Actor Varun Dhawan is giving major fitness goals to his fans with his recent Instagram post. The actor is performing flow work in the video shared by him on Monday. Animal flow has helped Dhawan built stamina post Covid-19 recovery. He also mentions that flow work is fun especially switching from one posture to another. Dhawan has been practising this unique workout under the guidance of his trainer Devrath Vijay who is an animal flow master instructor. In an exclusive conversation with us, Devrath Vijay explains all about animal flow and how it is beneficial to your body. If you are eager to try this unique workout, do not miss the insights shared by Vijay.
All you need to know about animal flow from Varun Dhawan's trainer Devrath Vijay
What is animal flow workout?
Vijay says, "Animal flow is a bodyweight movement training discipline. It was started by Mike Fitch around 9 years back. As the name suggests there are animal movement patterns that we mimic but it is a lot more than just that. It improves the performance and communication of the human body. As a child, we spend a lot of time on our fours but as we grow up we become bipedal. So, we don't put our hands down on the floor. In animal flow, you get the spine horizontal which changes a lot of things in terms of how you are loading the body weight."
Animal flow is devoid of any equipment. All you need is your body to express the movements with the flow.
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What are the benefits of animal flow?
He further elaborates on the many benefits of performing animal flow. Some of these are-
- Better mobility is one of the biggest advantages of performing animal flow as you are dynamically getting into different positions. Unlike, holding a static stretch, mobility involves getting into these different positions and having the strength to hold these positions. Not just muscles, your joints also become stronger.
- It also helps build strength because when you form positions and hold these for a while, your body requires a lot of isometric strength.
- You also learn different skills. There are opportunities to get into a handstand or a tuck balance while performing animal flow. You may also do inversions or things similar to a cartwheel. So, you are work on different skills side by side.
- It can help build endurance because you get to choose how long you are going to flow. It also builds your muscular and cardiorespiratory endurance.
- In animal flow you work a lot on your mind-muscle connection. When running on a treadmill or lifting a dumbbell it is easier, not to think about what you are doing. But when you are doing flow work it is impossible to think about something else.
- Also, your palms and your feet have millions of sensory neurons and nerve endings. This leads to a lot of communication going up all the way from the ground to your central nervous system.
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Other benefits
"It also compliments other workouts you perform. Suppose, you are a runner and you do long-distance runs for 5-6 days a week, it is good to incorporate animal flow twice a week to help you with better mobility and to strengthen certain muscles. It will also prevent injuries."
"Somebody doing yoga is already very flexible. Animal flow can help a yoga practitioner built strength to stay strong and stable in certain positions," Vijay adds.
Tips for beginners
"While performing animal flow you spend a lot of time on your palms which means that your wrists are taking quite a bit of a load which most people are not used to. When you are on your fours it puts a certain amount of weight on your wrists. To prepare your hands, wrist warm-up is something that needs to be focused on," Vijay tells DoctorNdtv.
It is crucial to start slow. First-timers should start with 5-10 minutes or a maximum of 15 minutes of this work flow. It will help your body get used to it gradually.
"Get a certified instructor to teach you this. With animal flow, you are getting into a lot of details. It is not just sweating it out or burning calories. It is more about understanding your body, the posture and many other integrated details. It is always important to do this with a certified instructor," he adds.
Wrist warm up helps you avoid hand injuries while performing animal flow workout
Photo Credit: iStock
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Talking about Dhawan, Vijay appreciates the actor for his dedication to learn something new and says, "Varun has been great. It has been really-really nice training him because he kills every session with 100 per cent efforts. While teaching work flow I introduce a lot of new things, so the person needs to be open and willing to get out of his/her comfort zone. Fortunately! Varun is like that. He trusted me and let me take him, right from basics to today. Sometimes, we have been pushing hard or do two sessions a day. He, unfortunately, tested positive for Covid a few months back which affected various factors. But he put in the work and now he is 100 per cent back. Kudos to him for not giving up!"
Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.
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