In yoga they call it “downward dog” but in Physie we call it the “Inverted V”. Whatever you call it, it’s an amazing stretch that will, if done correctly, stretch your calves, hamstrings, Achilles tendons and shoulders, as well as increase upper body strength.
Take the weight on your hands (shoulder width apart) and the balls of your feet (with feet in parallel – ie feet touching). Rock backwards trying to push your heels down into the floor and pushing your shoulders towards your knees. Keep your neck long and your pelvis rotated back (towards the ceiling).
If you can’t get your heels down, try pushing them down one at a time, allowing the opposite knee to bend. “Walk the dog” like this for a while then have another go at pushing both heels down together. Go slow and breathe!
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Physical Culture in Australia was established by Hans-Christian Bjelke-Petersen in 1892! Christian developed a program that was adopted
Heidi Boardman Performing Art Gallery
Photography: Heidi Boardman
Then and Now
As you can see, while the outfits have changed considerably, the basic positions are still much the same