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                      5 Stretches to get your Splits!

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1. Lunges

This stretch will increase flexibility in your quads and hip flexors. Hold your lunge for 20-30 seconds on both the right and left legs. This stretch is especially great as it allows you to isolate muscle groups by focusing on your back leg flexibility in your split.

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2. Sitting Pike

The sitting pike stretch can be done with both pointed or flexed feet. If you choose to point your feet you should feel the stretch moreso in your hamstring whereas when you flex it is likely that you’ll feel the stretch in your calf muscles as well as your hamstring. If you feel this stretch in your back and not your legs, don’t worry! This just means you have tighter or less flexible back muscles than your leg muscles! As you continue to practice this stretch you’ll gain more mobility and begin to feel the stretch more in your legs.

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3. Bent leg lunge

This stretch is a little bit trickier than the others but it definitely helps with your splits! Start by going into your lunge (shown in stretch number 1 above) and then pick up your back leg. If you find this stretch easy you can drop down to your elbows to increase the difficulty. You should feel this stretch in both your quad and hamstring muscles. Hold for 20-30 seconds on each side.

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4. Hamstring stretch

This stretch is great for working on hamstring flexibility. Hold for 30-30 seconds on each leg. For more of a challenge, you can flex your toes up to feel the stretch in your calf muscle as well!

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5. Holding your split!

Yep, it’s as simple as that! The best way to achieve your split is by practicing it as often as you can. Even if you are far from achieving a full 180-degree split, the best thing to do is practice practice practice! If you aren’t quite flat in your split, try to hold it with straight knees and pointed toes as shown in picture 3 below. The more you do it, the easier it gets and the faster you’ll improve!

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               Happy Stretching!