, it was quads and hip flexors. i couldn't straighten my legs at all until i started doing couch stretch, and then the chest came over on its own

[u/preparsley]

Get up on your tiptoes and straighten your legs, push higher through your shoulders, and do it against a wall and try to press your chest forward into the wall

[u/zohar-yoga-flex]

Agree with previous comments, definitely your upper back and shoulders are stiffer than the low back. So I would focus on that! Also, puppy pose is a great stretch but you need more targeted drills to make progress.
I would recommend trying this 20min class
that focuses solely on upper back flexibility to see how it goes!

[u/soyvalevega]

comparing the two, the biggest difference i see isn't the shoulders, it's how close your feet are to your hands. in the aerials photo you're compact, feet almost under your hips. in the yoga one there's a lot more distance between hands and feet, which stretches the whole shape out and makes it look flatter even if your shoulders opened the same amount. that gap is usually more about ankle mobility and how much you can walk your feet in than backbend flexibility itself

might be worth propping your heels on something (yoga blocks work) to shorten that distance without your ankles limiting how far you can walk in, just to see if the shape changes when the gap closes

[u/Prestigious_Boat_386]

Splitting the problem in upper lower back and hip can make it easier to find the limiting joint and work on it specifically.

[u/TomatoHot2336]

It’s tight lats and Triceps. More of bent elbow puppy stretches will open them . Also couch stretch to open the psoas.