Exercise birch: how to do correctly, technique for men, women

fitness trainer

“The birch tree is a popular exercise. You stand on your shoulder blades with your legs stretched upwards and your hands resting on your lower back. The exercise improves your overall health, strengthens your muscles, makes your posture more beautiful, helps you relax and relieve stress Sometimes you can find different names for this exercise. In gymnastics – “candle” or “birch”, in yoga – “sarvangasana”.

Table of Contents

Benefits of the exercise “birch”

Improving blood circulation and lymph flow. The exercise promotes blood flow from the lower body to the upper body – the heart, lungs and brain. This can improve oxygen and nutrient supply to the cells, reduce swelling in the legs, and improve concentration and mental performance.

Tension Relief and Stress Reduction. The exercise can be used as a way to relax and reduce stress. The inverted position combined with deep breathing helps to improve your psycho-emotional state, relieve tension on the nervous system and calm the mind after a day’s work.

Muscle strengthening. “Birch” allows you to tone several muscle groups – gluteal, muscles – back extensors and abdominal muscles – through static loading. You will not build muscles, but you will make them stronger.

Spinal health. The exercise helps to strengthen the spine and improve flexibility by stretching some of the muscles of the upper back. This helps to strengthen the back and reduce back pain. Especially this pose will be useful for people who spend a lot of time in a sitting position.

Improving the work of the digestive organs. The inverted position can stimulate the digestive organs and improve intestinal peristalsis, which can be useful for the prevention of constipation.

Balance and coordination. Performing the birch tree on a regular basis helps develop a sense of balance and coordination, which will be useful in many sports and everyday life.

Contraindications

“Birch” in the correct technique of execution – a safe exercise, even if you have little experience of training. Before exercising, we recommend consulting a doctor to rule out individual contraindications for the following conditions:

Diseases of the spine – pain in the lumbar region, discomfort between the shoulder blades, discomfort in the cervical region.
Injuries and neck problems. If you perform the “birch” correctly, the neck is in a safe position, since the body weight rests on the shoulder blades. With improper technique, poor mobility of the thoracic spine, the exercise can go to harm.
If you have diseases or problems with joints, perform the exercise with caution.
If you are a beginner and haven’t done physical activity in a while. You may not have strong enough muscles to perform this exercise.

Technique

Lie with your back on the floor and bend your legs at the knees, with your feet against your buttocks. Extend your arms along the torso.
As you exhale under control, tuck your legs behind your head, pulling your pelvis off the floor. At this point, rest your hands on your lower back, helping to lift the body. Elbows are close to the torso.
The weight of the body rests on the shoulder blades, not on the neck. The chin is pressed against the chest. Next, straighten the pelvis and legs upward. It is necessary to stretch the body into one straight line.
Hold this position for a few seconds. Breathing measured and calm. Tense your abs and buttocks for better stability.
Exit the position slowly by bending your legs at the knees and lowering your back and pelvis to the floor.

Start the exercise with 10 seconds for two to three approaches, gradually increasing the time.

Complementary exercises

If you can’t do the birch, this list will help prepare your body. Do the exercises twice a week for one to two weeks, and you’ll already be able to incorporate the “birch” into your workout program.

Gluteal Bridge. This exercise helps strengthen the gluteal and posterior thigh muscles and improves pelvic stability. Lie on your back, bend your legs at the knees and place your feet against your buttocks. As you exhale, lift your pelvis up, hold at the top for one second, and as you inhale, lower yourself back to the starting position.

Plank. Develops the strength of the cortical muscles, which is very important for the correct performance of the “birch”. Stand in the position of lying down on your hands and feet. The task is to keep the body straight from head to heels, tensing the abs and buttocks. Start with 20-30 seconds and gradually increase the time.

Twists. Strengthen your abdominal muscles, which is important for keeping your balance in “birch.” Lie on your back, bend your legs at the knees, and place your feet against your buttocks. As you exhale, lift your body to your knees without taking your lower back off the floor. Make a pause at the top point, and on the inhale smoothly descend to the starting position.

“Cat”. Exercise helps to improve flexibility and mobility of the thoracic spine and shoulder girdle. Stand on all fours with a flat back. As you inhale, arch your back, rounding your spine, the task is to stretch your shoulder blades upward. As you exhale, straighten your back to the starting position.

Exercise “cat”

Common mistakes

When performing “birch” there are various mistakes that can lead to injuries or incorrect technique. Here are some of them.

Improper head position. Often people tilt their head backwards or sideways, which can cause strain in the neck. The correct position is to keep the head neutral with the chin resting against the chest.

Poor shoulder support. If the shoulders are not sufficiently engaged, it can lead to overloading of the cervical vertebrae. It is important to have good support from the shoulders and shoulder blades, not the neck.

Bent legs. Some people cannot keep their legs straight, which can reduce the effectiveness of the exercise and impair balance. The legs should be extended and brought together.

Insufficient cortical activation. Weakness in the cortex muscles can lead to loss of control and balance. It is important to actively engage the abdominal and back muscles to maintain stability.

Improper breathing. Delayed breathing or improper breathing can reduce the effectiveness of the exercise. Breathe evenly and calmly.

Overstretching the neck. Often people strain their neck too much when trying to keep their balance. This can lead to pain and discomfort. Relax your neck and focus on working your shoulders and bark.

Uneven weight distribution. If your body weight shifts too forward or backward, it can lead to a fall. It’s important to find balance and distribute your weight evenly between your shoulders and upper back.

Lack of control when exiting the pose. Exit the “birch tree” smoothly and under control to the starting position. Exiting too abruptly and without control can be injurious.

7 tips from the trainer

Here are a few recommendations for performing the exercise “birch tree” that will help you safely and effectively master the exercise and get the most out of it.

Before performing the exercise, it is important to warm up, especially for the neck, shoulders and back. This will help avoid injury and increase the effectiveness of the exercise.
Work on strengthening the bark, shoulder and back muscles with additional exercises such as plank, twists on the abs, “bridge”.
Perform mobility and stretching exercises regularly to improve flexibility and mobility.
Find balance by keeping your legs upright. If you feel unsure, you can bend your knees slightly. For beginners, you can use a wall or pillow for support.
Make sure you have enough space to perform and use a yoga mat to make the exercise more comfortable.
If possible, practice with a friend or trainer who can help you with balance and technique.
Gradually increase the time in the rack and the number of approaches. Next, you can use weights on your legs.