Splits in 6 weeks
Replies page 4 of 6. Back to the start of the discussion
131 replies · page 4 of 6
Sign in or create a free account to reply.
Replies page 4 of 6. Back to the start of the discussion
Sign in or create a free account to reply.
↑ Show earlier replies (page 3)
I am a week into this program and focusing on all 6 stretches daily. I have a question with the 2nd stretch, the supine (sp?) one, it says lie on your back, one leg bent at the knee with foot on floor and straighten other leg in the air and hold at the ankle and pull back. If my leg is straight up, I can't reach my ankle without lifting my torso up!
@Shellectra - I couldn't either! I started using a towel and wrapped it around my ankle and used that to help me pull my leg, which didn't really go much further than it started lol. Apparently my 83 year old grandmother does this stretch with no problem whatsoever. Hmph. :)
Shellectra, I can do the stretch, but you could get a pilates resistance band from Kmart or BigW to help you.
Here's a youtube clip I found of the supine hamstring stretch using a strap to help :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUNc_M2VvIU
Thanks guys! I never thought of using my band!! Tried it tonight and its much better, I can focus on lying back and keeping the leg straight now and breathing etc without worrying about grabbing my ankle and my leg bending etc :)
I had a go at these stretches, and struggled with the supine bit even though I could reach my leg. Didn't seem to be able to actually relax into the stretch. I substituted that for sitting up with one leg stretched out and the other out to the side, bent at the knee with the sole of the foot close to the extended leg, then leaning forwards holding stretched leg. Not quite the same hip positioning so might not be a great substitute, but quite easy to do a PNF type stretch like that. I'll be jumping on this thread properly in a few weeks once I've moved house, as at the moment, things are too hectic to get round to stretching every day.
I have been working on these stretches for almost 2 weeks and I got 'em! I stuck with them daily and boy did they work for me. I can finally do a pain-free split! It takes me about 20-25 minutes of cardio and this stretch regimen to do them fully. Stick with it and you will see results. I have never done the splits before frankly never thought I could. I have been into yoga and stretching for awhile but I have never seen thismuch progress so fast! I was surprised that I did them well before the 6th week! Now- onto the oversplits!
Wow ! 2 weeks that is amazing! Congrats :) took me 2 months and still dont always get them. Need to start stretching everyday again to maintain my splits and hopefully get some oversplit. :)
I feel like I'm getting nowhere yet in week 2, doing the supine stretch especially depresses me cos my leg is still way up in the air :( I Shall keep at it..
Eva- Yeah, it does take me awhile before I'm warm enough to do a full split. But I'm going to keep at these stretches in hopes it will take next to none effort. Shellectra- I think the supine stretch is what does it for me. At first it's really unpleasant but after a few consecutive days I started to crave that feeling of the stretch. What I do is focus on the hip and shoulder placement. Focusing on breathing and picturing what the muscles are trying to do helps take the focus off the pain. It's definitely mind over matter. Keep at it lady!
I'm going to start the 6 week program and hope it can work miracles for me. I'm ashamed to say that the furthest I can go into the splits just looks like I'm standing with my legs spread wide. 🙁
I am in week 2 but have missed a few days here or there. The combination of stretches is working very well for me. The supine is a killer for me too but I feel so much better after stretching. Looking forward to progress.
OK, just wondering for those of you who either have done this program or are doing it, do you notice that some days you are just better than others with it? I notice differences that while not huge are still there, but only in the final exercise, the splits themselves. The other exercises progress almost on a daily basis and become better, however my split can vary from day to day. They are better than 10 days ago when I started for sure, but yesterday was better than the day befor which was a little worse than the day before that, which was an awesome day( but yesterday was better than said awesome dot, yay!)
There are a lot of factors that can affect your flexibility on a day to day basis, from things like hydration level, to literally even time of day! (Apparently people are usually more flexible around 2-4pm, though I find evenings in general are my most flexible time). I'd definitely agree that some days are better than others, myself. And it does seem a bit odd that you can feel you're getting far further into the suppine stretch, say, but then your split is nowhere near as good as the day before. I think it's my hip flexor that varies the most, and it's hard to be scientific with how far you're stretching that on the Karate stance etc, whereas the suppine one is a bit easier to gauge progress on.
Help!!! Could someone write the names down of the stretches to do for splits and general flexibility .I just seem to get in to a routine with stretches.. even pictures, videos. need to see the stretches..or names so can find them on the internet.. If anyone has a video or pictures diary or daily stretches they do would be great... I need to make a start but not knowing where to start I am just not bothering.. Thanks 🙂
Sues...the very first post of this thread has a link that has all of the stretches.
Thanks.. god Im so blonde huh...😀
I am just into week 3 and have noticed a vast improvement in the last week! I have done NO sports or flexibility all my life (I am 28 in may) til I started poling 7mths ago. I wish I took an initial photo of my side splits, I was much further from the ground! Anyway I'm at this stage now... I have NO IDEA if this is good or bad or what, I am closer than I was by far but I hope one day I go all the way! http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/215851_10150261038378206_532948205_9428776_8170837_n.jpg
OK just scrolled up and saw Chem's week 1 pic. OMG!!! I think I am not flexible at all now, shes pratically toosh on the ground at week 1 LOL
Lol Shellectra! I'm where you are right now and I've been working hard on splits since November. lmao!
Shellectra, you have to remember that getting into the splits has been a goal of mine for about 3 years now. Some days I am closer than others. But bad me stopped after about week 3 just because my schedule got super hectic and I missed like 4 days in a row of stretching. I was trying to stretch after my Zumba classes because my body was very warm but my legs were so tight from all of the activity that it just really does not work for me. There is another splits progress thread thta I started and you can see where I was originally. https://www.studioveena.com/forums/view/The_official_splits_progress_thread_2009-11-29_011908
I was wondering if someone can let me know something about the karate stance move... In the instructions it says to point your front foot at a 45 degree angle. Does this mean to point the foot inwards or outwards?
Cherished- Chemgoddess posted a nice pic of the stance at the begining of the thread. You will see a fella in white doing the proper stance 🙂
Hi Sasha, thanks for the response. I use that pic as a reference when I do the stretches but this guy(in the white) has the front foot facing forward (which I've read is the correct way to do that stance) but the 6 weeks split instructions say to keep the front foot at a 45 degree angle I'm not sure if that is necessary to get a proper stretch and also which way the foot should point if it is.
heathalynne - since nov? Oh no I bet I get stuck in a rut too! I am gonna try to not miss 20-30mins of stretching every night cos I've heard if you miss even one night it can set you back heaps. Eeep, oh well I'll just keep at it !
