Expert: Connie - 7/25/2001

Question
how do you train yourself to do the splitz? because i want to surprise my dad on his b-day by showing him i worked realy hard on the splitz, so how long does it take? and how do u train yourself ?

Answer
First of all it depends on how flexible you are to begin with.  I am not really flexible so it took me longer then a normal person.  How close are you right now?  Don't be disapointed if you are really close and can't seem to get them because the last few inches are the hardest!  Well to train yourself to do the splits you have to make sure that you are VERY stretched out so you don't pull any muscles.  I start with runners lunges, touch my toes, another runners lunge on one side, then do squats (four sets of twenty seconds each), then I do runners lunges, touch my toes,and another runners lunge on the other side (all of these are twenty seconds each).  Then I sit and spread my legs as far as they go and reach for my toes first the right for twenty seconds, then the left, then middle, and then reach for them again for another set.  Then I pull my legs together and reach for my toes for twenty seconds.  After that this is the stretch that I think really preps me for splits... the butterfly I hold for twenty seconds.  I usually do a few sets of the butterfly.  After that you can do wall stretches.  Stand up against the wall and have someone hold your leg up straigt in front of you as high as it will go and then think about the muscles that seem to be stopping you and then have them raise your leg up a few more inches.  Make sure when you are doing this that you keep your leg on the ground straight and that your knee is not bent.  Then you can start on your splits... this is what I do.  I go down in them and I just rest in them for 15 seconds.  After 15 I stop counting while still in the splits and think about the muscle that is holding me back and I take my hands off the ground and put them on my hips for as long as I can stand it and if you cannot do that put one hand in front of your leg and one behind and concentrate on reaching the ground then continue on to 30.  Do a few reps of splits like that.  I was always scared to just slide down into the splits... so what I did and it helped my splits a lot was to take a chair and start sliding into my splits and grab the chair for support on the way down and it helps a lot.  Do that a few times also till you can do it without the chair which will push you down further.  The key to getting your splits is stretching A LOT and being persistant!  Work on it when you get up, while you are bored or watching tv, and before you go to bed.  Good luck and I hope you get them and I hope I helped you out.  If you need anything else just ask!!!