Feel like I’ve been able to break through a plateau!! I’ve been trying to get my splits intermittently since 2020 but this is the year I’ve been the most locked in. I’ve done dani winks straddle and middle split guides, well as a lot of hanging out in frog pose. I started taking dance classes in september and ballet specifically has been really helpful to build my rotator muscles. Excited for what 2027 progress will look like!

Always open to recommendations and tips :)

hi everyone! i do ballet and could take some advice for back flexibility.

you know how ballerina train their back extension and do these exercise where you basically lift your entire upper body off the ground up to 90degrees and even further, without help with their hands?

i do do exercises like pilates and poses like superman to train my back muscles, but can never understand how to lift myself up that far without pushing my hands like a cobra pose. lifting the chest is as far as i can go without hands.

can you explain to me what muscle or which part of you body do you "activate" or generate power from in order to lift more of your body?

My routine basically involves training them every 5 days when I get the time for it. I start with oversplits on two yoga blocks, coming down to one and then finally on the floor surface. Try to hold them there for thirty or so seconds for a total of 3 reps. Thanks.

Although very happy with the progress ive made, this last few weeks progress has been pretty stagnant. Im starting to wonder if touch down this side of Christmas is actually possible if at all! 😅 Main culprit... left Gracilis 🫠

oo need to add how.. so I train flexibility 5 mornings a week for 30 mins before work. rotating between front splits, pancake and box splits, Active twists and backbends.

I really love a bunch of exercises from Cirque-physio on instagram and I recently qualified as a flexibility and active stretching coach myself. I mostly focus on active stretching as I used my flexibility for pole and aerial.

Some of my favourite exercises are seated goodmornings on cable machine, banded 90/90s, banded fire hydrants. Ill generally do 10 mins warm up 10 mins active flexibility and 10 mins passive flexibility.

Based on the feedback I received on the first two posts of my forward fold on the sub. This is me in motion, please let me know. I was told by some people to try to train my fold a bit differently. My schedule as stated before mainly involves training it recently as an accessory for my overall splits work. I mainly work on my Jefferson curls for it using a 40 kg kettlebell and do it from my bench onto the floor. I have started doing it without weights too, seeing how long I can stay in this position.
Previous post: https://www.reddit.com/r/flexibility/s/cPhkEemRLN

Celebrating turning 42 by training toe tap press, straddle press, and zombie press with Stalder negatives.

Current Routine (in order):

- Warm-up: full body mobility and prehabilitation

- Skills: calisthenics, yoga, and handbalancing

- Strength: resistance training with weights

- Stretching: PNF contract-relax and active flexibility

- Core (optional): anterior, posterior, and lateral

- Cardio (super optional): swimming, heavy bag, or rope flow

I want to get my king cobra pose, but I'm not sure how to approach it. I want to first do cobra pose many times before attempting something more advanced. However when I look at one of the form tips doe cobra pose it says do not bend head back. How am I supposed to progress from basic cobra pose to full cobra without doing this? It seems contradictory. Please suggest a helpful way to progress.

I’m trying to repost this to fit the rules of the subreddit. I started about a month and a half ago stretching with this as a major goal. I actually made a post 45 days ago asking for help on this very goal and got great advice. I am working to figure all this out and learn with my 6 y/o daughter and she’s amazing. I’ll never be able to keep up with her but I’m trying my best and super proud of my progress.

I started trying to walk my bridge down from standing, using the wall or door. Then I would try to fall to a raised gymnastics pad that I had folded up.

I would do a seal pose and child pose a couple times a day for about 45 seconds each and just a bit extra sometimes. I also try to hold my bridge for 30 seconds a night. I should probably do it longer but it’s working. I feel that walking myself down to the floor helped really work all the muscles to attain it.

I’ve worked in an office for 12 years, was born with tight muscles, and ran for nearly 10 years. My hamstrings, hips and pretty much my whole lower body are insanely tight.

Yoga has been a bit of a saviour for me on and off for years. I’ve always wanted to teach, and I’ve decided life is short, so in September I booked teacher training for August 2027, to kick myself into action.

Where I am now

• Warmed up: somewhere between fingernails touching the floor and hands fully flat

• Not warmed up: fingernails are a struggle

The problem I have is that my hips do not want to lower towards my thighs

What I’m doing

• Daily stretching for the past 2 months, with minimal gains so far

• Either an hour-long in-person class or a 20-minute Yoga With Adriene video each day with Tom Merrick’s pancake stretch video after

Pancake is my absolute worst stretch so I figured I should focus on that.

I don’t think I need to achieve a full pancake, just a decent level of flexibility. Is that realistic by August? Any advice to not be laughed out the teacher training?

Here is my one month front splits progress. First picture taken on 7th October 2026 and last photo taken on 7th November 2026 (today).

At the start of this I couldn’t touch my toes properly and i have no dance/ gymnast background! I’m really proud of my progress and would welcome any tips! I still can’t do it on the other side but i’m working on it!

Any tips of my form welcome, I know I need to square my hips more!❤️ Still proud nonetheless!

Apologies for the bad photos (I didn’t want my face in them so had to crop).

Edit to add routine below! :

- elephant walk nerve flossing 30 reps
- lying hamstring stretch each leg 40 seconds then into 5 seconds on, 5 seconds rest pnf x 6
- standing hamstring toe reach hold 40 secs then into pnf 5 seconds on, 5 seconds rest x 6
- standing single leg hamstring stretch (gradually putting foot on something higher) 40 second hold
- low lunge hipflexor stretch 30 second hold
- front splits hold 30 seconds then pnf 5 second on, 5 second rest x 6

I would do this pnf routine 3 times a week, but on days i didn’t do it was would just do the same routine but static stretching. Thanks all!

I have recently been told I have hypermobility during an MSK appointment for shoulder pain (exercises given and I am on it 🫡) and am wondering if this is a large part of why building flexibility has been very slow going for me despite doing my best to follow all of the good advice I can find.

As such, I’m just wondering if anyone knows of any resources for hypermobility and building flexibility or has any tips in general?

I’m mostly working on splits at the moment. Pictures included are unfortunately not a 1:1 comparison as I was struggling to find progress photos after I purged my phone but the hoop one was from June 2025 and the trapeze one from June 2026 and you can see a fair amount of progress has been made in that time but that’s also from a starting point of having been stretching for the splits since 2022 and only having gotten this far in 4 years 🫠 I think the splits on the trapeze is a tad less square too which makes it look flatter than it is.

In an attempt for this not to just be me getting very depressed about my lack of progress, I will note the highlights though! In 2022 when I started training my flexibility I couldn’t sit on the floor or hinge even a semi-decent amount at the hips my hamstrings were that tight, the floor was miles away, so this is a massive amount of progress from then and because I started as an adult, I have trained strength as I’ve gone so none of my flexibility is passive. (Which is why I suspect a bit of hypermobility -> muscle tightening to protect joints since I used to be so stiff)

TL;DR - resources/tips/exercises for someone who only recently discovered they were hyper-mobile and suspects that’s why they’ve always been so stiff / struggled with flexibility training. Can give more details on what I do now if that helps but I wasn’t planning to take up that much of anyone’s time that they should be giving me individual advice.

Hello seeking guidance on untightening only one side of my hamstrings for pancake.

Specifically the left inner thigh down to my knee feels like a long thin stretch of muscle being stiff when I pancake.

This only happens on my left side and my right is fine, looking for potential weak points or stretches that can help with this thanks

I have been through the ringer trying to achieve my splits. I have been stretching for 3 and a half years. I finally got touchdown and I wanted to share what finally worked for me as a girly with a sensitive nervous system in case it helps anyone else.

And before the square hips police jump in, I know this isn't a square split(!!) 

What worked for me:  

- GENTLE stretch sessions, lasting for 10-15 mins, 4 or 5 times a week

- only stretching a muscle group for 90 secs total per day (over 3 reps) and no more 

- leg strengthening at the gym, including active stretching (routine below) 

What didn't work: 

- long stretch sessions (ie 45 min to an hour) 

- painful stretch sessions (ie to the point where I was deep breathing to manage the pain) 

- stretching to the point where my legs felt it for the rest of the day, or the next day. 

- pushing past my limits in general / forcing things 

- All of the above must have been causing muscle guarding which made me less flexible rather than more flexible 

I started covering just x3 main muscle groups per session. Hamstrings, quads and hip flexors.

I would also do different stretches to target the muscles each new day i.e:

Day 1: 

-forward fold 30s x 3 

-couch stretch 30s each leg x 3 

-lunge with popped foot  30s each leg x 3 

Day 2: 

- pyramid pose 30 secs each leg x 3 

- lunge with popped foot 30s each leg x 3 

- kneeling laybacks for quads 30s x 3 

If I have time, I add in optional bonus stretches which target other muscles i.e pigeon for outer hip flexors, middle splits to target adductors, deep squat, calf, whatever else.

Gym sesh for strength (once a week) : 

Russian deadlifts, extended lunges, calf press, adductor machine, upper hamstring bridge, reps of active split hold with no hands

Hi, I’ve already posted on here ans a lot of people advised to square my hip. Therefore, I’ve been working on this, I have a touch down in my “open split” but I have an annoying gap I hate when you look at it from the other side. my stretching instructor advised me that may be because i am opening my hip a bit and advised to keep my hip square while stretching. I weight train and stretch (deadlifts, wide stance squats, jefferson curls, hip bridge + static and active stretching through lunges, sliding lunges, knee taps) multiple times a week

I am under the impression that even if my feet is pointing up and that my leg in a 90 angle in couch stretch that I am still turning my hip (the flowers on my pants are being deformed so I think it’s because I may be turning my hip) but maybe this is just an optical illusion?

Any advice ?

Thanks ❤️

(P.S I know i’m wobbly in this video i was on my 6th take my cat kept passing in front of the camera)

Hi, this is a quick update to my previous post. Was told by some people to try to train my fold a bit differently. My schedule as stated before mainly involves training it recently as an accessory for my overall splits work. I mainly work on my Jefferson curls for it using a 40 kg kettlebell and do it from my bench onto the floor. I have started doing it without weights too, seeing how long I can stay in this position.
Previous post: https://www.reddit.com/r/flexibility/s/cPhkEemRLN

My flexibility is not great but it's also not severely poor, I would rate myself around 6.6/10. But getting into a side stretch like the photos is nearly impossible for me. What would be the cause of this and how can I work towards achieving it ?

I know it's not my hamstrings because after a heavy leg day workout when my hamstrings are fully loose, I'm still not able to forward fold with a straight back. I can feel tension running all the way down the back of my legs to my ankles. My lower back also feels tight.

Any ideas on what to try next? I've been doing elephant walks and while that helps with the standing forward fold, my seated fold is still lacking progress.

Recently got into stretching. I have sort of tight hamstrings (can touch toes with legs straight but nothing past that), tight adductors, and tight hip flexors. I figured frog stretch could be a good starting point to improve these.

Been doing it a couple times a day for 60s for the last few days and I feel an insanely deep stretch in my adductors and often loud but satisfying pops in the groin area. It feels incredibly hard to hold that position but I push through it. There’s no pain afterwards but I’ve been feeling soreness in the adductors and outer hip flexors for a couple days.

Is this sensation normal for stretching? I had no clue this stretch would be so difficult for me but I’m really committed to improving it.

trained for my splits for 2 months and got my left splits on the two month mark and I eventually got my right splits after a week but ever since I got my side splits I’ve been training my middle splits, but I can hardly see any improvements

Whenever I try to go down into a middle split after warming up and stretching, my body twists into a left split and I don’t know if it’s a problem on my body or I am doing something wrong

Been training for a few months now, but really struggling with kicks. I stretch daily but fear I may be doing the wrong thing or need to strengthen a muscle also. (I’ve been trying to incorporate abductor lifts as a warmup daily) My outer hips and inner hips are super tight and I feel the stretch even just opening my legs like 130°. Any thoughts? I’m pretty athletic but always struggled with being flexible.
TIA
Current stretches are 90/90s
Frog pose
Windshield wipers

Okay, so my question is simple (I think), and I would have thought the answer is simple, but whenever I look online, almost everyone is saying the opposite of what I thought was true.

So, here is my question:

When in a pigeon pose, we know that once we flex our hip past 90 degrees (so moving our torso to the front leg), the stretch in the piriformis increases. It's a well known aspect of the pigeon pose, great.

Now, to isometrically strengthen the piriformis when it's in this lengthened/stretched state - this is where things online get murky. Most of what I've seen is people saying, "you need to press your foot/shin/knee into the floor" for a contraction of the piriformis in this stretched pose.

Except, that's not how you isometrically strengthen a muscle in a lengthened state, is it? For example, with bicep curls, if I am holding a dumbbell at the bottom of a curl (which is where the biceps are at their most lengthened position), then I would need to attempt to LIFT my arm (imagine it is a very heavy weight that I can't curl).

I'm pretty sure I've got this right, so am really confused why so many are saying we need to push the leg into the ground during a pigeon pose. Surely we would need to LIFT our knee, whilst resisting the upwards motion externally (e.g. by using our hands to keep the knee/shin on the floor).

Long time lurker, I saw posts about nerve tension and hamstrings but I can’t really find anything about how to modify routine when calves are ALSO tight.

From DaniWinks tests for nerve tension:

1. In L sit, if I bend forward with pointed feet, I feel some pulling under my glutes (maybe?), but mainly feel the top of my shins

2.if I bend with flexed feet, I feel my calves and even some tingling if I go too far. I take this as my “stop” signal.

If I put the balls of my feet against the wall or on a yoga block, I feel my calves. Downward dog is in my calves esp when pedaling. I feel nothing in my hamstrings. I only clearly feel my hamstrings when static stretching with pointed feet or when out to the side, like a rocking half frog. Like if I reach over in a straddle, or in a half split, but again in a pike with neutral feet I feel it mostly under my butt.

Basically, I’m having a hard time isolating my hamstrings and identifying what else might be worth looking into. I’ve tried bending my knees a bit and don’t think I’ve felt a big shift or at least not in every position? I have mainly been prioritizing PNF stretching/engaging my muscles while lengthened and dynamic movements (Tom Merrick and Flexform by Shan) and am trying to focus on tilting my pelvis and keeping my back flat as well. I do sciatic nerve glides and tensioners but can’t tell if it’s making a huge difference because I feel so uneven.

My left side is far more inflexible than my right, and even in my calves the intensity is noticeably different in any movement that I feel them in. I have no idea if if this just being tight all over or if I’m built badly or something else! Literally, any advice would be really helpful. Thanks!

Sorry for the terrible picture and poorly drawn arrow. Feel a lot of resistance in getting deeper around that hip flexor area. Similar on both sides.

Currently following the front split routine from Dani Winks and adding in a bit more dynamic moves before going into the split holds. Like to do a good full body warm up prior to starting to get me nice and warm and a bit of sweat on.

Backbend split progress - no wall support!

Warm up:

1. Elliptical with shoulder and wrist rolls

2. Arm circles - forward and back

3. Cat-cows

4. Down dog to up dog / cobra

My flex routine:

1. Wall dogs

2. Wall puppies

3. Floor puppies

4. Seal / cobra lift from floor

5. Kneeling camel Backbend

6. Cobra on wall

7. Bow pose

8. Bridge with chest pressed against wall

9. Half lunge ➡️ Slide into front split

10. In front split, bend your back leg, arch back, see if your foot can touch your head. Then, maybe grab your back foot with the hand of the same side (i.e. grab right foot with right hand), and extend your back leg

11. Half lunge with back foot against wall, and walk hands down the wall as much as you can. At your lowest point, try sliding your front leg into a split! Make sure you relax and breath into it :)

I have done the above days after days, months after months, and today, I realize I can do it without a wall and hold it for a few seconds! It sure feel like max effort but I know it'll get easier :)

Hey everyone,

I switched from passive to active flexibility about 5 months ago. I started focusing on legs first before working on my back. Since I do aerial (mostly Lyra), I decided to go with a contortion training approach.

I’m having a hard time telling if my form is okay. For context, I have a hip impingement with a slight external rotation in my left hip. So I either have to move my front leg out to the side a few inches or open up my hips just a tiny bit. I make sure my glutes, lower abs, and quads are fully engaged, and my hips are tucked.

I used to have really bad posterior tilt in my pancake stretch, but it’s gotten way better. I've been prioritizing an anterior tilt over a straight back (sometimes I sit on a yoga block to help). Again, I keep my glutes, low abs, and quads engaged.

The main thing I still haven't figured out is my middle splits. I honestly just don't know how to cue that correctly for my body type.

I've been using the wall method where I face down and slide into the middle split with my butt against the wall, but my feet are a few inches away. I focus heavily on leveling my pelvis so it stays completely parallel to the floor, using the same active engagements. I try to externally rotate my legs so my knees don't fully face forward. How do other people with hip impingements modify their middle split form?

For reference, this is part of my prep for splits:

Warm up kicks and back leg lifts

PNF hamstring stretch

Lunge

Pancake

Half frog

Standing hamstring stretch

Does my form look correct? Any advice and cueing tips for middle splits would be great!