Top 12 Common Mistakes When Stretching for Splits!

Splits are an excellent exercise, a classic figure in gymnastics and acrobatics.

There are two types of splits:

• Side splits — legs spread sideways.
• Front splits — one leg forward, the other back.

You cannot do a split without prior preparation.

Most beginners rush to sit in the splits as quickly as possible and skip crucial preparation stages, thereby harming their bodies.

Remember that you need to undergo special training to avoid damaging your muscles.

Only then can you sit in the splits!

Today we'll look at common mistakes beginners make when stretching for the splits.

1. Insufficient warm-up.
Before doing the splits, you need to thoroughly warm up your muscles. Remember, there's no room for haste when warming up. Your goal is to make your muscles elastic and as soft as possible at a moderate pace.

2. Stretching the wrong muscles.
This is the most common mistake. When you make this error, your back suffers first. You need to stretch the muscles you intend to stretch. It's unsafe to strain the hip joints, fingers, or back extensors. Remember that overstretched muscles cannot maintain the necessary balance and subsequently fail to support joints, especially under heavy load. This leads to various injuries.

3. Sudden movements.
Never perform exercises with jerking or bouncing movements, as this can harm muscles and joints. Do all exercises at a moderate, steady pace—this makes the load less dangerous and helps muscles become strong and flexible.

4. Don't bounce!
One of the most common stretching mistakes. Bouncing is ineffective and can lead to dangerous injuries. Stretch muscles smoothly, holding the stretched position for at least 10 seconds.

5. Incorrect exercise technique.
The risk of injury increases with incorrect technique. You need to clearly feel the tension in the muscle group used for the split. Also, you must evenly distribute the load to specific muscles at the right time during stretching.

6. Putting stress on ligaments.
Remember that only muscles should be used when doing the splits, not ligaments. Ligaments do not stretch like muscles! A ligament sprain is a serious injury, not a worthy achievement. It takes a long time to heal and causes pain.

7. Irregular training.
To achieve good flexibility, you must systematically follow a routine without skipping sessions.

8. Training with injuries.
If you feel muscle pain, see a doctor immediately. Never exercise with muscle injuries. In such cases, we strongly recommend stopping training during recovery.

9. Hunching your back.
Never hunch your back in any stretching position, as it shortens many muscles and restricts deep breathing. During exercises, keep your back straight, shoulders back, and chest lifted.

10. Overloading.
Every dancer wants brilliant results. The key is not to overdo it and overload muscles, as that can lead to injuries. Stretching should be done gradually.

11. Skipping balance exercises.
During stretching, we recommend not skipping the warm-up of other muscles, as this can disrupt balance.

12. Obsessing over the result.
Impatiently chasing a spectacular result can lead to many mistakes. As a rule, haste makes you ignore technique and proper stretching rules. Don't fixate on the result; instead, enjoy the process of stretching.