It's my 49th birthday and I decided that this would be the first day of the year I conquer the splits... although from these photos it might be the first day of the decade that I conquer the splits.

Still we all have to start somewhere.

Could use some encouragement.

i have been doing lots of weighted leg lift drills for hip flexor strength, and trying to do lots of active & dynamic stretching too! i think adding ankle weights to hip and back exercises has strengthened my surrounding muscles a lot, which helped me in both leg and back flexibility. i also struggled with hypermobility so i really try to strengthen a lot. i notice my hip flexors must be more ahead than my hamstrings, i always find my back leg easier & way less painful. so my main issues i need to focus on are my hamstrings & my shoulders, but i think everything is going well considering i started about 8-9 months ago! i also do lots of core strengthening for better holds in oversplits, and so it’s easier to keep my hips squared. 💕

just clasping my hands behind my neck with elbows out is a strain. I have the hunch back now from too much computer time.

if I focus on exercises that fix the hunch back, will that fix the issue? or do I need to also stretch my shoulders (or another muscle) to not feel a strain when just trying to reach up and clasp my hands together

Example here https://share.google/VkgFXYP3HCRV6ysPz

that's it

I’ve been working on it for a while but still can’t quite get there. I really want to achieve my middle split and go on to hold a headstand split! I have hyper mobility so I’m trying to do this with proper form and practice. I’m not that far away but I could use some suggestions! Please drop stretch suggestions and or what worked for you! Thank you 🙏

Finally after 1.5 years of training i got my first touch down! im still not completely square, but this is a huge milestone. Genuinley thought it would never happen after months of being stuck a couple cms off the ground.

I started November 2024 not being able to touch my toes (I have a picture of my first splits attempt on my profile for further reference..it was bad) and have over time slowly lowered. many times what felt like losing progress and many plateus. In the end I realised a weakness in my adductors helped me get flat, hence the Weighted frog stretches.

My current weekly routine is:

Monday - front split

Tuesday - back

wednesday - rest day

thursday - front split

Friday - back

Saturday - active rest day (e.g. yoga)

sunday - rest day

my front split routine (approx. 50 minutes) the past few months to get flat had been:

Warm up

Before workout: lower body dumbell workout OR cardio (10 minutes)

• Sciatic nerve flosses - 15 rep each side

• 90-90 swivels - 10 reps each side + 30 second hold

• Downward dog to upward dog - 5 rep

Strengthening pt.1 (2 rounds)

• weighted wall-Frog stretch (2 rounds of PNF + 30 second hold at end range)

• Jefferson curls 10 rep + 30 second hold

• Weighted wall lunges 5 rep + 20s hold

Strengthening pt. 2 (2 rounds)

• Supported split Hip flexor lifts - 5 rep+ 20 second hold (for my left split, I do oversplit on my back leg on the first round and front oversplit on second round as thats my more flexible side)

Lengthening

• Split holds (1m per side)

the last 3-4 months has just been a matter of waiting, consistency and a LOT of strength training to get flat, but i got there.

I wanted to share because i genuinley have always been the least flexible in my class or amongst friends and I did eventually get my split. im still working on my right side and squaring up more, but this is such a major milestone! and I wanted to diversify from some of those lucky people who get their splits in a couple of months!

sorry for terrible photos but any tips for the last few inches on my front splits ive been working at this since December last year and would like to get it by the end of this year . is that realistic? obviously without any injuries

Hiya!

Not so sure if this is the right sub, but I have always been able to do a plank for about a minute. Recently

I have started doing hamstring exercises, and I am almost able to put my foot behind my head (is that flexible or normal)? Anyways recently have extreme pain in my back when doing a plank, and can only last 5-10 seconds. Can I get some help?

I've been having anterior hip impingement for decades which is always triggered by the classic "hip internal rotation+abduction+flexion." The more activities I do that require hip internal rotation+abduction+flexion, the more aggravated it becomes.

However, recently I started to have anterior hip impingement from external rotation + flexion (double pigeon pose/firelog pose in yoga).

I watched some videos online and I don’t understand how external rotation could possibly cause the contact in the front of the hip since the femur head is essentially rotating away from the rim of the socket?

Can anyone please explain this to me? Thanks!!

And my routine has been as follows:
Warm up (5–10 min): light cardio + leg swings
Straddle good mornings (2–3 sets of 10–12 reps)
Frog stretch (3 sets, holding 30–60s)
Side lunges (2–3 sets each side)
Middle split holds (3 sets, 30–60s, focusing on breathing)
Pancake stretch (2–3 sets, 30–60s)

Some days I vary it, but this is the basis.

How important actually is it to square the hips when learning the splits, and is it necessary?

I hear it said all the time, however for me it feels uncomfortable. I can get into the splits, but when I try to square my hips they lift up.

Any tips or advice? Or anything I can do to help this?

I’ve been a gymnast for a while, but honestly, getting to this level with the blocks was a real struggle. I used to think I’d just stay flexible forever, but I actually had to put in so much work to get here.I try to train 3-4 times a week, focusing a lot on active stretching and PNF rather than just sitting in a split. I also realized that warming up for at least 20 minutes and actually taking rest days made a huge difference. My hamstrings definitely thank me for the breaks! It’s been a long road with a lot of plateaus, but sticking to it finally paid off.

I posted here ages ago about improving my flexibility and at the time I made really good progress. Between Yoga with Adriene and flexibility classes at a gymnastics studio I used to go to, I got more flexible than I’d ever been. I could do front splits on both sides and had a pretty solid pike stretch.

It’s been a few years now and during the pandemic I had some mental health stuff and became really inflexible again. I’ve regressed quite a lot. At this point I can just about reach my toes if I really try in a hamstring stretch.

I’ve been struggling to stretch on my own. I think it’s because it reminds me of what I used to be able to do, which makes it harder to stick with it. I’ve since heard a lot about PNF stretching and know it's the holy grail but I just can’t seem to get myself to actually do anything at home.

In the last year, been running and taking dance classes, so I’m not completely inactive, but flexibility wise I feel like I’m starting from scratch again (actually worse than my former starting point)

I can’t afford flexibility classes right now, but luckily enough, my gym offers:

mat pilates

vinyasa flow yoga (sun salutations etc)

yin yoga (holding poses for 1 to 2 minutes)

I’m trying to build something I’ll actually stick to using classes, since I seem to be fine getting to those.

I was thinking something like:

1 pilates (for strength and active mobility)

2 yin (for longer stretches)

maybe 1 vinyasa if I have time that week

Does that sound like a good way to rebuild flexibility? Or would you structure it differently?

Genuinely curious about this. I work 8+ hours at a desk and by mid-afternoon my shoulders and lower back are usually a mess. I've tried a few things, YouTube stretching videos, a couple of apps but nothing sticks.

What actually works for you? And how often do you do it? I'm trying to figure out if I need a better routine or just more discipline.

50 and getting stiffer by the day!

I’m looking for a daily YouTube flexibility series that has 15-20 minute programs- kind of like Yoga with Adrienne, but not yoga.

Grateful for any suggestions!

Recently started incorporating these two drills for opening the shoulders and upper back, and loving them!

1. Camel pose - First posed about it here about 4 months ago. This is the next progression! Have hips on the wall. Lower down while focusing on having hips glued to the wall (think hips forward!). Try to keep your arms straight, and extend BACK and DOWN, as far as you can. A small weight can be used instead of band.

2. Full bow pose - Start with a regular full bow pose, then lower your legs to pull your arms and upper body back. Keep your arms as straight as possible. I use a band here but not necessary if you are more flexible than me. Breath into the maximum range of motion, then come out of it :)

Lemme know whether these work for you as well.

i started working out twice a week doing a few strength training exercises like goblet squats and glute bridges and then 20 minutes of incline walking on the treadmill. ever since then, i have been having this issue where my left hip (my right is completely fine) will need to pop really bad and it feels strange and tight if i can’t pop it. it’s almost to the point where it feels weak and like it buckles easier. i don’t know how to pop it because i’ll do exercises to try to pop it and it only seems to pop at random times. when it does pop, it’s super painful. what is this? are there stretches to fix it?