How To Do The Splits: 5 Effective Tips

Good stretching is not only beautiful but also good for your health. It will protect against aging of the joints and hypokinesia, improve metabolism and help cope with stress. Model Kristina Bridan-Rostovskaya told us about how to safely sit on the twine at home.

Today, the main trend is healthy beauty, so many girls dream of stretching, like professional gymnasts. For the model, the ability to do the splits is an important competitive advantage, because flexibility gives confidence in shooting and makes it easy to experiment with poses. To achieve the desired result, follow the simple guidelines from our material.

Don't be heroic

Today on the Internet you can find a huge amount of advertisements promising to put on twine in a month or even a couple of weeks. But it is dangerous to force this process, as there is a risk of injury. So please be patient and listen to your body. If it takes you 3-6 months or more, that's fine. It all depends on your state of health, previous training experience, age and other factors.

For example, if you have problems with your spine, you should first consult with your doctor to find out what intensity of training will work best for you, what exercises can be done and what not. The type of twine also plays a role. As a rule, it is more difficult for women to sit on the cross twine due to the specific location of the hip joints.

Also, exercise shouldn't cause severe pain. There may be slight unpleasant sensations, but they should be pulling and not sharp. It is also better to exercise at a slow pace so as not to overstrain the muscles.

Prepare the right equipment

When practicing at home, many choose casual clothes or something that they have not worn for a long time - for example, an old tracksuit. But clothes that are not pleasing to the eye are unlikely to motivate you to work out. And new and beautiful, on the contrary, will make you get up from the couch and study.

Set aside a portion of your budget for a rug, exercise bricks, and cushions. They will make your workouts safer and more enjoyable.

Schedule your workouts

To get results, the most important thing is regularity. If we are talking about full-fledged one-hour classes, it is better to do them 2-3 times a week, not more often. The fact is that during stretching, microtraumas can occur, and the body needs several days to recover. But a short exercise with stretching elements can be done every day, and in time it can take only 15 minutes.

Set aside certain days for yourself to exercise, for example, Monday and Thursday, and under no circumstances other than illness, do not skip workouts. Reminders on the phone are very helpful, you can also hang up the training schedule in a prominent place and put a tick in front of the date you worked out.

If you choose exercises yourself, remember that they should affect different muscle groups, be diverse, and not the same type. For example, it is necessary to stretch the lumbar spine, increase the flexibility of the hamstrings, biceps femoris, thoracic region, act on the back and inner thighs, buttocks and calf muscles. In this case, when stretching one of the muscles, you should not press on it for more than 30 seconds.

The most effective exercises are the fold, butterfly, and lunges. You can sit on the twine both at the wall and on the mat, using cubes and placing pillows under the knee of the supporting leg (see also: "Gymnast training: 5 simple exercises for flexibility").

Correct exercise is the key to success. But if it is not possible to train with a trainer online, record yourself on video to improve the quality of self-control.

Choose the right time

According to doctors, in the evenings our joints and muscles become 20% more elastic. This avoids injury and makes training more effective. That is why full-fledged classes are best done after school or work. It will also help to distract from thoughts about business and tune in to rest. Plus, stretching in the evening will help you sleep better.

But it is better to do a short daily exercise in the morning hours: such exercises will help to relieve the feeling of enslavement after the night, will give vigor and energy for the whole day.

Make it hot

Always warm up before exercising. At the same time, in addition to the usual warm-up, you can take a hot shower - this will help stretch your muscles and improve blood circulation. Water procedures should last at least 10-15 minutes.

But you shouldn't give up preparatory cardio loads before stretching. The warm-up should last at least 15 minutes, during which time you can, for example, run, jump, swing your legs and arms. Thanks to such exercises, the joints are lubricated with synovial fluid, all tissues become more elastic, that is, they are more protected from injury.

After a full workout, a hot bath will be helpful to avoid discomfort the next day.