hi all! im looking for some advice. i have insanely tight hamstrings and a pretty bad anterior pelvic tilt (i can’t really sit in a pike). i’ve done yoga and pilates before, but i honestly really struggle with understanding the instructors sometimes and i cant tell if im doing any of the movements right. i can tell that my back and front of thighs are overworking to compensate for my core/hamstrings not working at all. does anybody have any recommendations for stretches? or also how i can work on these things just in my daily life? i work a 9-5 desk job, but i do walk about 10,000 steps a day. any and all advice is appreciated, thanks!

Anybody else use weights for splits training? Any corrections welcome btw

I have muscular dystrophy that has atrophied the muscles on top of my shoulders making it impossible for me to lift my arms above my head. Most tricep stretches ive seen require above the head movement. Are there any good stretches i can hit at chest height?

Hi all! Firstly pls ignore my poorly edited photo to remove my face lol. ANYWAY Ive been working on my middle splits since middle of June. I’ll share my routine for anyone interested which I perform 3x per week:

1. KB butterfly stretch 20# 2x2 minutes
   
2. Frog stretch active ROM: 5 repsx5 sets; hold 5th rep 1 min each
   
3. Pancake AROM: 5 repsx5 sets; hold 5th rep 1 min each
   
4. Middle split AROM: 5 repsx5 sets; hold 5th rep 1 min each

My question is, I am finally getting close to the floor. But my legs are not perfectly out straight. I’d say they come in toward my center about 20 degrees instead of pure abduction. (I really should have taken a photo from above so you can see what I mean) Is this fine, or should I continue to work my pure abduction ROM?

Also what’s your opinion on toes up straight or pointed?

48 and I’ve been practicing yoga for 2 years.
After a few months I revisited Flying Dragon, not sure if it still accessible to me.

I’ve been consistent with my daily practice, usually 60-90 minutes, with at least 2 practices weekly focusing on hip openers (pigeon, lizard, frog poses) as well as different twist poses.

But what really made a big difference was the fact that in the past few months I have added lots of standing balances in my practice. Tree pose, warrior III, half moon and their variations, really gave me the confidence to enter the pose in a more consistent way and, hopefully, fine-tune it.

edit: spelling

I’ve been using Dani Winks’ “Flexopedia” as a general reference while trying to combine my strength training with flexibility gains. Dani often recommends good mornings + pyramid good mornings, but I’m wondering if doing RDLs with weights would give the same “strengthen would you stretch” benefit or if the movement/resistance is different enough where I won’t be seeing many flexibility gains?

Any other thoughts on differences and overlaps between more traditional strength exercises and active flexibility training welcome as I’m struggling to see the difference…TIA for any thoughts :)

Hamstring flexibility is essential to my fitness goals. This is the routine that I’ve been on for about 2years. All activities are done in the order I do them. I’m using a 25lb plate for the seated forward fold and a 35lbs bar for the Jefferson curl.

I'm hoping to achieve an oversplits like in the picture, with an exaggerated bent front knee.

I have flat splits on both sides. It's fairly square (we could probably all work on that right 🤣). It's only flat after I'm warm, so either cardio or strength workout or a 5-10 minute stretch warm up, so not cold, couldn't pull it out in a supermarket store or anything. During a specified flex class I can get an oversplit with my front leg on a foam roller after appropriate stretch, about 30 minutes or so.

Just wondering if anyone can do the bent knee version and how they trained it? Looking for more than just sitting in oversplits, and very happy for strength and mobility based moves, not just flexibility.

Would this stretch allow me to do the lotus ? Middle splits or front split by stretching my hip flexor.

I know this is a very low bar compared to what many people of this sub do, but I wanted to share because I'm so excited !

Two weeks ago, I've started doing a light daily workout in the morning, including some stretches. I haven't able to touch my toes with legs extended for years, and I thought it would take months to get there, but, a bit unexpectedly, it happened today ! I'm super happy and excited to continue feeling better.

I wish y'all an amazing day.

I'm struggling to understand the difference in how the piriformis and obturator internus behave at deep hip flexion.

I understand that when the hip is flexed past 90, then the piriformis (which is an external rotator at neutral) turns into an internal rotator.

But I don't understand whether this happens to the obturator internus. Is it still remaining an external rotator? or does it copy the OI and turn into an internal rotator?

Thanks.

Hey guys so my bridge is currently limited by my shoulders and upper back I think (at least it looks that way). Could you please advice what exercises you've been doing (and frequency too if possible) to see results?

I've been doing general back stretching, sphinx, cobra variations, puppy pose etc but these don't seem to do the trick.

Thanks so much!!!

Does static stretching before a workout increase the risk of injury? Or should we be doing dynamic stretching instead? I’ve always performed static stretches—like balancing on one leg—as part of my warm-up routine; that’s simply how I was taught to do it in physical education classes. Have I been doing the wrong thing this whole time?

So I came across this clip of this performer and they did some wired tricks where they like dislocated their shoulder. Does anyone have that ability? What is it like to do it? Is uncomfortable?

Title. So basically have suddenly realised that I never felt any hamstring stretch in the hamstring but rather the back of my lower leg. This made me go into a rabbit hole on reddit where I found out I have sciatic nerve tension.

This threads have always been helpful in telling me how to test my tension ,nerve flosses and etc... BUT I just never found the solution to my question "What exercises can I actually do for my hamstrings then?" The general consensus was always jsut bent knee hamstring stretches but while it made my tension less intense, I still DON'T feel the back of my upper leg(hamstring) stretching

So basically all I want to know is: how to proceed with hamstring? What exercises can actually make me realise I have a muscle called "hamstring". I just want to feel anything in my upper leg back, man

Hi,

My understanding about the 90/90 floor pose, is that the front leg is in hip external rotation, and the back is hip internal rotation.

However, reading this PT's guide, they seem to be saying it's the opposite:

"90/90 Stretch (Seated Hip Rotation): Sit on the floor with one leg internally rotated in front of you (shin parallel to your body) and the other leg externally rotated to your side (shin perpendicular to your body), both knees bent at 90 degrees."

Source: evolveny.com/blogposts/limited-hip-internal-rotation

Can someone shed some light please? Have they got it the wrong way round?

Thanks.

So I tried to square my hips and point feet if I could. https://www.reddit.com/r/flexibility/s/UOWBdMR4v4
Also following this video since I do feel pretty good stretches.

Also sometimes the back leg kinda go zag a bit when I try to push myself down. Also tried following this https://www.daniwinksflexibility.com/bendy-blog/10-minute-front-splits-routine

So far its been a month. I did middle split and front split when I was like 13 but after surgery on my heel I couldn’t run because the nerve felt like a rubber band and I couldn’t stretch for a long time. Until now im 24 and able to stretch without fear as it didn’t hurt much before.

Also cant do middle splits at all. Any guides?

Please excuse my terrible form and awkward censor of my home. I just wanted to try my splits with no warmup to see how far naturally I can go. As you can see, my side split is awful and I cant go far. However, I’ve always been able to get low in the middle.

I was just curious whats the reason why might it be hard for me to do one but easier to do the other… especially since I heard the side split is easier for most people

Male, 33 years old. I’ve been actively working on my middle split flexibility for the last couple of months. Over the last month, my main focus has been working specifically on pelvic descent (getting the pelvis closer to the floor with proper alignment).

Progress has been steady, so I wanted to share what’s been moving the needle for me and hear any thoughts or tips from others on a similar journey!

What’s Working:

Cossack Squats: Active mobility and end-range strength.

Lunges & 90/90: Hip flexor opening and rotational mobility.

Frog Pose: Adductor target and deeper pelvic alignment.

Gym Leg Days (Weighted): Loaded strength signals the brain for safer, deeper range.

Grind continues ...

Does anyone know what is the most effective bodyweight psoas stretch that simultaneously builds strength in a lengthened position?  If there is even one that exists? 

E.g. An isometric psoas pose at a stretched position? 

I’m looking for one that requires no props or equipment. Just the ground or a wall. A bit like the Cossack squat hold at the bottom - it both stretches and strengthens the adductors. But I just need one for the psoas please. 

Thanks. 

i am 31 and male. this took me roughly 3-4 months of training 3 times a week to achieve. my training sessions were about 60 to 75 minutes long.

exercises used in my training sessions:

>sciatic nerve stretch
>peacock pose
>child pose
>pelvic butterflies
>pike pose
>standing pike pose
>bridge pose
>frog pose
>pancake pose - Wide AND narrow
>wall assisted side splits
>windshield wipers
>cobra pushups
>cobra feet to head
>half splits/forward folded half splits

I also used peptides, creatine, fish oils, whey protein, and supplemented vitamin D/magnesium to improve recovery from training.

my next goal: to achieve full side splits!!!

I (50f) have always been pretty flexible - I don’t have a stretching routine but I can fairly easily do things like forward splits, palms on floor etc. I only score 1 on the hypermobility test though.

The exception is my shoulders, where I’ve got significant asymmetry. I’m right handed but can’t explain the difference otherwise.

Any suggestions on how I can become more balanced?

The other photos are just to show general range but feedback on those would also be appreciated.

To be clear, I have no idea what I’m doing so it could all be completely incorrect form! 😂

Thank you for any advice

Edit: What’s with the DMs? Save it, I’m not interested.

Reposting because I messed up the title.

I'm very confused with this because some people say to absolutely not do both close to each other but other people say that is good to do the flexibility class after a weight trainining because the muscles would be warm already so to just go ahead and do weights and then flexibility class.

I'm specifically speaking about legs glutes workout and split work out. My plan is to do a split train on wednesday, same day I also do weight training focused on the glutes and legs. It is true that is good to do it before the flexibility class because the muscles will be warmed up? Can I do glute/leg workout and follow it with a split workout?

Thank you in advance.

Please forgive any mistakes, english is not my main language.

Which exercises could I do to improve my strength to have a more controlled final drop down.