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I have decided to learn how to do the splits to celebrate turning 37 next year! I've been trying since I was a little kid. I'd like to be able to do splits from the front and the side. Can you guys give me tips and exercises to help me reach my goal?
1 - accept that not everyone -can- do splits, and you might be one of them.
2 - start out slow. If you can cross your legs in the lotus position, you can make an attempt to stretch your groin muscles further. If you can't cross your legs in the lotus position, it's a good place to start. Not the only one, but the easiest to figure out.
3 - can you touch your toes? If so, can you place your palms flat on the ground when you bend to touch your toes? no? Work on that then.
4 - when you sit on the floor, legs extended, spread your legs apart. Do -not- point your toes. Slowly bend, arms up over your head, torso squared above one thigh. So -not- push yourself down. Just let it bend as far as it'll go comfortably. Hold there for a 10-count. Then switch to the other thigh. Do 5 reps of this every day - 5 on each side. Once you can get your chest almost touching your leg, try spreading your legs apart by another couple of inches, and do the stretching/bending exercise like that til it's easy, then spread another couple of inches, and so on and so forth.
Remember - not everyone CAN do this. Some people just plain aren't all that limber, or don't have "open" hips.
That's the exercises for a spread eagle split, which is the harder one to master but the easiest to exercise for.
Anon has some great advice for working on your flexibility. I took ballet, jazz and modern dance for years and could never do the splits. My sister could and still can. Sometimes it's just your body. But if it's in you , you might look around for gyms or dance studios that have pilates equipment. The reformer is the best way to really get the range of motion in your hips, IMO, and there's another apparatus (whose name escapes me) that you sit on and slowly crank your legs apart. The groin muscles are a bear to stretch out, and having that resistance helps. That apparatus only works for splits side-to-side; the reformer will help with splits front-to-back.
LOL I'm overweight, but still pretty flexible (dance + yoga), but two things I can't do are the move where you can bend your leg up towards your head and grab your ankle or toe (http://lh6.ggpht.com/-0z0cYKilIM0/Sb...252.jpg)...and the splits.
JJ, I have my own dance studio...mirrors, barre etc. It's one of the benefits of being a childless middle aged woman. LOL I'm not sure if I can afford any more equipment as yet, but I will totally take the advice you guys gave!
Pls, I can't even think it won't be possible for me to do a split oO. Anonchick, do you have any pix of #4? I'm having trouble visualizing it.
Basically you're making yourself into an upside down bent Y.
O
|<
Like that. The O is your head. You're sitting on the floor. Your back is straight. That's the | . Your legs are parted and flat on the floor. That's the < .
You bend your body over one leg at a time, stretching your arms out gently toward your toes, but -not- pointing your toes - your heels are on the floor and your toes are pointed up to the ceiling.
It's a typical hamstring stretching exercise for ballet. The groin-stretching aspect of it is that you're positioning your legs in a split position, gradually over a period of weeks.
Basically you're making yourself into an upside down bent Y.
O
|<
Like that. The O is your head. You're sitting on the floor. Your back is straight. That's the | . Your legs are parted and flat on the floor. That's the < .
You bend your body over one leg at a time, stretching your arms out gently toward your toes, but -not- pointing your toes - your heels are on the floor and your toes are pointed up to the ceiling.
It's a typical hamstring stretching exercise for ballet. The groin-stretching aspect of it is that you're positioning your legs in a split position, gradually over a period of weeks.
Today I did my cardio and yoga and incorporated the split exercises. I can touch the ground when doing a straight leg forward bend. I'm working on trying to get my palms flat on the floor.
I can almost do a split in the rabbit(?). When I do the butterfly, my knees don't touch the ground on either side. I can't bend all the way forward, either, but I'm working on it!
I did Anongirl's exercise, but it seemed too easy. I think I may have done it incorrectly. Is my butt supposed to be on the ground (sitting) or should the V be between my thighs and the ground like:
0 ---> O ---> O
| | |
/\ / \ / \
You know, sliding slowly down and then doing the stretch? Or am I supposed to be sitting with my legs open in front of me?
I have decided to learn how to do the splits to celebrate turning 37 next year! I've been trying since I was a little kid. I'd like to be able to do splits from the front and the side. Can you guys give me tips and exercises to help me reach my goal?
Quote:
Originally Posted by AnonChick
1 - accept that not everyone -can- do splits, and you might be one of them. . .
This ^^ and SLOWLY stretching ALREADY WARM muscles.
I have known many people (myself included) that could do one form of splits, but not the other. Bodies are different. I am VERY flexible (back bends & extending one leg over my head in a cheerleading pose)and I can do front splits where either leg is extended, but I can't get anywhere near flat on the floor in the sideways (Some people call them Chinese) splits. I just CAN'T flex that way.
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, you might look around for gyms or dance studios that have pilates equipment. The reformer is the best way to really get the range of motion in your hips, IMO, and there's another apparatus (whose name escapes me) that you sit on and slowly crank your legs apart. The groin muscles are a bear to stretch out, and having that resistance helps. That apparatus only works for splits side-to-side; the reformer will help with splits front-to-back.
SLOWLY stretching ALREADY WARM muscles.
