I made a vow to be more adventurous this year, so I’m signing up for all the weird and wonderful workouts I can find in my hometown of London, then reporting back on what I’ve learned about fitness, myself and my body.
For The Workout Workshop this week, I attended the London Dance Academy for an exercise class I didn’t even know existed until last week: contortion. London Dance Academy is, in its words, a “dance and alternative fitness studio in London offering innovative dance and fitness classes.”
A slightly different vibe to trying puppy yoga just last week, contortion training promises to improve flexibility, control and strength using a blend of conditioning exercises and techniques. Think of a stretching and mobility class on steroids. Here’s what happened when I tried it.
What is contortion training?
Contortion at a basic level aims to build “extreme” flexibility, improve the range of motion of joints and the strength and length of muscles. Think anything from backbends to the splits or chest stands. I already practice yoga regularly (and have been for years), so I went into contortion with an existing level of flexibility, which is recommended.
However, this class was also beginner-friendly and targeted as an all-level session. If you plan to try it, I strongly advise researching and speaking with your class instructor beforehand.
The key to contortion is progression; if you don’t possess natural flexibility, you can still benefit from contortion classes, while safely developing skills in a guided environment.
I tried a contortion exercise class for the first time — here’s what happened to my body
Here’s what I learned from just one class — and why I plan to go back.
It’s a slow burner
Don’t be fooled by the slow build-up of a contortion class. Each session starts with a warm-up, including some light mobility exercises and stretch work. At around the 35-minute mark, my instructor introduced building postures known as “shapes.” The sessions then finish with some core work and a quick cool-down.
My class was intimate with only three people and a capacity of roughly five to six, which gives plenty of time to play with the shapes with hands-on help from the instructor. Granted, it was a beginner-friendly class, but even so, it wasn’t as “out there” as I’d imagined.
In fact, while the slow build allowed us to safely move into more advanced movements like backbends and postures like King Pigeon, the overall feel was a more extreme but less structured yoga class, where sequencing gave way to experimentation.
My spinal mobility and back flexibility need work
I’ve always considered myself to be pretty flexible. I grew up doing gymnastics and I regularly attend hot yoga classes. Because I also teach mobility and flexibility, the class didn’t feel unfamiliar and I already knew many of the postures from yoga, on a less extreme scale, obviously.
However, the latter half of the class totally humbled me. My upper-body flexibility, including my thoracic spine, needs work, so this is an area I want to focus on during future sessions, as I’ve learned that much of your overhead mobility is thoracic-based rather than just a result of tight shoulders.
That said, just because my back is tight now doesn’t mean I can’t improve. The muscles that run along either side of the spine help support and stabilize it, so stretching and strengthening these muscles can help improve flexibility and support overall upper-body strength and movement.
Alignment and hands-on assists are key
It goes without saying contortion can be dangerous without careful instructing and scaling — known as progressions and regressions. My instructor helped adapt the session to each participant’s ability, using hands-on assistance and cues.
This helped me see and feel what my body was doing, and as I recorded a few poses on camera, I noticed how different my experience of a posture was from how it looked.
I particularly love how she spoke about internal hip rotation and external hip rotation during lower-body postures to help us understand what the pelvis should be doing and what muscles should be working and when, while finding deeper shapes. That level of detail is what I enjoy; it helped me understand my body better and how to move it.
I used muscles I didn’t know I had
I felt a little wired and shaky after class like it had impacted me on a neuromuscular level. The next day, it felt like my muscles had been through an intense full-body workout. Though DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) is often associated with how hard you’ve gone during a workout, the truth is? It’s a bit of a myth.
More often than not, DOMS occurs when your body tries new things and you work your muscles in ways unfamiliar to you or with an intensity your body is unadapted to, rather than indicating that you’ve done a better or worse job, or gone harder or easier.
It was hard to breathe — but there’s a reason why
During backbends, I found it harder to breathe, which doesn’t seem surprising, given I was upside down at the time. However, my instructor said I’d allowed my neck and head to go slack, making it tough to inhale properly. Instead, she recommended a slight chin tuck and gazing upward, which helps open the throat — this also prevented me from getting dizzy.
Is contortion good for your body?
With expert guidance that focuses on alignment, you should be able to safely and gradually build mobility and flexibility while progressing the postures found in contortion classes.
Even if you don’t have an interest in the advanced poses, adequate flexibility and mobility are important for healthy movement and protecting your muscles and joints during exercise and daily life, especially as you age.
To some degree, genetics can play a role in how much flexibility or hypermobility you enter into contortion training with. But for those who make a career out of it, it takes some serious training and practice to nail the skills, and these can even transfer to other areas like pole fitness and aerial arts.
However, anything extreme comes with risks. One 2008 study, also mentioned by the MEDizzy Journal in 2020, does mention risks, including potential long-term damage to the spine for long-practicing contortion practitioners. The study of five practitioners using MRI found conditions such as disc bulges and degeneration, with three of the five reporting back pain.
How do contortionists get so flexible?
There are several key principles that form the basis of contortion, including the marriage of flexibility with strength and control. For that reason, you’ll need to work on building a foundation of strength, balance and awareness when trying contortion classes at a beginner level. Like with building muscle, controlled progression and consistency will allow you to move toward more challenging shapes.
However, it’s crucial to take your time, work with a qualified practitioner and listen to your body. If you experience pain, stop immediately and avoid pushing yourself through, especially if you already have an injury.
I tried a contortion workout — here’s my verdict
I really enjoyed my first contortion class and picked up a few great mobility drills in the process. My instructor used PNF stretching techniques which allowed me to safely push deeper into postures, leaving me feeling super stretchy and bendy afterward.
More than anything, it felt great to relieve tension in my spine and hips after a day spent writing at my desk. All in all, I’ll be heading back to put my flexibility to the test again.
More from Tom’s Guide
We’re launching “The Workout Workshop,” which is a series on the weird and wonderful workouts you can find out there in the world. Keep your eye out for classes and more throughout the year.
