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safe splits progression?
With everyone (me included!) working on splits as a New Years resolution, I was just wondering what a good level of improvement is. I know with losing weight theres an x pounds per week formula for being healthy, is there an x inches per month for the splits?
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10 Replies
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Thats a good question!
Personally I say Nope https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_wink.gif Any improvent is a good level! There are so many variables that can affect flexibility, genetics, previous experience, how often you stretch, skeletal structure ect. The same goes for Pole Dance. We shouldn't expect everyone to progress at the same rate. Some will see quicker results than other and again for various reasons. The best way to judge progress is tracking your own! https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_geek.gif Take photos, notes, video, blog whatever you can think of so you can look back and really see where you were and where you are now. If your not seeing a change then you know its not working and its time to reevaluate. We set ourselves up for frustration when we feel we HAVE to progress within a certain time frame or measurement.
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I don't think there's a formula because we're all different. Your body might be more flexible than mine or i might work on split more often or use a better move. I also notice that even after a few month doing bendy buddies after getting some muscle from pole that i had to work more because my split wasn't as low as it use too. And one thing to remember is that some day are better than other especially if you warm up well
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I have been working on my splits for a while now. The only issue I found is that I had to do more strength training because I was stretching TOO much. The joints in my hips just felt… loose, to the point of being almost unstable. So I started stretching every other day, and doing more strength training on my hips, thighs and glutes. The instable feeling went away within a week or two, and I didn't lose any of the progress I gained. I was actually able to start getting lower and felt better about it. Just listen to your body. You'll know if it doesn't feel right. A lot of articles warn about overstretching and the dangers of stretching incorrectly (because you could accidentally tear something) but do your research and listen to your body. Some weeks I could see lots of progress. Others I plateaued. I've been plateaued for about a month now, almost to the floor but not quite. Darned hip flexors are very tight, and cannot get my hips straight and legs flat, but working on it. Hope this helps! ^_^
~Kitty
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a lot of girls (including me) on this site seem to be doing the "Front Splits in 6 Weeks" program. here's the link: http://www.unique-bodyweight-exercises.com/splits.html. it's great because it includes controlled tensing of your muscles while in the stretches (perfect if you have a busy schedule and don't have much extra time to strength train) to help you build up your strength in a wider range of motion while you increase your flexibility.
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holly, have you seen any progression since you started? veena what do you think of this?? i might try it! thanks for posting the link!
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@ Sascha….its ok…but really most people shouldn't expect to have a FULL split in that amount of time. Everyone will respond differently. Time persistence and consistency is the key to increasing your flexibility. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_viking.gif
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Oooh, thanks for the link Holly. I want the splits so bad (I'm probably more than a foot off the ground, ugh), but I also hate stretching because I am SO inflexible so any stretches I do dont even look like stretches. I've never been flexible for as long as I can remember. But this year one of my goals is to get the splits or somewhat close, and follow up with a 2012 USPDF entry.
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@Sascha – I am only in the middle of the second week of stretching which is a little more intense than the first week, but I have not been doing it for so long that I can guarantee it will help everyone, especially since improvement in flexibility depends on so many factors and each person is different. I think I am seeing some progress but it's hard to tell yet how much I have been improving because I can't really see unless I take pictures, which I will be doing each week to track my progress. I also started from about a foot off the ground so my flexibility isn't terrible to begin with. I can say though that when I started I could barely touch my toes (standing or sitting) and now after about a week and a half I can put my hands flat on the floor with very little warm-up. Like Veena said though, I'm not expecting a full, perfect split at the end of six weeks – I would be perfectly happy if I were still a couple inches off the ground, because it's better than where I am now!
I can say I like the program already though for the basic reason that it allows me to picture being able to do the splits in a set amount of time, and it lays out a routine I can follow every day that doesn't take hours. Regardless of whether or not my splits are totally on the ground at the end of six weeks, at least I will have been motivated to stretch every day – I know I would not have been stretching for the past week and a half if I had not run across the link!
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I have been following this plan and adding about 6 other stretches to it for almost 8 weeks now. So an hour a day usually about 6 days a weeks. Somehow theres always this one day a week that Im too tired or too busy and sometimes its even too cold to stretch. Anyways. I was not that far from the splits when I began. But still I don't have the splits. I am really really close.
Last week I could get my front leg completely flat on the floor so its pretty much a split except I stiil need about 1 inch left on my back leg. But that is only after an hour of stretching. And today was a bad day compared to the last week and I was really tight and couldn't get nearly as far.Anyways a huge progress but takes more then 6 weeks like the plan says even if I have been doing more variety of stretching then the plan says. And I was not that bad when I started. But its different for everyone I guess. I still think its worth doing it even if it takes longer 🙂
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thank you guys so much for your insight!! i guess i'll try it out and see where it goes, keep me posted on your guys progres!!!! 🙂 xoxoxoxo https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_pumpkin.gif
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