How do the splits? The most complete guide. How to learn to do the splits at home? A program of effective techniques with elements of gymnastics and athletics. There are several advantages of performing it

Is it true that it is more difficult for guys to do the splits than for girls, and why do they do stretching at all? GO.TUT.BY asked these questions to Minsk residents with an impressive stretch and looked at what a man’s split looks like.

“Some troll and compare with Van Damme, but no one condemns”

Ivan Kubasov calls himself an atypical IT specialist - “not a bearded comrade and without a belly”. He used to do ballroom dancing and always wanted to learn something that not every person can do.

— For example, I dreamed of performing a somersault and doing the splits. The somersault has already been achieved, but for a beautiful split there are only developments yet,” Ivan says modestly.

He got into stretching by accident: he saw a photo of a colleague from a stretching workout on social networks, asked her about the classes, joked and parted ways.

“And later she came up to me with a question: “What are you doing here? Get ready and come with me to training.". There was nothing to do in the evening, and interest arose. Moreover, my colleague promised a huge number of beautiful girls in the group - she didn’t lie, by the way,” the young man smiles. “In the hall I was first greeted with mocking glances: “Come on, boy, show what you can do!” But over time, he more or less joined the team.

The 34-year-old Minsk resident began stretching in October last year. He says the progress is obvious:

— Despite the fact that boys are mostly made of wood, I can easily sit in a butterfly and put my knees on the floor. Coach Tatyana Glavatskaya tactfully avoids discussions: how much more work remains to be done to achieve the perfect split. She knows how to captivate the process, so questions “how much?”,"and when?" disappear by themselves.

At the same time, the Belarusian IT specialist does not dare to call stretching training a complete pleasure.

— On the one hand, stretching is painful and unpleasant. On the other hand, I understand that this is a challenge to myself, and boys love challenges. In addition, training is beneficial for the muscular system and joints. We don’t just spread bridges and throw our legs in different directions, but do static stretching.

Ivan says that his friends react differently to his hobby:

- Someone trolls and calls Ivan Damme - a parallel with Van Damme. Someone says: "Cool!" But they definitely don’t condemn. What is my motivation for coming to stretching? This is great and interesting. And to be completely honest, a handsome coach is also a great motivation.

“We went with a partner to a world record - we did double splits 10 times”

Sergey Kudaev Born in Novopolotsk, in elementary school he was involved in martial arts, and at the age of 14 he joined the sports acrobatics section. He received the rank of candidate master of sports and ended up in a circus studio.

“A circus performer can’t do without stretching,” explains Sergei. — Stretching is important both in sports and in dancing. It’s not for nothing that they say: a flexible man is a young man. Moreover, flexibility lies not only in the ability to do the splits, but also in the mobility of the joints, shoulder girdle, back... The split is just a small element of stretching. It is available to any person if only he has the desire and perseverance.

Sergei recalls how, after a year of training, he could easily do the splits.

— For men, this skill is a little more difficult due to clogged muscles. But when stretching, it’s more likely to take into account the physiological specificity of the body, rather than the gender one,” notes the circus performer. - For example, my partner and I even set a world record - we did a double split 10 times. True, the Guinness Book of Records commission rejected it.

Sergei Kudaev recalls that as a child he sometimes had to stand up for himself when his peers made fun of his passion for acrobatics.

— There were no serious conflicts. And among my hobbies were not only acrobatics and stretching, but also martial arts. But I never understood or liked mass sports like football.

At the age of 19, Sergei decided to move from Novopolotsk to Minsk. I didn’t manage to get into the Belstate Circus, but I was invited to be a dancer in the “Khoroshki” ensemble. Later he began performing solo as an artist of the original genre.

“Now I regularly keep in shape through training and rehearsals. I work from an hour to four hours a day on acrobatic technique, flexibility, strength and endurance. As soon as I take a short break, I immediately notice a decline.

“It’s not very comfortable to be the only guy in the room. And girls in short tops are distracting"

To a bank employee Sergei Yakimovich He's 32 years old, but he humorously calls himself an "age agent" who grew up watching Jean-Claude Van Damme films. Stretching like this actor’s was a childhood dream.

— I accidentally found out that there is a dance and fitness studio in the same building as our bank branch. I decided to try doing the cross splits as an adult. Home workouts did not bring the desired results - I probably felt too sorry for myself.

Sergey signed up for stretching in general groups for boys and girls.

“The first time was hard mentally and physically. After stretching I always wanted to sleep - I spent so much energy. I didn’t feel very comfortable being the only guy in the room. And the girls in short tops were distracting.

Many people, trying to do the splits, can injure their inguinal ligaments or even tear them. There are many rules for doing the splits. But don't think that this can be done quickly and easily. With persistent training, it will take about three months before you get closer to your goal.

Remember the basic rules:

• Almost anyone can do the splits, but there are contraindications. Do not try to do this if you have a bruised leg, a crack in the bones of the pelvis or legs, an exacerbation of spinal diseases or hypertension.
• You need to stretch with exercises that won't hurt you. Be careful not to damage the ligaments. You need to stretch gradually, not abruptly.
• Before you begin stretching exercises, your muscles need to be properly warmed up. You can jump or run for 10-15 minutes. A warm bath also helps in this matter, after which the muscles will stretch noticeably better. Only after warming up can you begin the exercises themselves.

1. The main exercise that helps you do the splits is leg swings. Stand on one leg so that your entire body weight rests on it. Raise the second one to the maximum height you can. It’s okay if your leg doesn’t rise above your waist yet, this will change over time. Do swings with straight legs and a straight back.

2. Place your leg on a table or any other surface that is level with your waist, and bend down to the floor. Then switch legs. If this exercise doesn’t work right away and it hurts, don’t worry, it will work out next time, the most important thing here is regularity of exercise.

3. Now do exercises simulating an attempt to do the longitudinal splits. Start to smoothly move your leg forward until you begin to feel a stretch in the muscles in the groin area. Now lower your pelvis as low as possible, holding this position for 15 seconds.

4. After the longitudinal split, try to sit on the transverse split, spreading your legs to the sides until you begin to feel the muscles stretching. After this, gradually, without jerking, lower the pelvic area down. Take a stable position and try to stand there for 20 seconds. As you feel the stretch improve, lower your pelvis lower and lower.

Don't spring back, just try to stay at the lowest point for as long as possible. The main thing is that your ligaments and muscles do not overstretch.

5. You can add other stretching exercises to these exercises. Keep in mind that to achieve results you need to exercise at least 30 minutes a day. In this case, progress will be visible in a month.

Before doing the splits at home, it is important to familiarize yourself with the basic rules. Good stretching indicates muscle elasticity, body flexibility and a healthy spine. If a person knows how to do the splits, it means that he does not have salt deposits in his joints, and he also has good control of his own body.

You can improve the stretch in your legs with a few exercises at home. By doing your own workouts several times a week, you will be able to make your muscles stronger and less prone to injury. Thanks to a regular complex, it is easy to improve blood circulation in the pelvis, sacrum, ligaments, and also strengthen the ligaments.

This article provides recommendations on how to properly prepare your ligaments for the splits. A small set of exercises will help achieve good stretching for both adults and children. It won’t be difficult to prepare your body for the splits in a gentle way, following the tips presented below.

Before you start training, you should pay attention to a few important tips:

• Practice at home regularly at least 3-4 times a week. Constant slight physical activity will gradually prepare the ligaments for the splits;
• Exercises should take at least 30 minutes. Doing less training will increase the risk of injury;
• During the training process, you should not rush, it is important to be patient;
• If during stretching there is a sharp pain in the muscles, then you should complete the exercise;
• After finishing the lesson, it is important to allow the ligaments to recover and do not overload them beyond normal;
• Care must be taken to ensure that the muscles were warm and if the room is cool, then put on leg warmers and socks;
• It is recommended to learn how to relax correctly - this will reduce the occurrence of pain during stretching.

Running and jumping will help warm up your muscles and prepare them for the splits.

Before moving on to stretching, you need to perform several warm-up exercises. Cardio exercises in the form of running, jumping, and squats will warm up your muscles before training. If you start stretching without first warming up, you can easily damage the ligaments. Warming up the muscles in the form of a hot bath or warming ointments will not give the desired effect.

During the exercises, it is important to watch your back; it should be straight. When performing exercises, you need to breathe correctly. During the stretching process, breathing should be smooth, without delay. Half of the exercises should be aimed to static, and the other part of the training is on dynamics(waves).

There are two types of twine: longitudinal and transverse. In the first case, one leg is in front and the other is behind. It is much easier to sit on it than on the transverse one. In the second case, the legs are spread simultaneously to the sides. In order to sit on the transverse splits, you need to pay attention to longitudinal stretches.

At first, you shouldn’t ask someone to help with stretching. It will be difficult for an inexperienced “assistant” to assess how to pull and with what force to press on the “student”. Such assistance can result in ligament rupture.

Contraindications to training

You should avoid doing the splits in cases where you have health problems. Below are the main contraindications for which it is necessary to exclude this type of training.

Contraindications to stretching

1 Hypertension. With high blood pressure, additional stress can cause discomfort.

2 Spinal injuries. During training, back problems can provoke an additional risk of complications.

3 Inflammatory process in the hip joints. Sore lower back

4 Leg bruises as well cracks in the bones. Fissures in the pelvic area are considered especially dangerous.

Bruises, cracked bones, and other injuries are a contraindication to training.

During exercise, the body experiences stress. When your health is good, it is much easier to cope with minor discomfort. If there are contraindications to training, then it is much more difficult for the body to recover, and in this case the state of health may worsen.

How to prepare as an adult?

Before moving on to stretching (as mentioned earlier), it is necessary to pre-warm the muscles. Before you do the splits yourself at home, you should fix yourself in each stretching position. 30-60 sec. It is important to alternate stretching exercises for the front, back and inner thighs.

In order to stretch the back of the thigh, you should adhere to the following scheme:

• Get on your knees. The body must be in a level position. Hands to the sides, along the body. The gaze looks forward;
• Straighten your right leg in front of you. Bend forward towards your leg, with your foot looking towards you. The shoulders are located at the same level. The back foot is flat, lying on the floor, at knee level;
• Repeat the exercise on your left leg.

When performing the exercise, it is important to correctly stretch to a straight leg, the back leg is bent at the knee, the foot lies on the floor

You need to stretch the front of your thigh with the following exercise:

• Get down on your knees. The buttocks are located on the heels. Hands are in front, you need to lean your elbows on them slightly. The gaze looks forward;
• Lunge onto your right leg. The foot is located under the knee. The back leg is straight and completely on the floor. After this, lower your hands to the floor and rest your palms down;
• Repeat the exercise for the left leg.

First, you should alternately stretch to the right and left legs, and then forward - the chest is located between the legs

By alternately extending your legs, you will also be able to stretch the inner thigh. Stretching is performed according to the following scheme:

• First of all, you need to sit in the “butterfly”. Both legs are bent at the knees, feet are connected to each other;
• One leg remains bent at the knee, and the other straightens to the side;
• Bend towards the straight leg. We stretch our chest to the knee. The arms are located on the sides of the leg;
• Change leg.

Second position - reach for the straight leg

There are a lot of lessons on the Internet on how to quickly do the splits - in a month or even a week. Most of them give a dozen exercises, and say that in order to achieve the goal (that is, to stretch into the splits, for example, in a month), you need to perform these exercises daily, otherwise the so-called “rollback” occurs. This means that if you miss a day of classes, you go back two to three days in your splits level. And what’s even sadder is that after finishing a month of intense training, literally within a week your body again becomes as wooden as before. Although, this is not a reason to be sad, since it happens that, compensating for the resulting stress, the body becomes even more wooden than before the start of intensive training. If you've done stretching before, you're probably familiar with this painful experience.

Question - Do you need THIS??? Or do you want to do the splits and SAVE THE RESULT?

Below I will reveal the secret of how to stretch without kickbacks. I will also give you a set of exercises for doing the splits at home.

The main thing is to remove the reasons why your body has become inflexible!

This is truly the most important thing! And it is very strange that they are usually silent about this... To understand the secret of stretching that does not have a rollback, you must first understand the reasons why your body ended up in the state in which it is now. After all, this is his stable state. And secondly, something needs to be done about the identified causes in order for this point of stability to move towards greater flexibility.

In general, there are two main reasons:

Reason 1. Physical factors. That is, a sedentary lifestyle, physical inactivity.
Solution: To shift the balance point, it is enough to develop the habit of a healthier lifestyle. Start walking more, doing exercises that stretch and open the pelvic area, sign up for a fitness center, dancing, etc.

Reason 2: Psychological factors. To understand exactly what factors I mean, you need to understand the psychosomatics of stretching. Think about it - what is the pelvic area? The main thing is that it is in it that our pleasure center is located - the genitals. Thus, the “woodiness” of our body often reflects our inability to relax and enjoy. Unfortunately, most people have many psychological patterns that block or exaggerate the sphere of pleasure. And even such people approach stretching as a goal that needs to be achieved as quickly as possible. They go through pain, raping their body. Sometimes they even achieve their goal. And it is precisely because of the excesses that they experience serious kickbacks. The body registers the fear that it will be torn apart again, so at the moment of respite, it does everything possible to become as strong as possible (that is, even more wooden than it was). It’s like with fasting, when after a strict diet an animal appetite and gluttony appear...
Solution: When doing stretching, you need to be on a positive wave of pleasure. This is quite possible, and the body itself tells us about it. If only we could hear and listen to him.

It is very important!
In each stretching exercise, you need to reach the pain threshold, and remain at this level until the energetic effect occurs - that is, you will feel a wave of heat rolling through the stretched muscle, or the opening joint will suddenly be filled with bliss. This is an endlessly pleasant pulling sensation that is difficult to describe, but very easy to feel for yourself. You just need to give up the cliches in your head, the race for a big prize, and in any of the exercises described below, linger at the very beginning of the pain threshold, while starting to breathe calmly, directing your attention to the sensations occurring in the stretched muscle. At some point, you will feel the described effect, and immediately notice that the discomfort has disappeared, and pleasure has appeared in its place. After this, you can either move on to the next exercise, or linger in the current one, and with the next exhalation go into it a little deeper - until only barely noticeable sparks remain from the feeling of pleasure again. Stop and start inflating them at this more complex level. This is how you should stretch.

By following this rule, you will never cross the threshold of destructive stress. You will stretch and do the splits at home with pleasure and without kickbacks. Moreover, evening yoga will become a habit for you. You will become not only more flexible, but also healthier. After all, many genitourinary diseases and sexual dysfunctions are associated with congestion in the pelvic area.

So, I hope you understand the main thing - don’t rush into stretching, but wait to feel the energetic effect, after which you go into stretching a little deeper. And so gradually you will do the splits at home. Just don't rush! Depending on your starting level and personal characteristics, this process may take weeks or even months.

Structure of doing splits at home

When practicing splits on your own at home, always follow the following pattern:

• Warming up
• Joint gymnastics
• A set of stretching exercises
• Exercises to strengthen the back and abdominal muscles
• Hitch
• Relaxation after class

Let's look at all these points in more detail and put together a complex that needs to be performed daily.

1. Warm up

The more intensely you plan to stretch, the better you need to warm up your body before starting to stretch. A jog (or jogging on the spot if you don’t want to leave the house) is a good way to warm up. Minimum 10 minutes. You can also jump rope, this is also a good warm-up. Then do a few sets of squats. For example, three sets of 15 squats. By the way, squat differently each time: feet together, feet shoulder-width apart, and feet a meter apart with feet turned outward. Next, roll while sitting from one leg to the other and back. Work yourself up to sweat and slight fatigue. Warm-up time can be up to half an hour. A good warm-up will prepare your muscles for stretching and will allow you to avoid injury.

2. Joint gymnastics

Thoroughly stretch all the joints of your body. Everything in our body is interconnected. And even when you stretch your fingers, the production of hormones is turned on, increasing the flexibility of the whole body. Therefore, stretch all the joints of the body: fingers, wrists, elbows, shoulders, neck, chest, pelvis, knees, feet, toes. Perform at least 10 movements for each group of joints. Watch a video with an example of joint gymnastics.

3. Stretching exercises

Of course, everything here is very individual, and a lot depends on the current level of flexibility of your body. Below I will give a set of exercises for the entry level. These are yoga asanas. So if you respect yoga, I recommend treating them like a yoga practice (focus on energy metaphors, etc.). If you prefer traditional fitness, then treat them like regular gymnastics. In general, in gymnastics, and in ballet, and in stretching classes at the fitness center, these same exercises are performed, they are just called differently :)

Technically, in order to do the splits at home within a month, you need to do the following every day for at least an hour:

• Stretch the muscles on the front of your legs
• Stretch the muscles and tendons of the back of the legs
• Stretch the muscles of the inner thighs
• Increase hip mobility

Let's look at several exercises that will help you solve these problems and do the splits at home in the shortest possible time.

Tilt to straight legs

Target:
Performance: Stand up straight. Feet together, arms down.
Inhale, and as you exhale, begin to bend. Do not bend your legs at the knees. Don't round your back. Stretch your head forward, heels down, tail up. The tilt should be carried out exclusively by rotating the hip joints. Perhaps at first your inclination will not be deep at all. Or maybe you bend over so that your stomach touches your thighs. In this case, continue bending while rounding your back. Place your head with your forehead on your shins.
The purpose of this exercise is to stretch the back of the legs. Therefore, when bending, use your lower back muscles to pull your pelvis up and shift your body weight in such a way as to maximize the tension on the back of your legs.
At your lowest point, take a few calm breaths in and out. Then, inhaling, keeping your back straight, return to the starting position.

Bend to one leg

Target: Stretching the muscles and tendons of the back of the legs.
Performance: Stand up straight. Feet together, arms down. Step forward with your right foot.
Inhale, and as you exhale, begin to bend. Do not bend your legs at the knees. Don't round your back. Stretch the crown of your head forward, your heels down, your right buttock back and up. Shift your weight more to your right leg. With good flexibility, at some point the edge of your abdomen will touch your right thigh. Next, continue the tilt, rounding your back. Lower your head so that your right temple touches your right shin.
In this exercise, the back of the right leg is stretched much more than when bending over both legs. And this is precisely the purpose of the exercise. Therefore, as you bend, pull your right buttock back and up, and shift your body weight forward in such a way as to maximize the tension on the back of your right leg. Don't try to go to the maximum angle. Aim to better stretch the back of your right leg. At the lowest point, take several calm breaths and exhalations. Then, inhaling, keeping your back straight, return to the starting position.
Exhale, inhale, and with the next exhalation, repeat this exercise by taking a step forward with your left foot.

Triangle

Target: Stretching the muscles of the inner thighs, increasing the mobility of the hip joints
Performance: Stand up straight. Inhale and exhale, take a long step to the left. Inhale and raise your arms, stretching them horizontally. At the same time, rotate the foot of your left foot 90 degrees (so that it continues the line of your leg). And as you exhale, tilt your body to the left. Do not bend your legs at the knees. The end point is that the fingers of the left hand touch the floor near the left foot. The right arm is extended upward. The chest is straightened. The pelvis is open. Your head is turned and you are looking at the fingers of your right hand. If going that deep is problematic for you, then rest your left hand on your left leg - depending on your flexibility - above or below the knee. Breathe calmly. With each exhalation, relax and try to bend lower. After several inhalations/exhalations, straighten up with the next inhalation, and exhale, turn your left foot parallel to your right, and lower your arms. Then, inhaling, raise your arms again, turn your right foot, and exhale, bend towards your right leg.

Tibetan rifts

Target: Stretching the muscles of the inner thighs, increasing the mobility of the pelvic bones
Performance: Stand up straight. Inhale and take a long step to the left. Turn your right foot 45 degrees to the left. Exhale and squat down on your right leg. In this case, the right leg stands completely on the foot, the left leg is extremely straightened and stands on the heel, the back is straight. Place the elbow of your right hand on your right knee, moving it back. Move your pelvis forward as if twisting your tail under you. For convenience, you can place your left hand on the floor behind your back. Stay in this position for several breaths. Then, placing your hands on the floor in front of you, move into a squat on your left leg. Spend the same amount of time in this position, then straighten your legs and return to the starting position.

Pigeon pose

Target: Stretching the muscles of the anterior thigh, buttocks, and increasing the mobility of the hip joints
Performance: While in table pose (i.e., standing on your knees and palms), exhale, bring your left leg forward, and bending it at the knee, place the foot in front of the right hip bone, the further forward the better (ideally, the shin should be parallel to the line of the shoulders) . Straighten your right leg and stretch it back. Pull the right side of your pelvis forward and down to feel maximum tension in the muscles of the front surface of your right leg. Take a few calm breaths in and out. Then, exhaling, smoothly, with your back straight, bend forward and place your body on the floor. In this part of the exercise you will feel a strong stretch in your left buttock. Take a few breaths and exhale, and inhale return to the starting position. Then do the exercise on the other leg.

Wide Angle

Target: Stretching the inner thighs, increasing mobility of the hip joints
Performance: Sit on your buttocks, and inhale, spread your legs as far apart as possible. Make sure your back remains straight. Stretch your crown upward. Take a few breaths and then exhale as you bend forward until your back remains straight. It is critical that the tilt occurs through rotation of the hip joints and not through flexion of the back. If you managed to put your body on the floor, spread your arms to the sides, breathe calmly and relax. If you go further, then clinging to the floor, pull yourself forward with your hands until you get into a cross split. Next, pushing off the floor with your hands, smoothly return your body to a vertical position, and say “Voilà” with a big smile :)

Leg triangle

Target: Great for increasing hip mobility
Performance: Sit on the floor with your legs extended in front of you. As you exhale, bend your left leg and pull it towards you so that your shin is parallel to your shoulders. Then inhale, and as you exhale, bend your right leg, placing it on top of your left so that the joint of your right foot is above your left knee (note that the joint is above the knee, not the foot!), and your shins are parallel to each other. At the same time, keep your back straight, with the crown of your head stretched upward. Most likely, in this position, your left knee will be high above the floor, and your right knee will be even higher. Lightly press your hands on your knees to lower them lower to the floor. In this position, take several breaths and exhalations. Then straighten your legs in front of you. Then be sure to repeat this exercise with your left leg on top. This exercise works the hip joints very well. And it seems very simple. However, it is very dangerous for the knees. Therefore, below I publish a video on how to perform this exercise correctly.

Are you serious?
I would like to draw your attention to the fact that there are exercises for stretching each muscle involved in the splits. If you intend to get serious about stretching, I recommend that you purchase a set of lessons in which I discuss 37 such exercises in detail. That is, these are 37 lessons similar to the one above. In them I rely on yoga methodology. And it’s not that I like the word “asana” more than “exercise”. And the fact is that this is a significantly deeper look at stretching.

4. Exercises to strengthen the back and abdominal muscles

Usually, when stretching, without noticing it, trying to compensate for the lack of mobility of the hip joints, people put a lot of stress on the lower back. To avoid injury, it is imperative to pump up your back and abdominal muscles. The simplest, and at the same time very effective exercise for this is the “plank”. Stay in it the longer, the better. It will strengthen you not only physically, but also spiritually. Because every time you do this exercise, you will overcome yourself (more precisely, your laziness, self-pity, whiner, weakling...). If you want to make it easier to fight these inner demons, then put a stopwatch in front of you. This way you will know how much time remains to stand until your maximum time, and every time you will fight for the record. By the way, the world record is 8 hours 1 minute :)

5. Cool down

This stage of training is designed to remove the resulting imbalance and redistribute energy throughout the body. In its simplest form, a cool-down is performed as follows: lie on the floor, raise your legs up, and shake them one at a time, and then together. Perform small shaking, both in different and in the same rhythm, until you get tired of it, for at least a minute.

6. Relaxation

After stretching, do not rush to get up and run errands. Be sure to lie on your back and relax for a few minutes. At this time, reflect on the processes occurring in the body, the remnants of pain and discomfort, pleasant sensations... Relax what you notice as tense, and thank yourself for the activity. As a result of this pleasant procedure, your body will quickly assimilate the results and recover for the next session.

Do you want to do the splits faster?
In order to quickly work out your body, I recommend that you not only perform the set of exercises described above every day, but also usefully fill the time between classes. I understand that at this time you are busy with other things - walking, driving, working, reading, sleeping, after all... So at this time you can also do exercises that develop your flexibility. To master them, I recommend a short course called Stretching for Busy People.

In the modern world, sports are present in the lives of many men. Everyone pumps up the abs, works the muscles of the arms, legs and back. And only a few remember the need to stretch.

Many naively believe that muscle stretching is the province of women or the whim of scrupulous trainers. In fact, this is a necessary component of any person’s training. And it is precisely for the full physical health of a man that stretching should not be forgotten.

Benefits of stretching

1. First of all, it improves a man's sexual health. Due to the fact that during exercise, blood flows abundantly to the groin area, potency improves. This promotes physical and mental health.
2. Well-warmed muscles are more resilient. This means that any workout will be much more effective if you stretch well before it.
3. Reduces the risk of injury and damage. This applies to stretching not only before training, but also before any physical activity.

Did you know? The more flexible and prepared the muscles, the easier it is for the body to cope with lifting weights, carrying loads, and even just long-term sedentary work.

• Before the start of the lesson, it is necessary to warm up the muscles well; to do this, it is enough to perform the exercises known to everyone;
• Stretching must be performed in several approaches, optimally 3-4 times;
• The time of each approach should be limited in time. The most effective is considered to be done for 30 seconds to a minute;
• Do not overestimate your strengths, remember that it is better to do less than to overdo it, harming yourself and stopping the activity;
• There is no room for sudden movements in stretching. Everything must be done smoothly and slowly;

• Be attentive to your feelings. Stretching should not lead to unpleasant sensations, much less pain. Such symptoms only indicate muscle overstrain;
• Watch your breathing. This is what contributes to the effectiveness of classes. Timely inhalation and exhalation relieves muscle tension, relaxing the body, reducing resistance.

Important! Only with regular exercise can you achieve noticeable results. On average, this requires stretching at least 2-3 times a week.

Stretching exercises at home

These exercises can be performed as a warm-up before starting strength training, or as a full-fledged lesson. No special equipment is required to perform them, so everything can be easily done at home or outdoors.

Stand straight, confidently resting on both feet. Bend your right leg at the knee and pull it towards your chest.

Ideally, the knee should be pressed tightly against the body, but this does not need to be achieved if the exercise is being performed for the first time. Find your maximum possible and stay in this pose, helping yourself with your hands.

Sitting on the floor, pull your legs towards you as much as possible, placing your feet on the floor. Slowly begin to spread your knees out to the sides, aiming to place them on the floor.

You can help yourself with your hands, lightly pressing your elbows on your knees. Don't press too hard, there shouldn't be any pain.

Lie on your back and, bending your knees, begin to spread them in different directions, trying to place your thigh on the floor.

You can help yourself with your hands, but no sudden movements.

Take a big step forward with your right foot. The bent knee of the front leg should form an angle of 90 degrees.

The left leg should be straight. During the exercise, you can put your hands on your belt; if it becomes difficult, you can lower them to the floor.

Lunge forward with your right leg as in the previous exercise. Then, bending your left leg, gradually sit down on it, fully straightening your right leg.

When performing the exercise, pull the toe of your right foot towards you to better feel your calves.

Sit on the floor, bend your right leg in front of you at the knee. Gently move your left one back and try to press your thigh to the floor.

You should feel the upper thigh well.

Sit on the floor with your straight legs spread as wide as possible. Bend your body forward, aiming your chest towards the floor.

Make sure your back remains straight and your toes point up.

Sit on your heels, spread your legs slightly, pointing your knees in different directions. Lean forward with your body on your knees.

Stretch your arms forward on the floor as far as possible. You should feel the muscles of your back and arms.

The long-awaited effect

Stretching takes time, so don't expect instant results after just a couple of sessions. Remember, stretching is not a competition, but work on your own health. If you follow all the rules, you will be able to improve your overall well-being, feel strength in your muscles, learn to relax and increase your potency. And all this without resorting to training in the gym and expensive techniques.

Stretching complex at home video