What's the fifth exercise in Morning Stretching, and how can I get better at it? (and other questions)

[JesseW]

Hi Darebees!

I'm new to the community -- I have a two month old son, and picking him up has inspired my wife and I to work on getting ourselves more in shape, so we can keep being able to do so as he grows. So we're working on way thru Foundation (at level II), and finding it wonderfully helpful.

I've also taken to doing the Morning Stretching every morning, and I feel SO MUCH BETTER after doing it, that it's very easy to motivate myself to continue.

But I had a question about one of the exercises in Morning Stretching -- the fifth one, bending at the hip. What is it called? And what other workouts can I do to get myself more able to do it (I currently have to use my arms on the bed to hold myself up)?

I also have been a bit alarmed by how low the funding percentage has been lately -- how long has the team been struggling this badly for funding? I've donated, but is there any organized effort on the forum to fund-raise?

Finally, are there discussion threads about each of the workouts/programs, or tags for them? I'm curious how other people's experiences of them have been, but I wasn't sure how to find that in the forum.

Thank you all again for such an excellent resource, and keeping it running for so long.

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

Hello @JesseW and welcome to the Hive!

I had a question about one of the exercises in Morning Stretching -- the fifth one, bending at the hip. What is it called? And what other workouts can I do to get myself more able to do it (I currently have to use my arms on the bed to hold myself up)?

The fifth exercise on Morning Stretching has a couple of different names, from different schools of physical fitness. In the weightlifting world, that position is the bottom position of a bodyweight deadlift. In yoga, it's an unsupported variation on the halfway lift or ardha uttanasana. It's a complex pose which targets many muscle groups, including your whole posterior chain (primarily the hamstrings, glutes, and spinal erectors) and also engages your core and quadriceps muscles on the front side of your body. If you have difficulty holding the position without support, it's most likely your spinal erectors that need strengthening.

DAREBEE has a great guide which discusses What Muscles Do and How to Train Them which can give you ideas for the sorts of exercises to do to target strengthening of different muscle groups.

This being said, Morning Stretching is a stretching workout. The primary purpose of the pose in this context is to stretch out your back body (back, hamstrings, and calves). As such, it's fine to hold onto something for support. You'll still get the stretching benefit, with the added bonus of some shoulder mobility work if you're holding your arms over your head.

I also have been a bit alarmed by how low the funding percentage has been lately -- how long has the team been struggling this badly for funding? I've donated, but is there any organized effort on the forum to fund-raise?

I think finances are tight for a lot of people these days. DAREBEE appreciates and benefits from any donation you are able to make. I'm not aware of any organized fundraising efforts. DAREBEE is 100% supported by user donations and therefore requires them year round to keep the resource running. If you can afford a monthly donation, even of a very small amount, it helps to provide funding stability for the project. But all donations, big and small, one time and recurring, help. Spreading the word about DAREBEE, sharing links on your socials, leaving reviews of DAREBEE books, etc. also help the site through bringing in more people who can help to support it.

Finally, are there discussion threads about each of the workouts/programs, or tags for them? I'm curious how other people's experiences of them have been, but I wasn't sure how to find that in the forum.

There are not generally speaking forum threads dedicated to specific workouts or programs. If you have questions about a specific program, workout, and/or exercise, you're always welcome to post them in the Help Desk, as you did, or in the Playground. Most comments re: people's experiences of the various workouts are made in people's individual Check-In threads. It might be difficult to find comments on specific programs that way though, as the DAREBEE resource is huge. But you're welcome to start your own thread to track your own progress. You can then comment on your own experiences in your thread, and ask other Bees to share their experiences with you.