This is a review of the MyFlex program by Cirque Physio.
WATCH THE VIDEO VERSION: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUglSJZm-TI&feature=youtu.be
In April I entered the scholarship competition on Cirque Physios Instagram page and I was lucky enough to be selected to receive a program.
A bit of background on me and my starting point. I am a pole dancer and I started pole dancing at the end of 2014 and very soon after that started working on my flexibility. When I started I could not do the splits or middle splits but I had a decently flexible. So it’s been nearly 6 years of flexibility training. When I started working on my flexibility I was just going to stretch classes at my studio once or twice a week. In 2016 I did have a spinal cord injury which set back my progress a bit. I would say that since 2017 when I started competing, my flexibility training got a lot more serious and by the beginning of 2019 flexibility training was a huge part of my life.
But even though I felt like I was fairly dedicated to my flexibility training I still had many goals I wanted to achieve. So with the start of the coronavirus pandemic and having some extra time on my hands - when I saw the Instagram story advertising the scholarship competition for MyFlex it seemed like the perfect timing.
I had heard of MyFlex before and had always been really interested in it. So I was really excited to have the opportunity to try it.
The Basics
MyFlex is a flexibility training program by Jen from Cirque Physio. The program has enrolment periods when it is open to purchase - next enrolment starts at the end of August. There are only a limited number of spots available during each enrolment period. The program is customised to you and is based on your flexibility and limitations. She calls it a build your own adventure flexibility program.
How It Works
When you sign up you get a username and password to log into the MyFlex online portal. You can then see the assessment tab.
There are four sections:
⁃ Hip Extension
⁃ Pike
⁃ Straddle
⁃ Back and Shoulders
Each section has videos about the anatomy and biomechanics as well as information about limiting factors and what you should be feeling in each stretch.
Then you get to the assessment tests. There are videos and instructions telling you what to do and then a form to put your results in. You also need to take photos of your wheel, your forward splits on each side, and your middle splits and submit those as well.
Then you get an email confirming your assessment was submitted and a week later you get your program. I submitted my assessment on the 24th of March and received my program on the 1st.
The program itself includes a series of instructional videos that go into detail with each exercise and include some progressions and regressions. Then there are the follow along videos where Jen talks you through the exercises and includes a the number of reps. The program - like the assessment - is split into the four different modules. There is also a warmup and cool down included.
There is also a section with your report card from your assessment, an FAQ page, and a section detailing all the tools you need.
There is also a Facebook community group with people who have signed up for the MyFlex program. It is a very supportive group with lots of progress posts from other members and it’s a place to ask questions and get support from a like minded community of people.
What You Need
There are a few pieces of equipment you need in order to really make the most out of the program:
⁃ yoga blocks
⁃ peanuts
⁃ mini band
⁃ super band
⁃ yoga strap
⁃ lumbar cushion
⁃ foam roller
My Progress
This is the schedule that I try to follow but I don’t always stick exactly to it:
MONDAY
my flex shoulders
TUESDAY
my flex pike
my flex straddle
middle splits
WEDNESDAY
my flex hip extension
my flex pike
splits
THURSDAY
my flex hip extension
my flex back and shoulders
wheel
FRIDAY
my flex straddle
middle splits
SATURDAY
my flex hip extension
my flex back and shoulders
my flex pike
needle stretch
It took me a while to figure out how to schedule it so that I was doing each section at least twice a week. I don’t do the warm-up or cool-down modules. I have my own warmup routine and always do some handstands before I do the MyFlex.
The Hip Extension and Pike modules each take just over 20 minutes for me to complete. The Straddle module takes me just under 20 minutes. And Back and Shoulders takes around 40 minutes.
I think I have made some progress over the 3 months that I’ve been doing it.
The main benefit I have seen is that I have more stability and better technique. My middle splits have improved a lot! And I’ve seen good progress in my backbends as well.
Here are my progress photos. The first picture in each set of photos was taken during my initial assessment and the second pictures have been taken between 3 and 4 months since then.
My Tips and Recommendations
You should definitely watch all the informational videos and instructions for the assessment first it will make it go a lot quicker. Go through the videos and write the exercises down. After a few times going through it with the follow-along videos, you won’t need it anymore and you can save some time by just following your written notes. You can split the back and shoulders module in half if you don’t do the full wheel at the end - this means you can still get in some upper body stretching without having to spend a full 40 minutes on it.
This program is great for people who might be a bit confused about how best to stretch and achieve their flexibility goals. If you thrive on having a community to motivate you and enjoy following a pre-made program that you don’t have to put too much thought into but that is still a bit customisable then this is for you.
I love that this program is so focused on building stability and improving active flexibility. And it is these areas that I have definitely seen the most benefit from doing the program.
Going forward I am honestly not too sure how I will incorporate this program into my normal training schedule. To do each module the appropriate number of times per week takes up a huge chunk of time. For now, I will continue with the program because I am enjoying it and do have the time. Right now this program is providing me with the structure that I need in my training. But when my studio reopens I will probably cut down on the amount of time I spend on it.
I think the one module I will definitely continue with as it is is the straddle module. I love that it is super quick and I love the structure because I have always struggled to train middle splits by myself. One of the things I love though is that there is so much useful information and I will definitely incorporate some of the exercises and cues from the other modules into my flexibility training but I’m not sure if I will be doing the full modules as they are laid out in the program.
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