Layback Spin Progression
Howdy friends! Today, I am taking a trip down memory lane to see how my layback spin has progressed over the past year or so.
For those of you that know me well or have been following me here on Eva Bakes, you all know that I used to be a competitive gymnast. I quit at the tender age of 10 and have not done a good job keeping up with my flexibility. As a result, I have not been able to do a layback spin.
A little over a year ago, I made it a quest to be able to do a layback spin. Of course, without any lower back flexibility, this was going to be a difficult journey. I worked with my spin coach to take baby steps towards achieving the layback, and I hit a lot of speed bumps along the way. Plus, my sciatica was not helping!
When the pandemic hit, I was stuck at home and tried to stretch my lower back pretty consistently. It definitely got more flexible, but then I lost whatever flexibility I gained when the rinks opened back up. My work schedule became more demanding, and as a result, I wasn’t able to dedicate enough time to stretch.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve made a point to do my lower back exercises every day so that I didn’t continue to lose flexibility. Consequently, my layback attempts have actually started to improve. At the beginning of my journey, I could barely do 1 revolution (and it wasn’t even in the correct position). Today, I am able to hit about 8 revolutions.
See for yourself: The first video is from November 2018, when I tried to get 2 revolutions with a tilted head. The second video is from February 2020, which is right before the pandemic hit. And the final video is from March 2021, after I’ve been stretching my back every day for about 1 month straight.
It’s neat to be able to see how much this spin has progressed!
Great job, Eva. Your hard work shows how you’ve improved. I’m proud of you!
Author
Thanks Mom Lu!
Great job! I love your entrance, too. How did you know how much stretching was ok versus overdoing it? I tore my hamstring years ago trying to stretch for better spirals. It happened very gradually, a little tear at a time, not one big rip. I don’t know how to differentiate good pain from bad pain. I have zero back flexibility but haven’t tried to work on it because I am pretty sure I would hurt myself, and I gave up on the spiral stretches, too.
Congrats on your progress – looking really nice!
Author
Thanks, Melissa! I only do a few layback stretches per day. I do about 3 with both feet on the ground (about 10 seconds each) and then another 3 in the layback position (10 seconds each). Then I’m done for the day. I’m sad to hear about your hamstring tear!
Looking good, Eva! Enjoy these “evolution” videos.
Author
Thanks, Jo! It’s been quite the journey!
Wow! So beautiful. Good for you on goal progress!
Author
Thanks, Wynne! This is definitely an element I never imagined myself doing. With the right mindset and proper preparation, anything is possible!