How to Do a Split
Wear flexible clothing., Warm up., Stretch., Get into position., Begin to lower yourself down., Cautiously continue to the floor., Hold your position., Be patient., When you've mastered the splits, try the over split.
Step-by-Step Guide
-
Step 1: Wear flexible clothing.
When you do your first split, you're probably (understandably) focused on possible injury or discomfort you might experience, so it's easy to forget that you can shred certain types of clothing by doing a split.
Don't put yourself at risk for an embarrassing rip! Wear loose or flexible clothing, such as the following suggestions:
Athletic shorts, leggings, track pants, skirt, or sweat pants.
Loose t-shirts or tank tops.
Skin-tight elastic material
- spandex or lycra leotards, dance clothes, etc.
Martial arts clothing
- karate gi, etc.
Socks or tights.
You may also go barefoot. -
Step 2: Warm up.
Like with any athletic activity, warming up before doing splits can help you focus, decrease your discomfort, and prevent injury.
To warm up, you'll want to raise your heart rate, then perform a few light stretches.
To raise your heart rate, perform some light cardiovascular activity. 8-10 minutes of jogging, cycling, or jumping rope should suffice
- whatever is enough to raise your temperature and heart rate. , Next, do a few stretches
- try to focus on the muscle groups that are most important for doing splits, like your hamstrings, hips, and, if you want to attempt a side-split, groin.
You don't need to run through your entire stretching routine like you would if you were trying to build flexibility to be able to do the splits in the first place, as these stretches are intended solely as a warm up.
In fact, once you can do it confidently, doing a split itself can become part of your stretching routine. , When you've warmed up and stretched, get into a stance that allows you to transfer to a split with ease.
This stance will differ based on whether you are attempting a front split or a side split.
See below for the distinction:
For a front split, lower yourself into a kneeling position with your back straight.
Stretch your preferred leg forward in front of you.
Your front knee should be straight and your back knee bent so the shin on that leg is resting on the ground.
Make sure your back knee and foot are facing the ground and NOT to the side.
This is a common mistake and can result in severe injury.
For a side split, stand up straight, then take a wide straight-legged stance.
Spread your legs slightly more than shoulder-width apart.
Relax.
Take deep breaths.
Think of peaceful, relaxing thoughts.
Try not to hold any tension at all in any of your body's muscles.
Believe it or not, there is evidence that relaxation techniques can make a measurable difference in a person's flexibility, especially if they become a habitual part of a stretching routine.
Take a deep breath in and as you let it out go down a little bit farther., When you're warmed up, relaxed, and ready, slowly and gently lower yourself into either the front split or side split.
Go down as far as you can without any major pain or discomfort
- if you feel anything beyond mild "flexing" discomfort, stop your split attempt.
Have your hands ready to brace yourself as you get close to the floor
- it's very difficult to support your entire weight with your legs and keep them relaxed at this point.
If you're attempting a front split, place your hands on the floor and slowly slide your front leg forward until your reach the floor.
Point your back toes, as keeping them flexed can prevent you from sliding down properly.
You should never excessively twist your lower back.
If you're attempting a side split, allow your legs to spread out to the sides.
You will probably need to lean forward and support your weight on your hands at some point.
Don't overdo it.
Forcing yourself into a split can cause painful injury that will decrease your ability to flex.
Be satisfied with gradual progress.
If this means that, for instance, on a given day, you can only go down to a foot off the ground while feeling a decent stretch, don't go any further. , Surprisingly, doing it on a mattress can help you get down further, and also help you get the feel of doing the splits.
When your legs have reached a 180 degree angle and your pelvis is resting on the ground, congratulations
- you've done the splits! On your first attempts, you probably won't be able to do this all the way.
This is normal.
Don't try to push yourself past your point of maximum flexibility or to "bounce" to get slightly better results.
Instead, use the opportunity to stretch and try again later. , When you've performed your splits or reached the limit of your flexibility, try to hold this position for about 30 seconds.Then, get up, stretch, and repeat as much as you wish (alternating legs if you do front splits).
Only do splits as often as you're comfortable, never fighting against the pain to do "just one more." Or you can try doing some other skills that involve the splits. , Never attempt to push yourself past your limit.
Doing the splits requires lots of time and plenty of patient practice.
Increasing your flexibility can take months.
Since this is a process that happens gradually over time, you may not notice improvement every time you attempt the splits.
Stick with it! You will get better as you practice every day.
Keep in mind that the splits are not a comfortable position even for most people who have them. , Believe it or not, getting your legs to 180 degrees is not the most you can do when it comes to splits.
By continuing to stretch, you can increase your flexibility to a point that you're able to bend your legs to an angle greater than 180 degrees.
However, because this feat of flexibility is fairly extreme, care must be taken to prevent injury.
To build up your ability to do a so-called "over split"
start by performing a splits with a pillow on the ground next to you.
Go into your split and put your heel on the pillow.
You will be stretching just slightly further than in a normal split.
Hold this as position as you normally would.
As your flexibility gets better and better, you may gradually add pillows to increase the angle at which you flex.
Be conservative
- never add pillows until you're perfectly comfortable at your current level of flexibility. -
Step 3: Stretch.
-
Step 4: Get into position.
-
Step 5: Begin to lower yourself down.
-
Step 6: Cautiously continue to the floor.
-
Step 7: Hold your position.
-
Step 8: Be patient.
-
Step 9: When you've mastered the splits
-
Step 10: try the over split.
Detailed Guide
When you do your first split, you're probably (understandably) focused on possible injury or discomfort you might experience, so it's easy to forget that you can shred certain types of clothing by doing a split.
Don't put yourself at risk for an embarrassing rip! Wear loose or flexible clothing, such as the following suggestions:
Athletic shorts, leggings, track pants, skirt, or sweat pants.
Loose t-shirts or tank tops.
Skin-tight elastic material
- spandex or lycra leotards, dance clothes, etc.
Martial arts clothing
- karate gi, etc.
Socks or tights.
You may also go barefoot.
Like with any athletic activity, warming up before doing splits can help you focus, decrease your discomfort, and prevent injury.
To warm up, you'll want to raise your heart rate, then perform a few light stretches.
To raise your heart rate, perform some light cardiovascular activity. 8-10 minutes of jogging, cycling, or jumping rope should suffice
- whatever is enough to raise your temperature and heart rate. , Next, do a few stretches
- try to focus on the muscle groups that are most important for doing splits, like your hamstrings, hips, and, if you want to attempt a side-split, groin.
You don't need to run through your entire stretching routine like you would if you were trying to build flexibility to be able to do the splits in the first place, as these stretches are intended solely as a warm up.
In fact, once you can do it confidently, doing a split itself can become part of your stretching routine. , When you've warmed up and stretched, get into a stance that allows you to transfer to a split with ease.
This stance will differ based on whether you are attempting a front split or a side split.
See below for the distinction:
For a front split, lower yourself into a kneeling position with your back straight.
Stretch your preferred leg forward in front of you.
Your front knee should be straight and your back knee bent so the shin on that leg is resting on the ground.
Make sure your back knee and foot are facing the ground and NOT to the side.
This is a common mistake and can result in severe injury.
For a side split, stand up straight, then take a wide straight-legged stance.
Spread your legs slightly more than shoulder-width apart.
Relax.
Take deep breaths.
Think of peaceful, relaxing thoughts.
Try not to hold any tension at all in any of your body's muscles.
Believe it or not, there is evidence that relaxation techniques can make a measurable difference in a person's flexibility, especially if they become a habitual part of a stretching routine.
Take a deep breath in and as you let it out go down a little bit farther., When you're warmed up, relaxed, and ready, slowly and gently lower yourself into either the front split or side split.
Go down as far as you can without any major pain or discomfort
- if you feel anything beyond mild "flexing" discomfort, stop your split attempt.
Have your hands ready to brace yourself as you get close to the floor
- it's very difficult to support your entire weight with your legs and keep them relaxed at this point.
If you're attempting a front split, place your hands on the floor and slowly slide your front leg forward until your reach the floor.
Point your back toes, as keeping them flexed can prevent you from sliding down properly.
You should never excessively twist your lower back.
If you're attempting a side split, allow your legs to spread out to the sides.
You will probably need to lean forward and support your weight on your hands at some point.
Don't overdo it.
Forcing yourself into a split can cause painful injury that will decrease your ability to flex.
Be satisfied with gradual progress.
If this means that, for instance, on a given day, you can only go down to a foot off the ground while feeling a decent stretch, don't go any further. , Surprisingly, doing it on a mattress can help you get down further, and also help you get the feel of doing the splits.
When your legs have reached a 180 degree angle and your pelvis is resting on the ground, congratulations
- you've done the splits! On your first attempts, you probably won't be able to do this all the way.
This is normal.
Don't try to push yourself past your point of maximum flexibility or to "bounce" to get slightly better results.
Instead, use the opportunity to stretch and try again later. , When you've performed your splits or reached the limit of your flexibility, try to hold this position for about 30 seconds.Then, get up, stretch, and repeat as much as you wish (alternating legs if you do front splits).
Only do splits as often as you're comfortable, never fighting against the pain to do "just one more." Or you can try doing some other skills that involve the splits. , Never attempt to push yourself past your limit.
Doing the splits requires lots of time and plenty of patient practice.
Increasing your flexibility can take months.
Since this is a process that happens gradually over time, you may not notice improvement every time you attempt the splits.
Stick with it! You will get better as you practice every day.
Keep in mind that the splits are not a comfortable position even for most people who have them. , Believe it or not, getting your legs to 180 degrees is not the most you can do when it comes to splits.
By continuing to stretch, you can increase your flexibility to a point that you're able to bend your legs to an angle greater than 180 degrees.
However, because this feat of flexibility is fairly extreme, care must be taken to prevent injury.
To build up your ability to do a so-called "over split"
start by performing a splits with a pillow on the ground next to you.
Go into your split and put your heel on the pillow.
You will be stretching just slightly further than in a normal split.
Hold this as position as you normally would.
As your flexibility gets better and better, you may gradually add pillows to increase the angle at which you flex.
Be conservative
- never add pillows until you're perfectly comfortable at your current level of flexibility.
About the Author
Anna Williams
Professional writer focused on creating easy-to-follow DIY projects tutorials.
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