4 Active Flexibility Drills to Strengthen Your Front Splits
4 Active Flexibility Drills to Strengthen Your Front Splits
If you’re trying to get lower in your front splits - passive stretching is only part of the equation, you need to make sure you’re strengthening your muscles to support this unique range of motion in your hips (front hip flexion and back hip extension). If you need a reminder about what muscles you need to work on for your splits, check out this blog post for a front split anatomy review.
When structuring my training, I like to make sure I’m including some drills that target the front leg, and some drills that target the back leg. Breaking it down helps me focus on maintaining proper form to make sure I’m getting the right stretch (and engagement!).
Below are a couple of examples of active flexibility exercises for the front and back leg in our front splits. The first drill in each set helps strengthen our “helper” muscles on the opposite side of the joint - these are the muscles that are in a shortened position, and when we engage them they help the main muscle we want to stretch relax into a deeper stretch. The second drill works to strengthen the main muscle that we’re trying to stretch while it’s in a lengthened position to help it get stronger in that range of motion. By pairing those exercises together, we ensure we’re helping strengthen our whole joint for safe stretching support!
Front Leg Drill #1: Half Split Leg Lifts
Muscles Stretched: Hamstrings (Front Leg)
Muscles Strengthened: Hip Flexors (Front Leg), Quads (Front Leg)
Start kneeling (you can be by a chair or a wall for balance) with one leg extended straight forwards, with your hips square to the front, and back flat (this is a "half split”)
Lift your front leg off of the ground, then lower down with control (this will feel very squeeze-y in your quads and hip flexors!)
Repeat for 8-12 leg lifts on that leg, then switch legs
Need to make it easier? Starting kneeling on the ground is not the most beginner-friendly variation, so don’t despair if you can’t lift your leg. Give your hips more space by placing a yoga block (or two) under your back leg shin, or you can do these leg lifts from standing
Want to make it harder? Try to do these leg lifts while in a forward fold (as long as you’re keeping your back FLAT and keeping your pelvis rotated forwards).
Front Leg Drill #2: Forward Fold Front Split Slides
Muscles Stretched: Hamstrings (Front Leg)
Muscles Strengthened: Hamstrings (Front Leg), Hip Flexors (Back Leg)’
You’ll need to be able to slide your front foot on the floor for this exercise (I like wearing socks for this drill)
Start in a half split position (kneeling with one leg extended forwards) just like the first exercise
Keeping your back flat, forward fold. You can have one hand on a chair for balance, or take your hands to blocks or the floor if you can reach (as long as your back stays flat and your pelvis is tilting forwards!)
Slide your front foot forwards, sliding out into your version of a front split while you’re still in some amount of a forward fold so you feel a stretch in your hamstrings
Once you’ve slid as far as you can with control, press your front foot into the ground (this will cue your hamstrings to contract) and slide that foot back to the starting position
Repeat, sliding out into your forward-fold-front-split, then sliding back to your half split, 5-10 times. Then switch legs
Need to make it easier? Keep your torso lifted instead of leaning forwards (this will lessen the hamstring stretch)
Want to make it harder? Try putting less weight in your hands on the chair/blocks/floor, making your hip muscles control more of the movement. Super Challenge Mode would be not using your hands at all!
Back Leg Drill #1: Knee Taps
Muscles Stretched: Hip Flexors (Back Leg)
Muscles Strengthened: Glutes (Back Leg), Quads (Back Leg)
Start in a low lunge position, with your front knee stacked over your front ankle, hips square, torso lifted. You can have your hand on a chair or a wall for balance
Tuck your back toes and lift your back knee off the floor, straightening your back leg as much as you can. Try to keep your torso lifted and try to keep your hips as low as you can (this exercise is easier if you let the hips rise up when you lift the knee)
Slowly lower your knee to tap the ground
Repeat for 8-12 knee taps, then switch legs
Need to make it easier? Lean forwards (don’t worry about keeping your torso lifted). Place your hands on the floor on each side of your front foot, or on blocks if that’s more comfortable.
Want to make it harder? Don’t use any hand support. Still want more of a challenge? Try these knee taps in a Zig Zag split (taking the front foot farther forwards)
Back Leg Drill #2: Active Lunge Slides
Muscles Stretched: Hip Flexors (Back Leg)
Muscles Strengthened: Hip Flexors (Back Leg), Quads (Back Leg), Hamstrings (Front Leg), technically also our Glutes (Back Leg) since they’re working to keep our hips square
This is another drills where you’ll want your feet to be able to slide!
Start standing, and slide one leg back into a standing lunge. Keep your torso lifted, hip bones square pointing forwards, back leg straight, and back heel lifted. Tuck your tailbone so you feel a stretch through the front of your back leg hip (in your hip flexors)
From your standing lunge, keeping your back leg as straight as you can, press your back foot forwards (this will engage your quads and hip flexors), sliding the foot on the ground as you kick the leg forwards until you’re back to standing upright with both legs together
Repeat, sliding back into your standing lunge, and sliding forwards back to standing with feet together
Need to make it easier? Don’t slide out quite as far. The lunge does not have to be the Deepest Most Intense Lunge - try to find a lunge that feels challenging, but where you can still slide in and out of the pose with control
Want to make it harder? Slide out to the deepest lunge you can (with proper form, of course) and/or remove any hand support
Put It All Together: Try Your Front Split
Now give your front split a try - does it feel any more comfortable after having spent some extra time strengthening your front-leg and back-leg hips?
Of course there’s much more you can do to work on strengthening and stretching your hips for your splits. But hopefully these have given you some ideas on where to start!
