How to do an Arabesque with the Flexistretcher

Flexistretcher How-To: The Classic Arabesque

Step 1: To begin for the arabesque, make sure you are holding on to something stable.  Place both loops around your right foot.

Step 2: Bend your right knee and draw it behind your back.

Step 3: Thread your left arm through the straps, placing the foam pad around your left shoulder.

Step 4: Extend the right leg into an arabesque.

Important placement tips:

• Often, you will be holding the loops in each hand while your foot is on the foam pad of the Flexistretcher. Always put the foam pad around the center of your foot, not the heel or toes. This is to avoid the risk of the Flexistretcher sliding off the foot in the middle of the exercise.

• For more advanced stretches, such as this one, both loops will be around the center of the foot and the foam pad will be around the OPPOSITE shoulder. Make sure to securely have the straps around the center of the foot and not the ankle.  This avoids the risk of not being able to safely and easily come out of the stretch.

• NEVER place both loops around the ankle, make sure the loops are around the center of the foot.

Cues:

• Actively engage the muscles throughout the movement.

• Remember when you are performing this stretch, the band is only assisting, not holding you up!

• Avoid bouncing or using momentum to swing your leg into a new range of motion.

Watch out for:

• The arabesque leg swinging past the midline of your body.

• Medial rotation of the hip of the extended leg. The entire leg turning inward.

• Inversion of the foot-a “sickled” foot.

Important Safety Notes!

• NEVER place any part of the strap around your neck at any point.

• For children under the age of 12 make sure that there is supervision and that proper usage is understood before attempting any stretch alone.