With a strong desire and regular training, it is possible to do the splits at 30, 40, and even 50 years old. We want to tell you why this is so important and show how to achieve maximum flexibility in your body at any age.
Why is it so important to be able to do the splits, especially for women?
The fact is that regular stretching exercises:
- Improve the functioning of the immune system;
- Increases endurance;
- Normalize mental stress and improve attention;
- Improves the functioning of all organs of the body;
- They make the muscles more elongated and prevent them from growing wider, which is extremely important for a woman if she prefers strength exercises;
- Helps rapid muscle recovery;
- Normalize blood pressure (manipulations with the musculoskeletal system help redirect blood flow to previously unused vessels);
- Prevent injuries;
- Helps normalize the menstrual cycle;
- Prevents varicose veins;
- Helps during childbirth (due to the flexibility of the hip joints).
If you seriously decide to board, follow these simple tips:
- No matter how much you want to do the splits, an unprepared person needs at least a couple of weeks. Rushing this task can lead to injury, so be patient.
- Eliminate meat from your diet for a while. Because of it, the ligaments lose their elasticity.
- You can take a hot shower before stretching. After this, the ligaments will be more pliable.
- Training should be started gradually, and over time, increase the number of stretches per day. It is important to do exercises in the morning and evening. And most importantly regularly
- Classes should be at least 4 times a week, and better - every day
- Their duration should be at least 30 minutes.
Video: How to quickly do the splits (tutorial) Fitness at home
There are two types of twine - longitudinal and transverse. Everything else is their variation. Sometimes some people talk about three splits, that, for example, they achieved success in two out of three. Most likely, they mean the cross split, the right longitudinal split (when the right leg is in front) and the left longitudinal split (when the left leg is in front, respectively). By the way, transverse twine is sometimes also called “rope”. That's actually all the types of twine. Let's take a closer look at what the correct longitudinal and correct transverse twine look like.
Longitudinal twineI took a photo of myself from different angles to show it in more detail. Firstly, in a correct gymnastic longitudinal split, the back leg “looks” to the floor with the knee and the heel upward. Secondly, there should be no gap between the pelvis and the thigh of the hind leg. It should lie completely on the floor. Thirdly, pay attention to the back leg - it does not go diagonally and does not bend at the knee. These are the most common "mistakes".
Although it’s not entirely true to call these moments mistakes, it’s just an under-stretched split. There is not enough stretching to sit correctly. Therefore, all you need to do here is to stretch out those zones that are not stretched enough. It is completely normal that you may not be able to sit perfectly right away.
Sometimes a type of twine is distinguished as choreographic longitudinal twine. It is used in dances such as ballet. There, the eversion of the joints is very important and therefore the knee of the back leg “looks” not at the floor, but to the side. But! This is achieved through the hip joint. They also have no clearance between the thigh of the hind leg and the floor! And the leg is straight at the knee.
Cross twine
The second type of twine is transverse. It looks like this: we spread our legs as wide as possible, achieving an even angle of 180 degrees. In the photo, my student is Anyuta (I remind you that on my website there are no left-handed pictures from the Internet - only me and my students).
The main question associated with the cross twine is where the socks point - up towards the ceiling or do they lie on the floor?
It all depends on the position of the pelvis. Where the tailbone points, the heels should also point there. And the socks, accordingly, look in the direction opposite to the heels. Let's take a closer look.
In the bottom photo, Anya is stretching under her own weight. Please note that the pelvis is turned, the tailbone is facing the wall, as a result, the heels are facing the same way, and the toes are lying on the floor and pointing forward.
The photo above is the same position, only in a different plane. The tailbone and heels point to the floor, and the toes point to the ceiling.
The main thing is that the heels and tailbone should point in the same direction! This is necessary, otherwise your knees will begin to suffer from improper loading.
That is, you can pull on the transverse twine in two ways. The option in the bottom photo of Anya is more convenient, since then you stretch under your own weight. Plus, it’s more convenient to record the result, since you can see how much distance is left to the floor. The main thing is to shoot from the same angle (example photo below).
Here in the photo you can clearly see that the knees have dropped significantly lower and are now at the level of the baseboard. And before that they were at a level of 10-15 cm above the baseboard.
Vertical twine
Regarding vertical twine or arm twine, these are the same types of twine - longitudinal and transverse only in different planes. To perform splits in the air, you need to have not only a split on the floor, but a split “with a reserve”, otherwise your stretch may not be enough for an even angle of 180 degrees. Why is there enough on the floor and not enough in the air? Because you sit on the floor under your own weight, overcoming muscle resistance due to the weight of your body and the force of gravity to the ground. But in the air there is no such “help”, so more stretching is required.
Example. I'm in the photo again :-)
In the picture on the left, I was already doing the splits on the floor, but there was practically no “reserve”. In the photo on the right I already have a good “minus” and therefore the splits in the air have become more even!
1. Anastasia Volochkova
The once delicate and sonorous ballerina Anastasia Volochkova performed at the Bolshoi Theater. Needless to say, she had the perfect stretch? But after leaving the profession, Volochkova did not give up her dancing habits and easily does the splits, while choosing more and more unexpected venues. The celebrity did the splits in a birch grove, in a hotel lobby, and even on a quad bike. This time Anastasia went further and performed an acrobatic step right on the yacht.
2. Serena Williams
The first racket of the world, American tennis player Serena Williams often demonstrates miracles of flexibility on the court. Serena can hit the ball even in the splits! Are you weak?
3. Laysan Utyasheva
For world and European champion in rhythmic gymnastics Laysan Utyasheva, doing the splits is not difficult at all. The star believes that this can be done at any age, the main thing is to take precautions. Utyasheva talks about how to achieve amazing plasticity in the shortest possible time on her YouTube channel.
4. Nina Dobrev
Nina Dobrev could become an excellent athlete. Since childhood, the girl was fond of rhythmic gymnastics and made success in this sport, but still chose a different profession. However, the actress still did not miss the opportunity to show what she was capable of: on the live broadcast of the American Conan O’Brien show, the girl did the splits. One can only envy the plasticity of the star.
5. Ksenia Sobchak
In response to the split made by ballerina Anastasia Volochkova against the background of birches, TV presenter Ksenia Sobchak did a cross split during a boat trip on a yacht. By the way, it is more complex to implement than the longitudinal one.
6. Kylie Minogue
Each Kylie Minogue performance is a whole theatrical performance: grandiose scenery, stunning costumes and fiery dances. And during her performance as part of her North American tour, the singer even demonstrated incredible acrobatic performances, including the splits.
7. Nyusha
Singer Nyusha shows off not only her steel abs on her social media page: the girl recently published this photo. Now we know for sure that nothing is impossible for her. “If I want chocolates on vacation, I eat them. If I have ice cream, I eat it too. But after... Rest is rest, but I always want to be in good shape,” the singer captioned the photo.
8. Pamela Anderson
Pamela Anderson reveals another talent on the show “Dancing on Ice”. The Hollywood star has not only seductive forms, but also incredible flexibility. This split is proof of that.
9. Tatyana Kotova
Former member of the popular trio “VIA Gra” Tatyana Kotova regularly posts photos of herself in racy poses on Instagram. However, the celebrity boasts not only seductive forms, but also excellent stretching.
Kotova captioned the photo as follows: “Those who know me know how modest I am, and I definitely didn’t intend to post this photo – it’s very immodest, but I can’t help but do it. Let #EverythingBeAsYouWant.
10. Nicole Scherzinger
Nicole Scherzinger demonstrates very impressive steps in her videos and during performances. The flexible artist controls her own body no worse than real gymnasts. No wonder she became the winner of the popular American show “Dancing with the Stars,” where she performed in tandem with Derek Hough.
11. Valeria
Singer Valeria never tires of surprising fans with her flexibility. “Stretching is the most effective thing that can be, and most importantly - no pain,” says Valeria.
12. Hilaria Baldwin
Hilaria Baldwin, wife of Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin, loves to do yoga in the strangest places. The celebrity easily does complex asanas, so doing the splits is not at all difficult for her.
13. Elena Perminova
Elena Perminova continually amazes her Instagram followers with her flexibility, publishing new videos from her workouts. The model only started doing Pilates a month ago, but is making incredible progress.
14. Britney Spears
Britney Spears is now actively struggling with excess weight: the star not only runs in the morning, but also does yoga in the fresh air. Yes, Britney’s splits may not be ideal yet, but we are sure that hard training will do the trick.
15. Anna Sedokova
Anna Sedokova is an active user of social networks. The girl posts a lot of fresh photos on Instagram every day. Here Anna shows off her impeccable stretch. “I passed the norm,” the singer captioned the photo.
16. Pink
Pink easily performs breathtaking stunts at her concerts, all because she spent eight years doing gymnastics as a child. “It's always incredibly scary. Every time!" says the star, who opened her show during The Truth About Love world tour by doing the splits in the air. The performance, which captivated the audience, featured breathtaking Cirque du Soleil-style stunts and elements of bungee jumping.
How often do you see or hear someone say, “If only I had the splits, I would...”? I do – very often. Probably, the specifics of the social circle have an effect, but that is not the point. This phrase is usually pronounced with a dreamy sigh and a roll of the eyes to the sky, where, apparently, bright pictures of a rosy future are flashing in the clouds, if only this “if” would happen. In such cases, I ask again with a smile: “Which split do you want to do?” And the answer to me was widened eyes in surprise, like, what’s the difference. Girls and boys, there are so many of them, these splits! And each of them requires its own stretching exercises.
What is twine? Leg-split- this is often the cherished dream of beginning athletes and dancers and many “mere mortals.” Hand on heart, answer, who would not want to easily take a sort of Jean-Claude-Van Damme pose or, like Jackie Chan, touch the ear of an irrepressible opponent with his foot? Someone just wants to jump over a puddle beautifully so that random spectators (and among them that same prince charming in a white Porsche) gasp in admiration. But even the three situations mentioned require three different types of twine.
To understand the types of splits and easily identify their representatives, I propose to imagine this stretching exercise as a dessert consisting of several components: ice cream, fruit, whipped cream, syrup... and a cherry crowning this splendor. Ice cream can be chocolate, vanilla, creme brulee... The fruit can be a juicy apple, fragrant peach or exotic pineapple. The syrups are also different... What am I getting at? When different types of these ingredients are combined, a variety of desserts of different flavors are obtained. It’s the same with twines: several classification criteria in various combinations give different types of twines.
The splits themselves are just one stretching exercise. And all its types share several provisions:
- the legs are spread in opposite directions from each other and form one line;
- the inner surfaces of the thighs form an angle of at least 180;
- a conventional line connecting your right and left hip joints is strictly perpendicular to the line of the twine in its plane (longitudinal twine) or parallel to it (transverse twine);
- the pelvis itself is tucked forward.
LEGS-HIPS
Splits can be distinguished by the relation to each other of the lines formed by the legs and hips. According to this sign it happens: Cross twine This is a body position in which the legs are spread apart while observing all the rules outlined above. Frogs, by the way, do this easily! It will be interesting for those who sigh for cross splits that many doctors and trainers claim that this type of split is not accessible to everyone. About 13% of humanity, due to the peculiar structure of the hip joint, will never be able to boast of performing this stretching exercise (here are the gifts of evolution - in this regard, it is more profitable to be a frog!). There is another injustice: cross splits are much easier for men. This is due to the fact that the adductor muscles of the female thigh are much better developed than the male thigh. It would seem “Hurray, we girls are strong!”, but in this situation there is no place for delight: the super strength of the muscles of the anterior thigh does not allow the muscles of the posterior thigh of the weak half of humanity to spread their legs to the sides with the same ease with which given to the stronger half. Men will rejoice at this news in every sense. We can only hope for compensating bonuses in the form of roses, chocolate... and longitudinal twine.Longitudinal twine This is the position of the body in which the legs are spread forward and backward, subject to all the rules set out above. Does nature not allow you to do the cross splits? And it is not necessary! Give me a longitudinal one! The accessibility of this stretching exercise for women seems to be contrasted with the cross splits for men. Now the stronger sex will suffer in achieving their cherished goal - they will be hampered by the naturally powerful back surface of the thigh that does not want to relax. To be fair, it should be mentioned that, in principle, it is easier to sit on a longitudinal split than on a transverse split. But... let us also remind you that there are two longitudinal twines: left-handed and right-handed. They are distinguished by the leg that is in front.
TWINE ANGLE
Before moving on to the next classification criterion, let's imagine for a second that you have already sat down, for example, in a longitudinal right-hand split. The legs are stretched out, the hips are on the floor, the heels are already coming off the floor, so we straightened the knees... mmm... beauty! And then, through the euphoria of victory, the thought seeps into my head: “What’s next? I’m already sitting in the splits!” There is no need to worry, because there is no limit to perfection. The classification criterion considered is the twine angle.
While the angle formed by the inner surfaces of your thighs is 180 degrees, only CLASSIC SPLIT.
Do you have healthy, well-developed joints, elastic ligaments and well-stretched muscles? Then you may have access to SLAG (MINUS) TWINE or oversplit is a transverse or longitudinal split in which the angle between the legs is more than 180 degrees. To perform this stretching exercise, you will need one or two additional supports, between which you will soon sag, violating all ideas about your own physiology and capabilities. It looks enchantingly beautiful and impressive. A chair, a stool, mats, a choreographic barre, ... two cars or two wings of two airplanes will do =)). And don't forget very healthy knees. Thus, we figured out what kind of splits there are according to their angle.
PLACEMENT OF TWINE IN SPACE
You and I, thank God, are not drawn cartoon characters, and we live in three-dimensional space. Some will say that it is four or more, but I hope they will not argue with the fact that it is more than two. What does this give us? Possibility to place our twine in space. Provided that there is enough physical strength for this. If we lay transverse or longitudinal twine along the horizon line, we get, respectively, HORIZONTAL TWINE.But if you decide to diversify your stretching life and raise your extended working leg to your head with the supporting leg standing on the floor, then something has happened in your life. VERTICAL TWINE. To perform this exercise, you must not only have excellent stretching and easily perform both longitudinal and transverse splits on the floor, but also fairly strong leg and back muscles.
You can see in gymnastics or dancing (for example, break dancing) another version of the spatial demonstration of stretching - the athlete stands in a handstand and demonstrates SPLIT PERFORMED ON THE HANDS. It takes your breath away with admiration when an athlete, without leaving this stance, performs alternately transverse and longitudinal splits, while their legs, with their movement, resemble helicopter blades. To perform this exercise you must have... everything. And even a little more than everything =).
And fans of flight and ballet may also remember about TWINE IN THE AIR, which is casually performed by gymnasts and ballerinas.
Afterword
P.S. As for the cherry that will crown all this beauty, I associate it with the gigantic pleasure received at the moment when the dream of doing the splits (any kind, what can I say) comes true. For years you have been walking by, dreaming, sighing when you look at the photos you accidentally came across on social networks of those who were already ABLE, while you haven’t even started yet. Then at some point you make up your mind - and the path to fulfilling your dream begins under the skeptical glances and sometimes ridicule of others. This path is not always easy. But not a single coach will object to me: at the moment when the calves touch the floor for the first time while performing the splits, the student’s eyes are filled with such immense happiness, such all-encompassing joy and pure light that all the euphoria of the world pales in comparison with them. The endorphins released into the blood at this moment are enough for a small European country not to know grief. Just imagine: victory over yourself morally and physically, fulfillment of a long-awaited dream, pleasure from physical activity - such a cocktail “I was able/was able to!!!” will be stronger than any stress, any doubt. Go for it - there are no limits to perfection, but nothing is impossible either!SCHEDULE OF STRETCHING CLASSES
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The star of the series “SashaTanya” Valentina Rubtsova often shares with fans the secrets of proper nutrition... Moreover, at 41 years old, the actress can easily give a head start to 20-year-old fitness girls.
So the other day she showed off her magnificent stretch, and at the same time her slender, toned legs in microshorts.
“You can be patient for your own sake,” Rubtsova captioned a photo from the training session.
It is curious that the actress is actively introducing her daughter, 7-year-old Sophia, to sports. Mom and daughter even started a tradition - morning yoga.
Rubtsova showed morning training
66-year-old Daria Dontsova truly surprised her fans. And not with a new book, but with his excellent physical form. The writer demonstrated on social networks how deftly she does the splits.
“Some people think that girls at 50 are Egyptian mummies. If you don’t play sports, you can easily become a mummy at 20. And we, fitness monsters, will still be skipping in heels at 100,” said Daria. Judging by the enthusiastic reaction of subscribers, some will sign up for the gym tomorrow. There is someone to look up to: the famous writer is in such shape that even young girls can envy her.
Why, I think Dontsova may well outshine even Anastasia Volochkova with her splits. After all, the beautiful Anastasia popularized stretching among the people - not a single physical education teacher could achieve such an effect. So our other celebrities also practice the splits from time to time, which they inform us about with the help of admirable photos on their Instagrams. So the ballerina’s business is alive and well.
Among them there are girls who had to do the splits as part of their duty - for example, our wonderful gymnasts who worthily defended the honor of the country at the most significant competitions. But even after finishing their sports career, these beauties did not lose their magnificent shape, which they show on their microblogs. Moreover, the years do not seem to matter at all. So, the young girl still has gunpowder Yana Kudryavtseva, and from a more experienced Laysan Utyasheva.
For another athlete, Tatiana Navka, the splits are also a way to prepare for a responsible and difficult day at work, namely participation in your own show. After such a warm-up, other elements are easier and more fun to perform.
If only celebrities, how Nastasya Samburskaya, carefully consider the surroundings for the splits - for example, on a yacht, then others, like Matilda Shnurova, they do it in a very ordinary gym, and they take it as a souvenir in a simple way - with the help of a selfie.
While sitting in such a stretch, there is time to think about the eternal, which is demonstrated by a slightly thoughtful look Polina Gagarina, and also practice taking graceful positions on the frame – MakSim She not only gracefully sat down on the splits, but also folded her hands intricately.
By the way, many people lose sight of the fact that twine can be not only longitudinal and transverse, but also vertical. It reaches out to him Anfisa Chekhova. And here Svetlana Loboda I went even further and basically sat down on the splits and lay down. Looks... motivating!
But in our opinion, Volochkova succeeded the furthest in the case. Valeria– does it wherever necessary. For example, right while flying on an airplane. Just like a ballerina. Anastasia could be proud of her, and of all our ladies: everyone’s stretch marks are no worse than hers.
