This article was co-authored by Adam Shuty. Adam Shuty is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and owner of ATOMIC Total Fitness, a fitness training studio in New York, New York. With over 15 years of experience, Adam specializes in weightlifting, strength and conditioning, and martial arts. Adam holds a BS in Industrial Engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. In 2014, Adam appeared on the Live With Kelly and Michael Show as one of the top five fitness instructors in the country.
There are 8 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.
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Straddle splits are also known as the middle splits and can be very difficult to achieve. It requires a lot of flexibility in your legs which can only be achieved with practice. Remember to always warm up your body and take advantage of yoga poses to help your body prepare for the intense stretch. The middle splits require flexibility in your hip flexors, groin, quadriceps, and hamstrings.
Steps
Performing the Straddle Split
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1Warm up. It is important to warm up your muscles and stretch to ensure that you do not injure yourself. You must especially stretch and warm up your legs and back as they will be primarily involved in performing the straddle splits.
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2Position yourself against a wall. Lay on your back with your legs in the air and your butt against a wall. Keep your back straight and flat as your press against the wall for support. Wear comfortable clothing and shoes for mobility and traction. Lay on a mat or pillow if the ground is uncomfortable for your back.[1]
- You will need shoes with good traction in order to walk your legs out across the wall.
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3Walk your legs out. Slowly drop your legs to each side of you along the wall in a “V” shape”. Spread your legs apart until they are tight but not far enough that you feel pain. Hold the V pose for 10-15 seconds.[2]
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4Move to a standing position. Once you have practiced the V position against a wall, stand comfortably with your feet shoulder-width apart and bent over at the hip. This is best done on tile or hardwood but make sure that the floor isn’t too slippery.[3]
- Practicing barefoot may help you slide along the floor whereas socks may be too slippery and cause injury.
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5Push your feet outwards. Using a slow and controlled movement, slide your feet outwards, and lower your butt towards the ground.[4] Take your time and use your arms to steady yourself. If you find your feet slipping, try wearing shoes or practicing on a rubber mat.
- If you feel you can’t get as far as you like, use a chair in front of you or practice in front of a wall to stabilize your body.
- Point your toes out and upward towards the sky. You should not let the tops of your feet turn in if you can help it.
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6Stop when it becomes tight. Once you’ve reached the furthest angle of your splits, hold the pose and breathe as you hold 10-15 seconds. Work your way back up to the starting stance slowly to make sure you don’t injure yourself.[5]
- Roll your hip downwards to inch further down. This keeps your stomach towards the ground as your legs continue to spread.
- For a greater stretch, roll your hip backwards to turn out your legs. This is difficult but gives your hips a deeper stretch.
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7Practice as much as you can.[6] Straddle splits take time to master as you need to increase your flexibility. Remember to always warm up before you practice and only push yourself as much as your body will allow. Go slowly and utilize proper movements to make sure you don’t injure yourself. [7]
- Working on this pose daily can help you get into a full straddle split. Aim to do the straddle stretch for approximately 3 to 5 minutes per day.[8]
Warming Up Your Body
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1Perform cardio exercises. It’s important to warm up your muscles before getting into the splits. Perform about 15 minutes of cardio to warm up your muscles. There are many options for cardio so do what you enjoy so you don’t get bored by the repetition. Whether you enjoy jumping jacks, climbing stairs, or jogging, get your muscles to loosen up and slowly work them up to more vigorous movements.[9]
- Increase the intensity of your warm up with jump rope, squats, or box jumps to get your blood flowing in your legs.
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2Stretch your back. Form a bridge by lying with your back on the floor and trying to push yourself up on your feet and hands. Your knees should be bent with your palms and feet planted on the ground. You should try to form a bridge by lifting your back as far from the ground as you can by pushing down through your feet and hands.[10]
- Point your elbows to the ceiling and feel your back stretch. It may be difficult at first but with time and practice your flexibility will increase. Don’t force anything if you start to feel pain. Push yourself to feel a stretch but don’t push so far that you feel pain.
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3Stretch your lower body. Use the runner’s stretch for your lower body. Get into the lunge position by taking a step forward. Bring your fingertips as low as you can. Raise your butt by slowly straightening your front leg. Inhale as you straighten your leg. Feel your front leg stretch and exhale. Get back into the starting lunge position and repeat.[11]
- Repeat the runners stretch for both legs, repeating 4x per leg.
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4Stretch your upper body. Perform a standing side stretch by reaching over your head, grip your fingers together but extend your pointer fingers and keep them together. Stretch and inhale as you get as long as you can while bending to one side. Take a deep and slow breath as you hold your pose for 5 seconds then return to a tall, standing position with your arms above your head.[12]
- Make sure to perform the standing side stretch on both sides of your body.
Practicing with Yoga
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1Practice the frog pose. Open deep muscles in your inner thighs with this pose. Start on all fours, rest on your forearms instead of your hands, and lower your pelvis and hips by slowly spreading your knees apart. Make sure to use control and breathe deeply as you lower yourself.[13]
- Feel the stretch and don’t go over your capacity. Once you feel a stretch, hold the pose and take 10 - 15 breaths.
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2Get into the butterfly pose. This pose is great for working toward the straddle splits. Sit with a tall posture and the soles of your feet together with you knees dropping to your side. Inhale and exhale as you gently lower your knees. Don’t force your knees down by feel the stretch. Once comfortable, slowly move your chest toward your feet, keeping your spine straight as your fold your body forward. Hold for 10 breaths.[14]
- If your knees are high off of the ground, add some support under your seat so that your hips lift up off the floor. You want to release the tension on your hip flexors.
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3Pancake yourself. Pancake pose is a high intensity pose. Sit up tall and keep your legs spread wide apart. Lengthen your spine by slowly lifting your chest. Flex your toes to create tension in your legs. Bring your chest to the floor as you move your fingertips in front of your pelvis and continue to walk them forward slowly. Keep your spine straight and only move as far as you feel the stretch.[15]
- Take 10 - 15 breaths as you move further into the pose.
- Let gravity help you open your hips and legs in this pose so that your body becomes familiar with the movements of straddle splits.
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4Sit and straddle stretch. Sit with your legs as far apart as possible with your toes pointed but legs relaxed. Lean forward to stretch your hips over your hamstrings. Keep your lower back as flat as you can and avoid rounding it.
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5Warm up with front splits (optional). If you have already tried front splits, you may use it to warm up. The front splits is a great way to develop hip and hamstring flexibility in order for you to move on to the straddle splits.
Expert Q&A
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QuestionWhat muscles do straddle stretch work?
Tanya BerensonTanya Berenson is a Gymnastics Instructor and the General Manager of the Los Angeles School of Gymnastics. With over 25 years of professional gymnastics experience, Tanya has also served as a consultant to USA Gymnastics, has served as the USA World Maccabi Games Head Coach, USA Gymnastics Meet Director, and RAS counselor. She holds a B.Ed. in Early Childhood Development from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Gymnastics InstructorStraddle stretches work your inner leg muscles, which are called the adductors. -
QuestionDo I have to force to get the straddle?
Aimee HughesCommunity AnswerYou do not need to force, but it will certainly hurt. Try to practice twice a day at least, and push yourself so it hurts - but not so hard you pull a muscle. Once you get the straddle, keep practicing so you don't have to relearn it later on. -
QuestionHow can I get the split if I am not flexible?
Community AnswerYou practice every day! Do a split as far down as you can. Either have someone carefully push you down or slowly push yourself down. This is a process and takes time. Make sure to stretch before because you do not want to pull muscles.
Warnings
- Performing a straddle split can result in injury if you do not stretch and warm up. Do not push your muscles past stretching and into more painful movements. It takes time to increase your flexibility.⧼thumbs_response⧽
- Perform splits slowly to avoid injury. Avoid slippery floors to ensure you lower yourself into a controlled split.⧼thumbs_response⧽
References
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuHPqN2sYs0&feature=youtu.be&t=41
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuHPqN2sYs0&feature=youtu.be&t=41
- ↑ Tanya Berenson. Gymnastics Instructor. Expert Interview. 22 May 2020.
- ↑ Tanya Berenson. Gymnastics Instructor. Expert Interview. 22 May 2020.
- ↑ Tanya Berenson. Gymnastics Instructor. Expert Interview. 22 May 2020.
- ↑ Adam Shuty. Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist. Expert Interview. 26 August 2020.
- ↑ http://www.fitbodyhq.com/fitness/how-to-do-the-splits/
- ↑ Tanya Berenson. Gymnastics Instructor. Expert Interview. 22 May 2020.
- ↑ http://www.fitbodyhq.com/fitness/how-to-do-the-splits/
- ↑ http://gymnastics.isport.com/gymnastics-guides/how-to-do-a-backbend-in-gymnastics
- ↑ http://www.realsimple.com/health/fitness-exercise/stretching-yoga/stretching-exercises/the-runners-stretch
- ↑ http://www.realsimple.com/health/fitness-exercise/stretching-yoga/stretching-exercises/the-standing-side-stretch
- ↑ http://www.doyouyoga.com/5-yoga-poses-to-help-you-get-into-straddle-splits/
- ↑ http://www.doyouyoga.com/5-yoga-poses-to-help-you-get-into-straddle-splits/
- ↑ http://www.doyouyoga.com/5-yoga-poses-to-help-you-get-into-straddle-splits/
- ↑ http://www.fitbodyhq.com/fitness/how-to-do-the-splits/
About This Article
To do a straddle split safely, it’s important to warm up first. Do about 15 minutes of cardio exercises to get your blood pumping and loosen up your muscles. Focus on exercises that target your legs, like squats and box jumps. Next, limber up your body by doing stretches that target your lower back, hips, and legs, such as bridges and runner’s stretches. While your upper body won’t be doing as much during the splits, it’s still a good idea to loosen it up with a standing side stretch. To practice getting into a straddle split, lie down on your back with your butt against a wall and your legs sticking straight up along the wall. Next, slowly and smoothly drop your legs out to each side so that they form a wide V shape. Keep going until you’ve spread your legs as wide as you can without feeling any pain. Hold the pose for 10-15 seconds, then return to the starting position. After you get more comfortable practicing the split against a wall, try it from a standing position. Stand on a firm surface, such as a tile or hardwood floor. Make sure you’re barefoot or wearing shoes when you do this, since socks could cause you to slip and injure yourself. Place your feet shoulder-width apart, bend forward at the hips, and put your hands flat on the floor in front of you. Slowly and carefully slide your feet straight out to each side and lower your butt toward the ground. As much as you can, keep your feet flat on the floor so the tops of your feet face the ceiling. Continue to move your legs out to the sides and lower yourself down until you can’t comfortably go any further. Remember to keep breathing slowly and evenly the whole time. To help get a deeper split, roll your hips forward and push your stomach toward the floor as you go down. Don’t worry if you can’t achieve a full split right away. If you practice 3-5 minutes every day, you’ll eventually get more flexible. However, don’t push yourself beyond what you can do comfortably. If anything starts to hurt, stop right away. For more warm-up ideas and tips on how to extend your stretch using your hips, read on!
