Is achieving the splits a goal that you have? Whether it’s front or side splits, I’ve heard people say often that they’d ‘love to be able to do the splits’ or that they’re ‘working towards being able to do the splits.’ I’m not surprised, it is a cool skill to have, and it can feel like the BIGGEST achievement EVER because it takes so damn long! As rewarding as it is in its entirety, I think it’s important to set people up with a little background knowledge which can help avoid disappointment (like the kind that you get from social media or YouTube), prevent one from giving up, and hopefully set you on a path towards quicker and safer progress.

Some common questions or comments that have popped up in recent discussions are…

-        I’ve been training for over 3 months, I thought I’d have them by now."

-        What sort of things will affect my split?

-        Can splits training be dangerous?

-        Should I feel pain when I’m stretching?

What sort of things will affect my splits?

Age

Flexibility does generally decline with age, that does not mean that you cannot make flexibility gains as an adult, or even achieve a split. It just might take longer than say, if you were to start as a child and/or have maintained your flexibility consistently throughout your adolescent and adult life. The reason why many adults give up is the misconception that they will achieve it within months. It can take years to achieve a full split. Whereas the biggest factor in not achieving this is hip alignment.

Hip Angle

The ‘normal’ angle of the hip (so between the long thigh bone – the femur, and where it bends - we call this the neck of femur which then forms a socket with your pelvis) is between 33 and 38 degrees, roughly. This allows for 125 degrees of hip rotation (or range), roughly.

There are variances which will make it either easier or more challenging to make progress towards a split. And here’s a curve ball, some individuals may even have a different alignment between their left and right sides.

If you achieve the splits super easy, you may have a wider hip angle (aka Coxa Valga). If you’ve ever heard of the term Hip Dysplasia, this condition can sometimes be in conjunction with a larger hip angle and this allows for a lot of rotational movement, but not a lot of stability to control the hip joint in these ranges.

If you feel blocked in the hips or feel sharp pain in your hip joint, especially when in a side split stretch (ie. with one or both legs out to the side), you may have a smaller hip angle (aka Coxa Vara) which means that there will be a limited range that the hip will structurally be able to achieve.

The only way to know for sure is by having a scan but it’s not necessary for most people. What is important though, is understanding what you should feel in a stretch, and how to train accordingly for your body’s needs.

Progressive Programming

First, figuring out which structures are actually tight, versus needing to be strengthened... yes, flexibility training should predominantly be a strength workout! Working with a coach (or a physiotherapist) who can help you understand your body, and what each soft tissue needs, will help set you up for success AND help you avoid the monotonous stretching of hamstrings and hip flexors with no gains (sound familiar?) Hint: There is a reason why that alone doesn’t help.

What should you feel while stretching?

If done safely stretching is highly beneficial. Whereas, if done incorrectly it can lead to injuries associated with overstretching. This can include muscle and ligament strains (especially the hamstrings or groin), nerve pain, or damage to the joint capsule itself in the longer term.

Stretching is for the most part uncomfortable, and it’s often described as ‘painful’ which it is. It’s important to know the difference between types of pain though, and when you should be feeling a particular sensation over another.

As a rule of thumb, muscles like being held in a stretch, nerves don’t. So if you are holding a stretch and you feel sharp pain (especially in your calf), tingling, or numbness, this isn’t ideal. Further, if this is something you feel, stretching may not be the safest course of action for you in the beginning. Rather you’d benefit from getting some advice from sports physio on how to manage neural tension first.

Feeling stiff or sore (that dull, achy feeling) in your joints for days after (ie. your hips, somewhere in the knee) it might mean that you are either not preparing your body enough beforehand, or if you are on the naturally bendier side of life, then you may be straining your ligaments instead of stretching your muscles. It’s important to know whether you lie somewhere along the Hypermobility spectrum, as your training will need to look very different compared to someone who is less mobile. Hypermobility is becoming more recognised and acknowledged in healthcare, and there are a variety of Physiotherapy assessments that can help you understand your hypermobility and how to get the most out of your training.

Coming soon will be the ongoing debate in the world of splits training – Is an Open Split ‘bad’? We’ll dive into splits anatomy and what the differences are in an open versus closed split.