How to improve my flexibility?

[gymgirl_60]

ok, so i posted another thread on how to get splts down quickly. well now i am looking for some long term help. i barely have my good leg down on the floor and that is the only one. my goal is to have my right and left all the way down on a raised mat and my straddle all the way down on the floor. does anyone have any flexibility exercises i can do besides just sitting in my splits???

 

[uggymnast]

Well, unfortunatly the only way to get your splits down is to sit in them. A Lot. The last two weeks i have had both of my splits down for the 1st time EVER! I did this by sitting with my leg up on a panel mat and holding the hyper split for 2 min. (left, right, AND middles). I will hurt, but as a gymnast it is good training for mental toughness. Mind over Matter. Ignore the pain, it will go away. Think about it, after you get out of the splits, the pain is gone. I you really want them, work. Good Luck!

 

[all-aroundgirl]

You'll need to sit and hold your splits. When you're watching a movie or talking with a friend at your house just start doing stretches. It will improve your flexibilty and it really does work.

 

[kgymn]

There are stretches you can do other than *just* sitting in your splits, have no fear! I am not the biggest fan of stretching my splits (until they're at full splits, then I love trying to push them past full- go figure!) I like to stretch each leg separately, it's less uncomfortable than sitting in splits.

One stretch you can do is lay on your back with your legs out straight. Without twisting your hips or bending your knees (those are the hard parts) pull each leg, one at a time, towards your head with the leg straight! Pull at your ankle, so you're doing a split but laying down. Eventually you may be able to pull it to your nose, and to each side of your head. This stretches the muscles for the front leg in each split. Another stretch to stretch just the front leg is to kneel on the floor, put your leg out straight in front of you and lean forwards over the leg, trying to have your arms up to your elbows flat on the floor to either side of your leg.

To stretch just the back leg, place your foot behind you on a raised surface ( a chair or sofa works) and lunge forward with the front leg down as far as you can. Make sure to keep good form- hips square, front knee no farther forward than your front toes (step farther out if needed) You can also do this on the floor, back leg straight on the ground lunging forward, making sure your upper body is straight up or leaning slightly back.

for straddles, froggy stretches and butterfly stretches.

If you have any extra trampoline time, you can do dynamic stretching and do split jumps and straddle jumps. Sometimes dynamic stretching can work even better than sit and hold, it keeps the muscles warm and the blood flowing.

~Katy

 

[I-Heart-Beam]

You have to practise. Seriously. There isn't an exercise you're going to do once and voila! You have your splits.

Just do everything your doing, every single night, and it will get better and easier. Its like training a double back, or twist or whatever.

 

[kgymn]

You have to practise. Seriously. There isn't an exercise you're going to do once and voila! You have your splits.

Just do everything your doing, every single night, and it will get better and easier. Its like training a double back, or twist or whatever.

Ditto to this, everything you do, do it every day. I used to stretch every night after my shower and before bed. It helped a lot!

~Katy