The splits exercise is very suitable for a beginner athlete. It may seem like asking your body to perform this impressive look, but it is a painful task at times and it is a good idea at first.
It is a straightforward exercise that an 8-year-old can do as it may end up being one of the most challenging and physically demanding movements I have ever done.
Before you exercise, you should check the expert advice and step-by-step instructions.
Stretches to Prepare You for the Splits
There are different types of splits exercise that you can practice, and these types and shapes are the front splits and the side splits.
While doing splits, you should stretch and strengthen your hip muscles, glutes, glutes, hamstrings, and inner thighs.
How to do the Splits For Beginners – 5 Easy Stretches
Before you do splits exercises, you must do warm-up exercises by doing light jogging or by doing yoga exercises for a period of between 5 to 10 minutes, as these exercises will help you a lot in increasing blood circulation in the body as these exercises Exercising by raising the body temperature and thus your ability to move will increase significantly and therefore you will be able to stretch effectively so that it is easy to do.
If you do splits exercises before you warm up, this will lead to an increase in injury, and you will find it very difficult while you are doing the stretching exercises as required, because your body may be stiff.
There are 5 stretching exercises that we will mention:
Runner’s Lunge on Knee
This exercise is practiced if you perform the front openings, as you must start with this extension before you perform the front holes.
How to do the exercise:
- Do the exercise while standing with your feet together.
- Step forward with your right leg while extending your left leg to the back.
- Lower your knee towards the ground with your front knee directly above your ankle and you should feel the presence of a stretch in the left thigh muscle.
- Bend your left hip and then push it toward the floor in order to increase the depth of the stretch.
- Do the exercise for 20 to 30 seconds and then repeat this stretch from 2 to 3 times on each side.
Bent Over Hamstring Stretch
As you transition from a knee lunge to a hamstring extension, straightening your front leg will greatly help you get into splits.
How to do the exercise:
- Do a running position on the knee, then straighten your front leg, and then sit on your back heel.
- Keep your back straight as you reach the front.
- Draw your belly toward your thigh instead of reaching your toe.
- Do the exercise for 20 to 30 seconds and then repeat this exercise from 2 to 3 times on each side.
Deep Side Lunge
The lateral lunge is one of the wonderful and effective exercises by strengthening the quadriceps, hips, and adductor muscles, especially the long and short adductor muscles.
How to do the exercise:
- Do the exercise while you are standing with your feet together.
- Take a step to the right in a side lunge with your knee directly above your ankle.
- Put your left hand on the ground and then use your right hand to actively push your knee. You should feel the presence of a stretch in the inner left thigh, and you should feel your right hip when it is bent.
- Do the exercise for 20 to 30 seconds and then repeat the exercise from 2 to 3 times on each side.
Pigeon Pose
You should practice this stretch every day if you want to get the splits, as this position will work to stretch the hip muscles and will open the muscles in the small glutes and the large muscles and will help to stretch the muscles of the piriformis and psoas as this stretching It will help you make your hips flat.
How to do the exercise:
- Do the exercise every quarter.
- Make your right knee with your ankle behind your left wrist, and you should make your front leg bent at an angle of 45 to 90 degrees, depending on the skeleton and the level of flexibility.
- Keep your left leg stretched out towards the back with the top of your foot comfortably flat on the ground.
- Don’t put your right ankle under your left hip, so you have to make some adjustments by moving your left leg back a lot.
- Make both hips square or in line with each other.
- Put both hands on the floor and then go down on your elbows or along the path.
- Do the exercise for 20 to 30 seconds and then repeat this exercise from 2 to 3 times on each side.
Pigeon with Leg Hold
This pose has a lot of variations for all levels of flexibility and this variation is a bit more challenging as you have to feel a lot of stretch in your hip muscles.
How to do the exercise:
- Do the exercise by bringing your right leg toward the front and then bending your leg back so that your toes are pointing toward the ceiling.
- Make your hand extended towards the back to grab your left leg using your left hand.
- Pull your left leg toward your body so that you make a bounce in your hands.
- Push your left hip down toward the floor if you notice a lift.
- Do the exercise for 20 to 30 seconds and then repeat this exercise from 2 to 3 times on each side.
Note: If you cannot reach the floor in any of these exercises, you can use yoga blocks to correct this shape.
How to do the front splits
This exercise shares Brueckner’s steps in performing frontal splits.
How to do the exercise:
- Do a low lunge position with the back knee down.
- Put your hands on either side of your hips with your front foot flat to start the exercise.
- Point your toes so that the top of your foot should be firmly on the ground.
- Move your front foot forward with your toes pointing, then pull the right foot to the back, bringing your hips toward the mat.
- Use your arms to reduce tension and stabilize.
- When you feel a deep stretch in the anterior hamstrings and the hip flexors, stop while continuing to do this pose.
Note: The main goal of the exercise is to feel and not feel pain, as the rebound will lead to a great strain on the muscles and joints, so you should avoid rebounding.
What can the splits do for you?
If you do splits exercises, you will get a wide range of benefits, as splits exercises will increase the strength of the hip movement and will increase its flexibility, and this will improve the functional movement.
Any athlete can improve his performance even when he becomes old, it will help you to maintain the range of motion and therefore he will find value in performing these movements.
By practicing the side split, Ahmed says, you will be able to directly relate to the maximum depth of the front squat in addition to other daily movements such as getting into or out of the car or squatting to take a picture with the children.
The front split will increase the power of performing the lunge, and Ahmed says it greatly helps runners to extend their stride length and help the dancers improve their technique.
Can everyone do the splits?
Yes, everyone can do the splits exercise, but the difference between people is in the amount of time it takes for some to master the exercise.
As for the time taken to perform the exercise in the best way, it depends on the previous movement history of the trainee. For example, it takes both athletes and gymnasts to master the exercise for a period ranging from 4 to 6 weeks, but for new trainees, it takes more time to master the exercise, but do not despair You can do this exercise after practicing the previous exercises and steps that we mentioned.
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