Flexibility is not a characteristic that is born with. It can and should be developed, and this is not at all difficult to do. Of course, genetics also plays an important role in this. But there is not a single person who would never go in for sports and could easily sit on the twine.
It makes no sense to talk about the timing in such a matter. Someone needs to spend a month on training, for others a couple of weeks will be enough. The only one you should listen to in this matter is your own body.
In this article, we’ll look at effective stretching exercises to help you do the splits. But first, let’s talk about some of the conditions that must be observed during training.
How to do splits workouts in a month or a week
Undoubtedly, your task is not only the desire to sit on the split, but also not to injure your body at the same time. Stretching is a delicate matter, especially if you’ve never done it before. Therefore, you should not start the exercises at breakneck speed. To begin with, remember the following points:
- One of the main prerequisites for improving stretching is regular exercise. Muscle fibers, not to mention the ligaments and joints, tend to lose flexibility and elasticity if these qualities are not developed purposefully. Therefore, exercises should be performed daily, or better, twice a day;
- Flexibility must be developed in an integrated manner. That is, you cannot work only on the legs – you must simultaneously work on the adjacent muscles. Better yet, if you train the whole body at once;
- Another important condition is that the body must be relaxed. Pinching your muscles can lead to stretching or even tearing of the muscle fibers. To avoid this, classes should be carried out in a warm room, and observing the correct breathing technique;
- Before starting the exercises, you must be prepared for the fact that you will feel pain. It will persist not only during stretching, but also some time after. You can only use static stretching, in which the muscles are held in one position for several minutes. In this case, progress will be slower, but less painful;
- The most important factor is that you shouldn’t expect quick results. Focusing on other people’s results and pushing your workouts will inevitably lead to injury.
After any workout, you should massage your muscles well. This will help reduce pain slightly and aid recovery. It is best to do exercises in the morning, when the muscles are most susceptible to stretching, and also in the evening, when your joints and ligaments are well warmed up. The duration of the workout should be at least 30 minutes.
How to learn to do twine: exercises for beginners
This section will provide a list of exercises for beginners to begin. In principle, if once upon a time you knew how to sit on the splits, and now you are unsure, then you should also start from this point.
Seated toe bends
Sit on the floor with your legs extended forward. As you lean your body forward, try to touch your toes with your hands. For greater efficiency, you can not just touch your legs with your hands, but do swinging movements of the body back and forth. Exercise perfectly helps to stretch the back of the thigh and lower back at the same time.
Tilts of the body to the toes
Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart. Lean your body forward. At the same time, reach your toes with your hands. As soon as you touch them, make springy movements up and down. This will help improve the stretch in your hips and back.
To make the exercise more difficult, spread your legs as wide as possible over time. At the same time, you can touch the floor in the middle, and reach for your feet to the left and right sides.
Forward lunges
Make a series of forward lunges. Alternately, lunge first on your left foot, then on your right. Perfectly develops the flexibility of the front and back of the thigh
Seated alternate bends to the legs
Here, you should alternately bend over and touch the toe, first with your right foot, then with your left foot. The touch is made with the opposite hand, and the second at this time is retracted. Helps develop flexibility in the hips and buttocks.
Raising a leg
You will need an elastic band for this exercise. If not, you can use a regular belt or towel. Lie on your back, bend one leg at the knee and place it on the floor. Pull the tape through the foot of the other leg, and hold its ends in your hands. Straighten your leg trying to overcome resistance.
Exercises for the intermediate level
After you have worked with the exercises in the first section, gradually move on to the second. More complicated options for developing a stretch will be given here.
Forward bend with legs spread
Sit on the floor with your legs apart as much as possible. Lean your body forward, trying to reach your toes with your hands. The exercise is suitable for both intermediate and advanced levels. It all depends on how wide you can spread your legs.
Dove pose
Lunge with one foot forward, then lower it and turn it so that it lies on the floor. Keep the foot close to the pelvis, with the thigh and lower leg fully pressed to the floor. Stretch your pelvis forward. For greater effectiveness of the exercise, you can additionally lower yourself on your elbows, placing them in front of your front leg.
Breeding legs to the sides
Lie on the floor with your arms resting freely along your body. Raise your legs at a slight angle upward. At the same time, spread your legs apart from each other. Try to spread them as wide as possible, gradually overcoming muscle resistance. Lock in the position of maximum stretch and hold it for a minute.
Side lunges
Lunge with your foot to the side, trying to lower your pelvis as low as possible to the floor. The depth of the lunge depends on your flexibility. To increase it, it is not necessary to immediately sit down in the lower position – you can gradually, with springy movements, increase the depth of the seat.
Frog
Get on all fours with your legs apart. The emphasis should be on the forearms. The wider you spread your legs, the deeper the gray will be. Accordingly, the better your muscles will stretch.
Exercises for a high level
Here will be listed complex exercises that need to be performed directly for the splits landing. It is not recommended to perform them until you have fully mastered and worked through the previous two levels.
Standing leg stretch
Stand up straight. Raise your straightened leg up and grab it with your hand. Try to pull her as close to you as possible, feeling the stretch in the muscles.
Complicated Dove Pose
If, in the position of a dove, you additionally pull up the hind leg with your hands, then this exercise can be well improved. Perfectly develops flexibility of the whole body.
Butterfly
Sit up straight and close your feet together. You can hold them with your hands. In this exercise, you must constantly keep your back straight. Additionally, you can tilt the body forward while maintaining the position of the legs.
Incomplete twine
When you start to feel like your stretch is getting better, you can start practicing the Partial Split. To do this, spread your legs to the sides and move them as far as flexibility allows. Additionally, you can tilt the body forward – this will help to further stretch the muscles of the back and buttocks.
Vertical twine
The exercise provides excellent static load. Unlike regular twine, here, the muscles do not receive additional load from the body weight. Therefore, it is easier to perform than the classic twine.
To avoid injury and effectively develop your flexibility, you should start with the simplest exercises. Do not rush, and then, after some time, you can easily sit on the twine.