pancake problems

I can't bend over to the side and touch my toes to do a pancake.  I know the knees have to stay straight on the ground.   What do I do to scale this?  Do I need stretchy straps?

Thanks.

Straps work well.

Jon, sit on a few pillows or a short stool and see if that helps.  Elastic straps are good, too, but if you can't even sit up straight in straddle with your bum on the ground, then you need to elevate.  I've been doing this for months and it's getting better.  I started on a short stool and am now on two thick pillows.  Hamstring flexibility from the Front Split series is helping a LOT.  In particular, focusing on APT while doing standing pike is super helpful -- I can feel my glute muscles coming alive as if they've never been stretched before.

Rob Rowland said:

 In particular, focusing on APT while doing standing pike is super helpful -- I can feel my glute muscles coming alive as if they've never been stretched before.

This helped me a lot as well

What does the acronym "APT"  stand for?   

It stands for Anterior Pelvic Tilt, so the opposite of PPT (or Posterior Pelvic Tilt), and refers to the way in which you "tilt" your hips. Anterior is the front, and Posterior is the back of the body. 

So APT is when your butt is really sticking out and there is a big arch in your lower back. This is because your hip is "tilted" or rotated forward. 

Here's a relatively good read on APT (the first half, anyways): http://www.swolept.com/posts/fixing-anterior-pelvic-tilt-posture-tricks-to-make-your-butt-and-gut-smaller#.VWez6PmqpBc