Joint gymnastics by Valentin Dikul - effective treatment of joints. Joint gymnastics by Valentin Dikul: benefits and exercises

When problems arise with the musculoskeletal system - the spine or limbs - a person is ready to trust any treatment, just to achieve a result. This is especially true for severe, advanced forms of degenerative lesions, with pain and serious impairment of motor activity. In such situation the best way treatment seems to be one that demonstrates clear, impressive results. These include Valentin Dikul’s technique.

Valentin Dikul's technique

Many people know about this person, especially those who have encountered it firsthand. Valentin Dikul is a circus actor who was immobilized due to a spinal column injury at a young age. This is a person who was treated for a long time and unsuccessfully with all kinds of traditional medicine methods, and the result was the first group of disability.

Dikul’s developments first of all helped him get back on his feet, and then eased the lot of many other patients. What is their feature and uniqueness? What diseases does this gymnastics help with?

Indications

It can be recommended as the main treatment method in the initial stages. If degenerative changes have gone too far, with the formation of intervertebral protrusions, Dikul gymnastics is part of complex therapy as a type of physical therapy.

The author's exercises can be used for lesions of the cervical, thoracic or lumbosacral regions. Each localization has its own, individually developed complex. But osteochondrosis and intervertebral hernias are not the only indication for treatment using the Dikul method.

Curvature of the spine also requires physical therapy, especially if they are accompanied by various unpleasant symptoms.

Dikul's exercises are an excellent preventive measure. They are recommended for people whose work involves monotonous loads, mainly in a sitting or standing position. The author has developed special complexes for office workers and drivers.

Underdeveloped back muscles are also an indication for physical exercise. Strengthening this muscle group and creating a kind of corset will help maintain the stability of the spinal column and alleviate the patient’s condition.

Is gymnastics necessary for a healthy person? Yes. With age, the risk of degenerative diseases of the spine increases, and poor nutrition, poor environment and lack of exercise aggravate the situation. The sooner preventative gymnastics begins, the longer a person will not find out about back pain, problems with arms or legs, or joint stiffness.

On what principles is Valentin Dikul’s technique based?

Principles of the technique

The principles of the Dikul technique are similar to those of the conventional one. But they still require more perseverance, perseverance, and dedication from patients. According to the author, no one is able to help a person more than himself. Not a single simulator, not a single unique development will cure a patient from a disease unless he or she wishes to do so.

Dikul's technique is based on the following principles:

Gradual transition from easy exercises to more complex ones. At first, author's gymnastics seems too simple to many. It does not require special load, strength or flexibility. Having quickly dealt with initial complex, patients have a desire to complicate the task. However, this is a wrong approach. It is necessary to prepare the back muscles and spine for increasing loads and this must be done gradually.
Self-control. The author pays attention to this principle Special attention. This is probably due to the fact that it was strict and even tough self-control that at one time helped Valentin Dikul get on his feet. When performing exercises, it is necessary to observe regularity and dose the load, monitor your well-being, pulse and blood pressure. If you feel unwell, unwell, or have a cold, you should temporarily avoid gymnastics.
Strict adherence to the rules. If the patient decides to practice according to the Dikul method, you cannot independently change the number of repetitions of exercises and approaches. It is also important to observe their correct sequence. You can increase the load if the gymnastics seems too easy, but the exercises must be performed in strict accordance with the program.

What exercises are indicated in the early stages of degenerative lesions and spinal curvature?

Exercises

The author has developed many of the most different exercises. They are aimed at combating osteochondrosis and hernias at all levels of the spine - cervical, thoracic, and sacral. A complex has also been developed separately to strengthen the muscles of the entire back and abdomen.

Intervertebral hernia is a pathology that requires a careful approach when engaging in physical therapy. In Dikul gymnastics there are special exercises, which improve the well-being of patients with such diseases.

It is of great practical importance for solving problems of the cervical spine. At this level of the spine there are vessels that provide blood circulation to the brain. Cervical gymnastics can relieve a person from painful headaches, dizziness, and mental disorders. At the same time, this complex is not difficult even for beginners. However, it has its own characteristics. Cervical gymnastics is carried out using a special loop.

Cervical spine treatment

You can make your own neck loop. Top part It could be an ordinary hanger, which is attached with a rubber bandage in the right place, and the loop itself is held by its side parts. Thanks to this device you can perform the following exercises:

Lying on your back, you need to place the loop in the area of \u200b\u200bthe chin and head. The tension of the rubber band should be moderate so that traction is felt. The head smoothly rises, and the chin tries to press against the chest. Jerks and sudden movements are unacceptable. Then follows the same smooth return to the starting position. For beginners, you need to perform one approach (8 repetitions) to the right and left. The exercise is performed regularly and after a month the number of approaches increases to three.
The position of the body and the loop is similar, the rubber bandage is securely fastened. The head alternately smoothly tilts towards the right and left shoulders and lingers in this position for 3–4 s, after which it returns to initial position. The exercise should be performed in 3 cycles of 8 repetitions.
The situation is the same. The head smoothly turns to one side, and the chin reaches towards the shoulder and is held in this position for 2-4 seconds, after which it returns back. Then the head turns in the opposite direction. First, you need to perform this exercise 8 turns in one direction and the other. Over the course of months, the number of such cycles increases to 2–3.

Muscle strengthening

For the normal functioning of the musculoskeletal system, you need to have a well-developed corset of muscle tissue. It provides stabilization of the spinal column and eliminates postural disorders. The most commonly used exercises to strengthen muscles are:

Lying on your back, you need to spread your legs so that your feet are approximately at shoulder level. At the same time, the arms are crossed on the chest. As you inhale, you need to turn your torso all the way in one direction, the opposite shoulder lifts off the surface. The pelvis, like the legs, remains motionless. When turning, you need to pause for 2–4 seconds and smoothly return to the starting position. This exercise starts with one cycle (8 rotations in each direction) and increases to three repetitions over 4-6 weeks.
The situation is the same. The arms are crossed and clasped around the forearms. The body alternately tilts as much as possible to the right and left sides. It is important not to lift yourself off the floor or move your pelvis or legs. The exercise is performed in 3 cycles of 8 elements in each direction.

Symptoms of compression - pain and sensory disturbances - also become less pronounced. But do not forget that if an intervertebral hernia is diagnosed, before starting any gymnastics, it is necessary to perform a CT or MRI of the spine and consult a doctor to reduce the risk of neurological complications.

Valentin Dikul – developer unique technique rehabilitation of patients after severe injuries. The originality of the teaching is in the direction of human efforts to restore the functions of the body. Joint gymnastics Dikul– this is not just a set of specific exercises. This is a healthcare system backed by detail. personal experience and knowledge, successfully demonstrated in practice.

Popularity of Dikul gymnastics

Dikul’s joint gymnastics is popular among patients and people who care about their health. Valentin Ivanovich himself was able to recover from a compression fracture of the spine and return to a full life. Numerous followers of the unique technique obtain amazing results in restoring the functions of the spine.

To prevent the tree from breaking, it is given support. A muscular corset serves as such a support for the spine. Without movement, muscles atrophy and lose elasticity. The spinal column is deprived of support, and this is a direct path to osteochondrosis and scoliosis. The mobility of bones, discs and large joints sharply decreases. , which often gives into the hand or.

Relieving muscle blockade and strengthening the muscle corset is the goal of complex treatment of spinal diseases such as disc herniation, osteochondrosis, radiculitis, and others. This therapy is used in rehabilitation centers. The basis of the basics is physical therapy. Due to the loads, spasms in damaged areas of the spine are relieved. Such fast and effective recovery is possible when training on special simulators. After eliminating the cause of the pain, the patient proceeds to the next stage - creating and strengthening the muscle frame.

Who is indicated for joint gymnastics?

rachiocampsis.

Shown gymnastics complex and for prevention purposes, people over 35 years of age who suffer from physical inactivity. It will be useful for those whose activities involve standing for long periods of time. The effect of training appears gradually, the first results are noted after some time with regular training.

Objectives of joint gymnastics

A systematic approach to performing exercises provides a person with the necessary loads. Thanks to this effect on the body, patients note the following physical and moral results:

strengthening the muscles of the back and abs;
decrease ;
rejuvenation of the body;
strengthening and development of joints;
spine flexibility;
fight against excess weight;
increased vitality;
strengthening the nervous system;
normalization of metabolic processes;
increased activity;
surge of strength.

Dikul gymnastics is indicated for patients of all ages, has almost no contraindications, and takes a minimum of time. IN full complex includes:

manual procedures;
one of two sets of physical activity;
physiotherapy;
drinking regime.

To get lasting, long-lasting results, you need to be patient. First positive effect will appear after 3-4 months of regular training.

Contraindications

A set of physical exercises has some contraindications. These include:

oncological diseases;
infectious diseases in the acute phase of their course;
cerebrovascular accidents.
heart problems;
severe stage nervous system diseases;
body temperature above 37.5;
pronounced compression of the spine.

If the patient has a history of urolithiasis or epilepsy, classes must be started with the permission of a doctor.

Joint gymnastics complex

The Dikul joint complex is divided into two types. The purpose of the first is to support joints and develop muscles. It is recommended to be performed daily in the morning and evening; it is suitable for the patient’s rehabilitation period. The first complex is divided into two parts: in the morning the legs and back are trained, in the evening – the arms, stomach and chest. A systematic approach strengthens the muscle corset. For the first three months you are allowed to exercise without weights. The exercises are performed smoothly, with even breathing. Number of repetitions – 10-15 times without stopping, 6 approaches.

The goal of the second type of gymnastics is to develop the flexibility and elasticity of the ligamentous apparatus. It is more complex than the first and is approved for use by patients with reconstructed joints. Exercise helps strengthen individual muscle groups. As you get used to the loads, you need to use weights and counterweights. Additional weight, like the complex itself, is selected individually.

A set of exercises to relieve acute pain

It is performed when the pain is still severe and there is limited mobility in the lower back, neck, and when walking. The pace of classes is slow and smooth. No special simulators or equipment are required for this.

Starting position – standing on your knees. Arms straight, head looking forward. As you exhale, lower your buttocks onto your heels. Exhale as you bend forward. Repeat up to 12 times. The pace is slow; try not to rush. If pain occurs, the amplitude can be reduced.
Do not change your body position. Knees together, chin raised. Rotate both legs from side to side. Breathing is voluntary.
The starting position is the same. Raise your chin, knees together, feet on the floor. Smoothly lower the pelvis to one side until slight pain occurs, then smoothly to the other.
In the same position, bend your lower back down, throwing your head high, and push it up, lowering your chin to your chest.
Lie on your back, bend your knees, place your feet on the floor. Slowly lower your knees to the right, left. Do not lift your back from the floor. Repeat up to 10-12 times.
From the same position, alternately pull your knee to your stomach with both hands. Breathing is voluntary. Repeat up to 10-12 times.

Basic exercises of the complex

Starting position – lying on your back. Turn the thigh of the left leg as far as it will go. Hold for 3-5 seconds. Return to previous position. Repeat for the second thigh. When performing, try to keep your torso motionless.
Without getting up from the floor, spread your legs to the sides. As you inhale, turn your body to one side to the limit, freeze for 3-5 seconds, exhale. Turn in the other direction, observing the breathing pattern.
Stay in the same position, straighten your legs. Pull your socks towards you until they stop. Perform several sliding movements with your toes to the right, then to the left, straining your feet. Do not lift the body off the floor.
Starting position - lying on your back, legs straightened, spread to the sides. Cross your arms over your chest, clasping your shoulders tightly with your palms. Bend left and right from the starting position, fixing the body for 3-5 seconds in the lower position.
Roll over onto your stomach, stretch your arms along your body, palms up. Raise your shoulders and legs without using your limbs. Fix the body in the limit position for 3-5 seconds.
The exercise is performed standing. Bend forward, arching your back parallel to the floor.

Exercise therapy classes according to Dikul require a sufficient number of repetitions. The training pace is moderate and smooth. The body relaxes, muscles stretch and tense. Compliance with the rules of exercise gives a positive effect from gymnastics.

Muscle strengthening complex

Exercises to create and strengthen the muscle corset should be performed in a specialized gym. The complex includes:

Pull the lower block to the stomach. It has two goals: it stretches the lumbar region and creates a muscle corset.
Horizontal leg press - for building muscle mass in the leg area and alignment of the pelvic spines. Indicated for combating by stretching the lumbar region and working out the abs.
Pull the vertical block towards you. Works a lot of the muscles of the upper back, relieves axial load and stretches the spine upward.
Sitting with dumbbells (minimum weight). Hands are lowered, while inhaling, spread to the sides, place dumbbells at shoulder level. As you exhale, return to the starting position. Number of repetitions - 15-20 times, 1-2 approaches. The upper spine and shoulder girdle are worked out.
From the same position. Hands with dumbbells are lowered. As you exhale, raise the dumbbells in front of you at shoulder level and fix them, turn your hands horizontally, and lower them as you exhale. The number of repetitions is 15-20. If pain occurs, reduce the amplitude. The rotation of the brushes is carried out in shoulder joints, and not in the elbows.

Complex of joint gymnastics for the elderly

Joint gymnastics is designed to prepare the body for stress, balance it, strengthen ligaments, tendons, and muscles. During exercise, the hormone of happiness is released in the body, mood improves, energy and vitality increase. This is especially necessary for older people. A special complex of joint gymnastics has been developed for them.

Lying on your back, straighten your legs. Bend one leg, placing it behind the knee of the other. Change by performing the exercise in the other direction. On initial stage 5 repetitions is enough. Gradually increase their number, bringing up to 20 repetitions with each leg.
Lying on your back, bend your knees and place them shoulder-width apart. Slowly spread your knees in different directions, trying to touch the floor with them. Start with 5 repetitions, gradually increasing their number to 20.
Standing facing the wall, rest your hands on it. Alternately perform rotations with straight legs. Don't make the circle too big. When performing, you need to warm up your joints and not strain your muscles.
Lying on my back lower limbs pull forward. Raise your legs one by one vertical position, fixing each one at the top for 10 seconds.
Lie on your stomach face down, place your hands behind your head. When lifting your torso up, spread your arms to the sides. The number of repetitions is 5-20 depending on physical fitness.
Perform the exercise while lying on your stomach. Bend your arms at the elbows and place your palms under your chin. Raise your legs one by one.
Lie on your side and perform 10 leg swings. Then 10 leg rotations hip joint. Repeat everything for the second leg.
Lie on your back, straighten your lower limbs. Alternately pull the leg bent at the knee towards your chin. The number of repetitions is 10-20 for each leg.
To warm up the neck muscles. Sit on the floor. Place your head first on one shoulder, then on the other. In the same way, tilt your head forward and backward. The pace is slow and smooth.
Sitting on a chair, turn your body, reaching your arms back. Perform in one direction, then the other.

The same exercises are used in a complex for beginners, but the execution of each is doubled. The author of the technique himself is an example of recovery and return to normal life after a severe spinal injury. Joint gymnastics according to Dikul gives results with a systematic approach.

Valentin Dikul is not a doctor, he has no special education, but he has learned a lot about medicine. He read so much, learned, studied and in theory, felt on his own skin that new knowledge naturally opened up before him: the theory of rehabilitation.

There are times when Valentin Dikul’s system produces simply unrealistic results that are difficult to perceive and explain to the human brain. However, this system is based scientific basis. It is built on the foundation of such serious sciences as physiology, chemistry, and physics.

The story of bodybuilder Dmitry Zolin

The soundtrack “How delightful are the evenings in Russia” began playing in the crowded hall. A muscular, tanned, confident man walked onto the stage to thunderous applause. With a smile on his face, he began to flex his muscles to the beat of the music. The spectators, especially the boys and the female half of the hall, watched with bated breath every move of Dmitry Zolin. The male spectators, catching the admiring glances of the women, thought that tomorrow they would start playing sports.

Dmitry Zolin - 1995 world champion in bodybuilding (version WABBA ), winner of numerous European and world championships. From the age of 16 he was involved in weightlifting. After he won the championship of the Chelyabinsk region, he began to successfully perform on the Russian and Union platforms.

And before fame it was 1982. During training, Dmitry could not hold a 135-kilogram barbell in his hands. The shell fell directly on Zolin's head and damaged the cervical vertebrae. Miraculously, the thirty-year-old guy remained alive and even retained the ability to move a little. For three months he was in a special corset. And despite the fact that Dmitry was treated by a famous doctor at the Central Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedics, the results of the treatment were not happy. The doctors’ verdict was this: forget about weightlifting, you’re disabled...

As Dmitry later said, his family and Valentin Dikul helped him a lot. Dmitry followed the path of Valentin Ivanovich - he studied according to a special rehabilitation system. At one time, thanks to her, a famous circus performer got on his feet, and now Dmitry was ready to work until he sweated.

Dmitry’s return to sports took five long years. There was no longer any talk about weightlifting; the overhead barbell was supposed to be a thing of the past. Dmitry prepared himself for strength gymnastics(eventing and bodybuilding). And he began to win. He won championship titles, confirmed by dozens of cups and medals. And they are cast not only with the gold of victories, but also with hundreds of tons of ordinary iron, which Zolin piled up over five years of preparation for success. Now no one will say how much sweat came off Dmitry during training in the gym at the city stadium. But he went towards the goal and achieved it. Exhausting work made a champion out of a disabled person.

Now Dmitry Zolin has a new goal - to win the Mr. Universe competition. But that is another story...

What is the secret of rehabilitation

The main thing is that damaged muscles can “remember” how to work if they are re-trained. A person who wants to overcome his illness must first of all remember exactly what movements he made, how his legs and arms bent and unbent.

How to do it? After all, for now these arms or legs do not want to react. There is a little trick to get them moving. You need to move along a natural trajectory with the help of mechanical devices and those muscles that are active. The legs can be placed in belt loops, which are connected with a cable using pulleys; one end of it is picked up by the trainee, and the other is tied to a load. So, with your hands you can force the leg muscles to work. By pulling the cable, you slowly raise your knees up and bend your legs, and when you let go, they straighten.

At first, the load is selected so that the legs are supported without effort, but gradually the weight of the load increases and, accordingly, the effort that must be spent on performing the exercise increases. The same principle is used when performing exercises without equipment. For example, the back muscles can be strengthened by actively working the arm muscles, lifting the body and sitting down with the hands, and then returning to the starting position, successively moving the hands along a rope ladder suspended above the bed.

If sensitivity is lost

It’s clear how to train muscles that receive impulses from the central nervous system. But what if the impulse does not reach the muscles due to irreversible organic damage? Valentin Dikul was able to find the answer to this question.

Nerve impulses can bypass the injured area

It is no secret that any movements of our body are controlled by the central nervous system. The impulse travels to the muscles along the main nerve pathways. And when this path is broken, the muscles that are located further than the damaged area lose connection with nervous system and they cannot be controlled. The nerve impulse simply cannot reach these muscles, and the body cannot “repair” the damaged nerves. That is why official medicine handed down such a cruel sentence to Dikul - a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

However, Dikul proved that it is possible to send a nerve impulse bypassing the injured area, because nerve fibers are also located in muscle tissue. And they are able to relearn and perform the work that the main nerve fibers did.

But another problem appeared. How to train these muscles to perform work unusual for them? Dikul found the answer to this question. It is necessary to “retrain” the central nervous system so that it works as if the injury had never happened. That is, so that she thinks that she has control over all parts of the nervous system - both injured and uninjured.

But for this you need to constantly work with motionless limbs. Work not for a day, not for a month. This may take years. You need to be prepared for this. This requires will, perseverance, and mental work. And then gradually the nerve endings in the body will “understand” what they want from them. And an impulse will go to the immobile muscles. Fixed limbs will come to life! The result is directly proportional to the quality of such work!

Scientifically speaking, the restoration of motor functions occurs due to compensatory-preserved muscle groups above the level of the lesion (break in the functional communication line). Also important is the level at which the break occurred - lumbar, thoracic or cervical spine spine. After all, the higher the damaged area is located, the more difficult the recovery process. But in any case, the patient’s central nervous system is sooner or later reprogrammed in such a way as to restore control of the limbs immobilized after injury. In addition, the cells of the spinal cord still have the ability to “recover” over the years, partially or even completely restoring their functions, and then the impulse can again travel along the main nerve fibers.

Exercises according to the Dikul system really help

Greetings to all. You know, I probably would never talk about my problems, but what happened to me is not a miracle. Training according to the Dikul system helped me. Therefore, I will write so that people know that you can really change a lot in life.

It so happened that I received a compression fracture of the spine, and in three places at once - in the lumbar region, between the shoulder blades, and another fracture somewhere between the first two. Of course, I ended up in the hospital. I haven't gotten out of bed for almost a year. But I didn't just lie there and feel sorry for myself. Every day I did gymnastics and massages for 2-4 hours a day. I had only one thought in my head, with which I woke up and with which I fell asleep: “I will get up! I will definitely get up! I will walk!"

The first time the doctors got me back on my feet was at the hospital. And then they sent me home, and I had no choice but to study on my own. I started studying according to the method of Valentin Dikul. While I was in the first group of disability, I wore a corset for all four years. Every day I spent 2-3 hours strengthening my muscle corset and leg muscles. Dikul helped me a lot. Of course, I didn’t meet him personally, which I really regret. I would like to see such a PERSON!!! But the matter is completely different. About 20 years ago, Dikul’s system was very popular, his exercises were published in many magazines, shown on TV, and anyone could start practicing on their own. Believe it or not, when six months after discharge I CAME on my own two feet, albeit in a corset and with a cane (but these are trifles), to the Military Medical Academy, the entire department came running to see. It was very touching.

So what happened to me? Is this a miracle or not? I think not. I understand that nothing important was torn, but maybe my “private accident” will help someone...

From the statements of those who study according to the Dikul system

Movement for muscles and joints is life

Without normal physical activity and habitual stress, muscles and joints gradually degrade irrevocably. Even if after some time it is possible to deliver an impulse to them, bypassing the damaged area or directly, this impulse may simply not be “heard.” By then, the muscles may simply atrophy! That is why the second principle of Valentin Dikul’s treatment method is to maintain the working condition of muscles and joints after an injury or in case of a disease of the musculoskeletal structure.

The recovery process using Dikul’s method is long. It requires a huge investment of mental and physical strength. The only difficulty is that everything is decided by the will and character of the person himself. Here, neither medicine nor the most modern and sophisticated computer technology will do anything for him. Patients work on special simulators “until a sweat”, however, they achieve impressive results, getting the opportunity to live an almost full life again. Visual evidence of its effectiveness is provided by the author himself and the thousands of people he has put on his feet.

I would like to add that the rehabilitation system created by Valentin Dikul is used not only in our country, but also abroad. And we can say that it is unique and radically different from the approaches existing in other countries. After all, in the West, a disabled person is simply arranged for his disabled life with comfort: they provide wheelchairs, solve problems everyday problems– ease of moving around the apartment in a wheelchair, changing seats using special lifting mechanisms, turning on the lights without any problems... And this probably suits everyone. But Dikul is categorically against such a life. He believes that it is imperative to restore the ability to move, to return to an active life, and not just make life easier in a wheelchair.

The various devices and simulators that Valentin Dikul creates are sometimes quite complex to be recreated independently. Therefore, in this book you will get acquainted with two sets of simple, but very effective exercises that are accessible to everyone. All that is needed to perform them is the simplest equipment that can be made at home, and some of the exercises are performed without any structures at all. In addition, Dikul believes that you need to learn to feel your body and select complexes yourself, taking into account your body and body structure.

79 exercises by Valentin Dikul

Mental preparation

This required condition. For training to be effective, each training session must begin with a mental warm-up. First of all, it is necessary to create a certain psychological mood. You already know how to do this with the help of visualization, affirmation, etc. Valentin Dikul himself strongly recommends that you first mentally do in your head everything that you will now do physically. This is especially important when it is necessary to restore the mobility of the arms, legs, and spine after an injury, surgery, or during a rapid course of the disease. This warm-up is a necessary condition for success, since it allows you to establish a connection between the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) and every muscle of the body before training. Even if the muscles did not obey you, since the connection was lost for a long time, it will gradually recover and begin to function.

This “mental gymnastics” technique can help patients not only after an injury, but also after a stroke. You can restore the central nervous regulation that controls the motor activity of the affected areas of the body by creating a mental image of a particular exercise.

Your personal method of mood

This is a chosen, tested and already perfected method of mental attitude. Everyone has their own. You need to start it 15-20 minutes before training and try to maintain it during training.

The scheme of your actions is as follows:

1. Create a normal training environment. There should be no music or extraneous noise that can prevent you from getting the most out of your workout.

2. Relax using your chosen technique.

3. Get into the desired state of mind.

4. Tune in to your health.

5. Do Dikul’s “mental warm-up”. It will prepare your muscles for work.

6. You are studying.

7. Feeling tired, angry, indignant, lazy, despair, return to the mood.

8. Finish the exercises and give yourself one more additional mood in which you affirm that the training was beneficial, there are results.

Exercise “Mental warm-up”

You should do this exercise before the main complex.

While you are still motionless, mentally imagine how well your arms or legs bend and unbend, and note what happens to individual muscle groups. You need to imagine in every detail how you are actively moving. Dikul argues that this is so important that without such a process of mental warm-up, healing cannot be achieved. The muscles eventually begin to respond to the command themselves. The muscles will respond - the legs will move. This “picture” is a path to health.

For example, imagine clenching your fingers into a fist, raising your legs up, and lowering them down. Mentally perform the movements necessary for this repeatedly, thoughtfully. Then do the opposite in the same way, imagining how the muscles of the back and abdomen work at that very moment. Then, with an internal order, you raise your hands and do the whole procedure again. The clearer and more specific the “picture”, the faster connections are formed with other parts of the brain, which will take over the functions of nervous regulation of the immobilized part of the body. Each mentally performed exercise leaves its mark on the brain; when repeated, a chain of such traces is gradually created and a new center of nerve connections that control movement is formed. This happens differently in patients. Depending on the nature of the defeat, willpower, patience, and perseverance, this renewal process may take a month or a year. After all, the birth of an unprecedented nervous “road” must be preceded by the appearance of a “path”, which is torn in the place of the traces of the pioneers.

First set of exercises (general rehabilitation)

This complex can be conditionally called a general rehabilitation complex. It included the very exercises that Valentin Dikul performed after an injury, at the very beginning of his journey to getting back on his feet and returning to the circus arena.

At first it may be difficult for you to perform the entire complex. To make it easier for you, you can divide it into several parts. For example, do exercises for the muscles of your legs and back in the morning, and exercises for the muscles of the abdomen, chest and arms in the afternoon. It doesn't matter in what order you train the muscle groups. The main thing is that all muscles get the necessary load. Therefore, you need to have an idea of the structure of the human body and the work of individual muscles of different groups.

During the first two months, it is preferable to exercise without increasing the load, repeating 12-15 times and increasing the number of approaches to 6. (An approach is performing one exercise a certain number of times without a break.) Do not hold your breath, do a mental warm-up before each session.

In order to better understand how the body reacts to training, identify the causes of ailments, and adjust loads, it is very important to keep a diary of exercises. Don’t forget to note your heart rate every day before training, during the most intense part, and how long it will take for your heart rate to return to its original value after finishing. Be sure to write down the number and order of the exercise, the number of approaches and repetitions, and the load in each exercise.

Exercise 1

The transition from a lying position to a sitting position trains the abdominal muscles well. But many patients find it difficult to do just this. If you hang a load through the blocks, the abdominal muscles will work in a lighter mode. At the same time, the back muscles will become more loaded: in order to lie back, you will have to overcome the resistance of the load. If possible, you need to address the load alternately with your face, then with your back and swing different groups muscles.

Exercise 2

Your arms are strong enough, but you still cannot sit down and hold in this position. Perform the exercise using a suspended rope ladder. While moving the rope steps with your hands, try to sit up from a lying position. Then lie down in the same way. When lifting, the arm muscles will actively work, shoulder girdle and backs. The main task is solved - a muscle corset is created.

Exercise 3

To maintain the body in a sitting position, you need to engage the muscles of the back, abdomen and hips. But if you slightly modify this exercise, you can also make it work latissimus muscles backs. To do this, you need to lower the load below chest level and pull it towards you, bending your elbows.

Exercise 4

By pulling and pulling your socks towards you, you force yourself to work calf muscles, blocks are not needed for this. But if instead of a cable you put a rubber band or an elastic bandage on your socks, then new possibilities appear. You can pull your arms to your chest - the latissimus dorsi muscles will work. By leaning back and stretching the bandage with force, we will load long muscles backs.

Exercise 5

This exercise is for those who can already stand while holding onto support. Smooth movements of the pelvis are made back and forth.

Exercise 6

The legs alternately make smooth movements back and forth to full amplitude.

Exercise 7

The cable from the load, passed through two blocks, is secured to the knees with a belt loop, then the knees move back and forth.

Exercise 8

Having secured the cable to the lower back, we move our hips to the sides.

Exercise 9

We hold onto the support and bend over.

Exercise 10

It is necessary to improve the simulator somewhat - to make a movable cart or stand on rollers. We stand on one leg, and with the other we pull the cart to which the load is attached.

Exercise 11

Having attached a weight to the knee, we raise and lower the leg.

Exercise 12

Half squat. The same roller cart is used as in exercise 10, when it was used to strengthen the legs. You need to attach two more pins to it to rest your shoulders. Squatting, we seem to roll our backs along the wall, and then, holding the handle of the cable and helping ourselves with our hands, we straighten our legs.

After you have worked through the entire complex, you will understand which exercises are most suitable for you, and in the future you should perform them.

Dikul himself called his exercises nothing more than training. And during training, there is always a danger of not recognizing the state of the body and missing the moment when you need to stop. But even in this case, you don’t need to give up training. Just reduce your load, get a massage, eat healthy food - more fresh vegetables and fruits. Of course, it is not always possible to receive the services of a massage therapist, so you need to learn self-massage techniques.

But if you want to achieve, in addition to restoring health, sports results, then Dikul recommends using such a scheme. The first one and a half to two months - training without increasing the weight of the load, at 50% of your strength, only to strengthen the muscles. For the next month and a half, increase the weight of the load and increase the number of approaches to approximately 75% strength. And only after that you can move on to maximum weights and loads. If you want to achieve some results, you cannot stay at the same load for a long time.

This is a must. For training to be effective, each training session must begin with a mental warm-up. First of all, it is necessary to create a certain psychological mood. You already know how to do this with the help of visualization, affirmation, etc. Valentin Dikul himself strongly recommends that you first mentally do in your head everything that you will now do physically. This is especially important when it is necessary to restore the mobility of the arms, legs, and spine after an injury, surgery, or during a rapid course of the disease. This warm-up is a necessary condition for success, since it allows you to establish a connection between the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) and every muscle of the body before training. Even if the muscles did not obey you, since the connection was lost for a long time, it will gradually recover and begin to function.