Speaker #0Hi and welcome to BioPilates Deep Dive. Today I invite you to explore the bend and stretch, to bend and to extend, an exercise simple in appearance but which reveals all its richness when it is performed with precision. Our framework will be the sagittal plane around a frontal axis and our objective will be clear, to find the alignment of the lower limb, to protect the kneecap, and to refine the muscular synergy that links the foot, the knee, the hip, and the pelvis. Lie down on your back, pelvis and spine neutral, headrest adjusted to your morphology. Two springs are enough so that the resistance is perceptible without excess. Place the feet in the straps, knees bent, ankles in dorsiflexion, legs parallel. Inhale to prepare. Exhale and let the legs lengthen. Press into the straps, feel the extension of the knees and the transition toward a gentle plantar flexion. Inhale, bring the legs back, maintaining controlled dorsiflexion, and allow the pelvis to return to its neutral position. This back and forth draws a clear line. The most difficult part is not to push or to return, but to keep the alignment and to distinguish at each instant the neutral from the imprint. In certain cases, a small pad under the lumbar helps to better perceive the contact of the sacrum. For a marked lordosis, it softens the arch. For a flat back, it restores a reference curvature. The resistance must remain adapted. If it is too strong, the push risks provoking a parasitic rotation of the pelvis. It is better to reduce the load and privilege control. The objective is never brute force. but the accuracy of the movement. On the anatomical level, two deep muscles guide this exercise. The tibialis anterior, situated in the front of the leg, takes origin on the lateral surface of the tibia and the interosseous membrane and inserts on the medial cuneiform and the base of the first metatarsal. It lifts the foot in dorsiflexion, brings it into inversion, and is innervated by the deep fibular nerve. The tibialis posterior, deeper, originates on the posterior surface of the tibia, the fibula, and the interosseous membrane. Its tendon passes behind the medial malleolus to insert on the navicular and the cuneiforms. It supports the plantar arch, participates in plantar flexion, and is innervated by the tibial nerve. Together, they assure distal stability and direct. influence the trajectory of the patella. When you extend the legs, the tibialis posterior supports the arch and prevents pronation. When you bring the legs back, the tibialis anterior lifts the forefoot. Their dialogue preserves the line knee second toe and maintains the patella centered. The vastus medialis, the adductors, and the crural muscles complete this role. by assuring a regular traction on the patella. The bend and stretch thus becomes a neuromuscular education. Each extension teaches the knee to glide without blocking. Each return develops eccentric control. The articular and muscular sensors feed proprioception and refine body awareness. The sagittal plane imposes rigor. Hips, knees, and ankles work in flexion and extension. and any lateral deviation is immediately perceptible. An aspect often neglected is the contribution of the different types of muscle fibers. Type I fibers, slow and enduring, assure constancy, the holding of neutral, and stability throughout the repetitions. Type II of fibers, fast but resistant, bring dynamic control, particularly during extension against the resistance of the springs. Type 2 B fibers explosive, intervene when the load is high, but their role must remain punctual to avoid brutality and compensations. The bend and stretch solicits these three families of fibers and obliges them to cooperate. Too many slow fibers alone and the movement would lose vivacity. Too many fast fibers and it would become unstable. The balance between endurance, control, and power gives to the gesture its fluidity. Breathing organizes this work. On the exhalation, the transverse abdominis, the pelvic floor, and the multifidi create a protective belt. On the inhalation, the return is accompanied by a controlled release that favors stability. The breath becomes a partner. It supports alignment, avoids the tilt of the pelvis, and links the trunk to the legs. In lateral rotation, heels in contact and toes apart, the external rotators and the adductors intervene to stabilize. The tibialis posterior accentuates its role of medial support. The tibialis anterior ensures the finesse of the plantar movement. In medial rotation, it is the internal rotators that take over. The gracilis and the vastus medialis assure continuity, while the tibials maintain the axis of the foot. Each variation enriches the awareness of alignment, without ever leaving the sagittal plane. This work is not a simple leg exercise. It is a lesson in living architecture. When the foot organizes, the knee balances, the hip frees, and the spine breathes, the tibials are the silent guardians of this coherence. The center orchestrates everything. Deep abdominals, pelvic floor, and multifidi create the base. Breathing synchronizes, and each repetition becomes a conversation between the segments. I invite you to experience this dialogue one last time. Inhale, feel the sacrum heavy on the carriage. Exhale, bend and stretch. The tibialis posterior supports the arch. The tibialis anterior lifts the forefoot. The patella glides at the center. The pelvis remains neutral. Inhale, return, and let the spine rediscover its balance. Ten times in silence. like a meditation in movement. The bend and stretch in this precise reading surpasses simple strengthening. It becomes an active prevention against imbalances, a gentle re-education for the patella, and a preparation for more complex movements on the reformer. It trains both the muscles and the nervous system and engraves in the body a memory of alignment. This is what makes this exercise so precious. It teaches you to be clear in your supports, precise in your lines, conscious in your breath. Thank you for sharing this moment with me. Walk a few steps, feel your feet, your knees, your breathing. Ask yourself, what is clearer today? Perhaps your supports, perhaps the stability of your patella, perhaps simply the harmony between your legs and your breath. If you perceive this clarity, then the bend and stretch has fulfilled its mission. I will meet you soon again in BioPilates Deep Dive to continue to explore together the art of aligning, of breathing, and of moving with intelligence.
