Snake, an old exercise on the Ladder
I recently recorded several exercises in the Levitation series and as I was selecting which exercises to use, I looked back at old syllabi to see if I was forgetting any really cool ones. I was. I haven't done Snake in years and I remembered how much I've always liked this.
While it looks kind of intense, using the arms like this actually allow me to increase my back bend. I can get higher than with my arms on the sides of the Ladder or hands clasped behind my head. I suppose its the physics of changing the lever length. It's also a great exercise for opening your chest and the front of the shoulders.