Rollover

Cómo hacer el Rollover

1. 1Lie flat on your back on a mat with your legs fully extended and your arms pressed down alongside your body, palms facing the floor.
2. 2Engage your core and, keeping your legs together, slowly raise them toward the ceiling until they are perpendicular to the floor.
3. 3Continue rolling the legs overhead and away from you, allowing your hips to lift off the mat as your legs travel over your torso.
4. 4Lower your legs toward the floor behind your head, aiming to touch or approach the mat with your toes while keeping your knees straight.
5. 5Press your arms firmly into the floor to maintain balance and protect your neck — avoid bearing weight on the cervical spine.
6. 6Tuck your chin gently toward your chest throughout the movement to keep the neck long and safe.
7. 7Hold the end position for 10–20 seconds, breathing steadily and allowing gravity to deepen the stretch through the hips and waist.
8. 8On an exhale, engage your core and slowly reverse the motion, lowering your hips and legs back to the starting position with control.
9. 9Rest briefly, then repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Consejos de técnica

• Tuck your chin toward your chest from the moment your legs begin to rise — this keeps the neck aligned and prevents unwanted pressure on the cervical vertebrae.
• Keep both arms flat on the floor with palms pressing down; this gives you a stable base and reduces the load on your neck.
• Exhale as you roll your legs overhead — releasing the breath allows the torso to relax into the stretch more fully.
• Control the return journey rather than letting your legs drop; a slow, deliberate lowering keeps the core engaged and protects the lower back.
• Never force your toes all the way to the floor — stop at the point where you feel a comfortable stretch and let flexibility improve gradually over time.

Errores comunes

• Rolling onto the cervical spine: placing weight on the neck instead of the upper back shifts stress onto delicate vertebrae and significantly raises the risk of neck injury — always keep the weight distributed across the shoulders and upper back.
• Using momentum instead of muscle control: swinging the legs overhead with a kick rather than lifting them smoothly turns the movement into a ballistic action, bypassing the stretch benefit and increasing the chance of overstretching soft tissue.
• Dropping the legs on the return: letting gravity pull the legs back down without core engagement creates a sudden load on the lumbar spine — lower slowly and deliberately to keep the lower back safe.
• Forcing the range of motion: pulling or bouncing to get the toes closer to the floor than your current flexibility allows risks straining the hip flexors, hamstrings, or lower back — work within a comfortable range and progress over weeks.
• Holding the breath: bracing and forgetting to breathe increases tension throughout the body and limits how deeply the hips and waist can release into the stretch — maintain a slow, steady breathing rhythm throughout.

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