- 1). Perform a few warm-up exercises before starting your splits routine. Sit on the floor with your legs outstretched and reach for your toes. Warm up your legs with a dynamic stretch, such as high kicks or knee raises (bringing your knees to your chest while standing, as if you're marching). This combination of dynamic and static stretching will prepare the leg muscles for the splits.
- 2). Once you're warmed up, perform the splits as far down as you can. Pay attention to the tension that you feel in the muscles of the legs. Breathe slowly and try to relax your mind. Once you get to a point where the muscles start to burn, hold that position and count to 30. This will be your beginning position and you'll try to beat it slightly each day.
- 3). Sit and rest for a minute or two, but do not allow the muscles to get cold.
- 4). Move into the splits position again and sink down until you start to feel the tension. Press down a little bit further (no more than an inch at a time) and hold that position for another 30-count.
- 5). Sit down and rest for one or two minutes.
- 6). Perform a third split stretch, pressing down slightly further once again. Hold this for a 30-count.
- 7). Repeat the cycle of stretching every day for six weeks. As you allow gravity to pull you further towards the floor, your muscles will learn to relax in a more stretched position. Each time you push yourself to stretch a little further, the relaxation happens at a lower point, until eventually you will be able to perform the splits.
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