How in the world do you do a isometric front split?

I can't seem to figure this out.

If I extend/slide my back leg out, I end up with the foot sideways and the front foot up on my heel. The sideways foot is definitely not right, and being on the front foot's heel gets painful currently as I don't have very much ROM here.

Similarly, if I start from the ground - kneeling and extending one leg forward, I end up in a position when the front leg is stretched to the point where I can't really move it anymore, but the back leg isn't getting stretched at all. And then in the act of wriggling to try to extend it more, I end up rotating the back leg inward.

So I'm at a loss here. If I want to practice isometric front splits, how do I do it?

Been discussed before but at least you have a sense for your weak points. I, too, when I started out with the front splits felt my front ankle. You can use a towel or other pad under your calf and ankle to ease/help until your flexibility increases. It's my opinion, and perhaps Mr. Brady can correct me, but I always enter the split by sliding the front foot forward.

I'd suggest you consult this thread as it lays out some preliminary stretches I used to achieve front split:

viewtopic.php?f=17&t=2895

For me the foot had to go straight back, so the photo shown isn't a great example. I think of the foot going sideways as a different thing, a way to give the impression of doing a split without doing a full one.

Allot was covered in the thread already referenced. It does sound like it the lunge half that's holding you back. I'm going to assume you already have a decent pike stretch.

Socks and a hard wood floor help. Do a lunge your back knee can be on a mat, but have your front foot so it can slide and extend out as far as you can. At first if you have a good pike, you can lean forward to take the back leg out until you get all the way down, then begin to lift your body and work the back leg.

Of course if you can't get all the way down, even if you are leaning forward, you can use some supports. The referenced thread mentioned a towel under the back ankle. Its also really helpful sit on a block or blocks so you can get to a point that you can release. To control getting down, its sometimes good to use some blocks under your hands too.

Always spend some time trying to get the back leg under you and not off to the side, ideally, well really ideally it will almost want to roll in rather than out, but this is pretty tough, extra height from the floor helps. Just look back and see what its doing, sometimes you swear its straight back and its veering to the side.

I, personally, never found the lunge to work that well, you've just got to get that back leg straight, even if you're a mile off the floor.

Finally, this is one pose that responds to repetition, rather than long holds go in hold a bit come out reset. until you feel like you can stay for a while.

jl5555 said:

Been discussed before but at least you have a sense for your weak points. I, too, when I started out with the front splits felt my front ankle. You can use a towel or other pad under your calf and ankle to ease/help until your flexibility increases. It's my opinion, and perhaps Mr. Brady can correct me, but I always enter the split by sliding the front foot forward.

Thanks for the input. Is the rotated rear leg acceptable, or should it be flat on the top of the foot?

A pillow might actually be a good idea - I didn't think about that. I'm not low enough to where a towel would help, but I could cram a pillow under there from support.

Your second video shows you entering the front split from the half split position - is this usually the best way to do it? I can't seem to creep either of my feet forward or back enough to reach my stretching limit when doing this...

Mr Brady said:

It does sound like it the lunge half that's holding you back. I'm going to assume you already have a decent pike stretch.

Nope, my pike is terrible. What I'm attempting to do is get into a position where I can work front-split isometric stretches. I'm no where close to a front split, or even a proper hurdler's stretch. I just don't really know any other way to work in isometrics here. I do prepare with the same stretches jl5555 uses (got mine from Elastic Steel).

Should I focus on a proper pike before worrying about the front split then?

Well you'll need a decent pike to do the split for sure, at least i did. I think its pointless to spend to much time on splits before the basic forward bends and back bends are solid, with them in place splits will come fast. Remember lunge is a backbend prep.

I honestly think people over think all this pnf etc, like learning a front lever etc, practice and patience are the main things. All the fancy acronyms in the world won't get you there faster.

Mr Brady said:

Well you'll need a decent pike to do the split for sure, at least i did. I think its pointless to spend to much time on splits before the basic forward bends and back bends are solid, with them in place splits will come fast. Remember lunge is a backbend prep.

The low/kneeling lunge? Or standing lunge?

Coach mentioned a weighted forward bend somewhere. How do you feel about that, versus the "grab your feet and pull" style? Work on both?

Mr. Brady is entirely correct that this is something that responds to repetition. When I started doing my lunge-hurdle-lizard-half split stretch it was because I thought my IT band was tight and this was a routine shown to me that might help fix that. Every workout I did the series religiously. Not because I was trying to get to a split but just to stretch all that jazz out; hamstrings, glutes, IT, calves, etc... Eventually, you start to feel yourself opening up and the low lunge begins to feel like a split (at least in the groin area.) It just seemed a natural progression to bring the forward foot out more and more till, eventually, the leg was on the floor. That's just the way it happened.

So give way to just doing a nice pre/post workout stretch routine and it will probably lead to where you want to go.

So you really believe that doing something like 4 sets of 30 second holds will be better than 1 two minute hold?

Does the same also apply to straddle / side splits work?

phrak said:

The low/kneeling lunge? Or standing lunge?

Coach mentioned a weighted forward bend somewhere. How do you feel about that, versus the "grab your feet and pull" style? Work on both?

So you really believe that doing something like 4 sets of 30 second holds will be better than 1 two minute hold?

Does the same also apply to straddle / side splits work?

Both lunges are good.

Weighted is good, IF you can already flex your hips past 90 degrees. If your pike is not at that point yet, weighted is asking for trouble. This has to do with body mechanics.

Regarding the timings, something like 6 x 10 seconds, 3 x 20 seconds

Straddles like long holds.

Of course this is all subjective, what i've noticed in my own work.

jl5555 said:

I'd suggest you consult this thread as it lays out some preliminary stretches I used to achieve front split:

viewtopic.php?f=17&t=2895

Man, I can't believe it's been over a year since I made that thread. I still haven't 100% achieved a full split yet, but now I have more knowledge and taking my gymnastics training very seriously. I'm finally showing progress on my front split because of focusing on my hip alignment, but I'm still concerned about my progress in my center split. Does anyone have tips on the center splits?

Mr Brady said:

Regarding the timings, something like 6 x 10 seconds, 3 x 20 seconds

Straddles like long holds.

Of course this is all subjective, what i've noticed in my own work.

So front split work (lunges, hamstring stretches, back bends, etc) should be high rep for medium time, but side split work (butterflies, seated straddles, isometric straddles, etc) should be low rep, high time?

Regarding the pike - if I have trouble past the 90 degree point (90 degrees is fine, but I can't really get more than 5 degrees past it), what are my limiting factors? Lower back and hamstrings? Any supplemental stretches that would be worth it, or simple do more pike stretches?

Ah, the pike stretch... My old arch-nemesis. I'm almost at 90 degrees, but for some reason my usual planning and discipline for strength work seems to completely evaporate when it comes to stretching. So, Mr. Brady, may I ask you for a suggestion of a pike and straddle work game plan that I might follow so I might not be too embarrassed in may?

Or is "Do the stretch every work out day" really all there is to it?

Rio Yeti said:

but for some reason my usual planning and discipline for strength work seems to completely evaporate when it comes to stretching.

Been there, or actually i'm still there.

So i joined a dance studio that offers stretching sessions. I go twice a week and it lasts for an hour. It's great. I don't have to plan anything, just show up and do the stretches. Sure you have to push yourself and go for it, but being in a class where someone is taking you through a well thought out session and making sure you don't cheat is really helpful.

Being the only guy in a room full of flexible female dancers is just the bonus Helps with the motivation too.

There's a video on Mobility WOD that includes an inflexible guy doing a progression. It may help. http://mobilitywod.blogspot.com/2011/01 ... mpion.html