7 Oversplit Preparation Drills for Active Front Split Flexibility
7 Oversplit Preparation Drills for Active Front Split Flexibility
Working on oversplits with your leg(s) on blocks is of course helpful for students who already have splits to take it to the next level - but they’re also helpful for students who are looking to close the last couple of inches on their splits to get them flat once and for all!
A great way to prepare your hips before diving in to full oversplit holds is to work on active drills for your hamstrings (front leg) and hip flexors (back leg) to challenge them in the elevated and increased range-of-motion positions they will be in when you are in a full oversplit.
Below are a handful of drills that help target your pre-split flexibility work to the front leg, back leg, and then put both together. Note: these exercises aren’t meant to be a stand-alone split prep routine, you should include a 5-10 minute warm up (as always!) and some non-block split work before diving into these more advanced exercises.
Oversplit Strengthening Drills on Blocks
Suggested prerequisites for these drills: flat or close-to-flat front splits (hips 2 inches or closer to the ground)
A note about the pictures in these drills: you’ll notice for many I have one foot kicked up the wall - that’s an optional addition to these stretches. I did it because I fit better in the camera screen, but it can be a practical help to keep your hips square if your hips have a tendency to go rogue.
1. Front Leg Straightens
Start in a split with your front knee propped up with 1-3 yoga blocks. The lower the block(s) support, the harder this drill becomes
Keeping your torso lifted, engage your quads in the front leg to lift the front foot away from the floor - try and kick that leg all the way straight if you can!
Then bend the front knee and let the foot lower back to the floor
Repeat for 5-12 reps
2. Front Leg Straightens (Forward Fold)
This is basically the same drill as above, but adding a forward fold to increase the challenge on the hamstrings in the front leg
Start in a front split position with 1-3 yoga blocks under your front knee for support
Keeping your hips square and back flat, forward fold over your front leg until you feel a hamstring stretch (the deeper the forward fold, the harder the exercise)
While in your forward fold split, engage your quads in the front leg to lift your front foot away from the ground, trying to straighten the leg as much as you can (it may not go all the way straight - that’s OK!)
Slowly lower the foot back to the floor
Repeat for 5-12 reps
3. Oversplit Hip Lifts (Front Leg)
Start in a front split with your front knee propped up on 1-2 yoga blocks (how many blocks depends a bit on your flexibility - try both and pick whichever one feels the most comfortable). Your hips may or may not be touching the ground in your starting split - just let them sink as low as you can
Engage your hamstrings by pressing the underside of your front knee down into the yoga block, lifting your hips higher away from the floor
Slowly lower your hips back down with control
Repeat for 5-12 reps
Want to make it harder?
Challenge #1: keep your front leg straight (quads engaged) the whole time
Challenge #2: move your support block from under your knee to your calf, ankle, or heel (the closer to your foot, the harder this becomes!)
4. Lunge Knee Straightens
Start in a low lunge position (front knee stacked over your front ankle, torso lifted upright, back knee on the floor) with the top of your back foot on 1-2 yoga blocks (higher blocks = harder)
Keeping your torso upright (resist the urge to lean forwards!), press the top of your back foot into the yoga block, engaging your quads to lift the knee and straighten the leg. Try to keep your hips as low to the ground as you can (squeeze the back-leg glutes!)
Slowly lower the knee back to the floor
Repeat for 5-12 reps
5. Lunge Lean Backs
Start in a low lunge or zig zag split position with your front foot on top of 1-2 yoga blocks. Place your hands behind your front thigh for support
Engage your abs by sucking your belly button in toward your spine (this will help prevent from “crunching” into your low back, because we are adding a small backbend to this), and start to lean back, squeezing your back-leg glutes to press your hips forwards. You should feel a stretch through the hip flexors in that back leg (in the front of the back-leg hip)
Use your arms and your abs to help pull you back up to upright
Repeat for 5-10 reps
6. Oversplit Butt Kicks
Start in a split position with the very bottom of your thigh (very top of your knee) on a yoga block. Doing this with your back knee against the wall (like I’m doing in the picture) will make this quite challenging! If you need to make this a bit easier, scoot your back knee (and the block) a little farther away from the wall, or not use a wall at all
Keeping your torso upright (resisting the urge to lean forwards), engage your hamstrings in the back leg to squeeze your heel towards your butt
Then relax the leg/foot back to the starting position
Repeat for 5-12 butt kicks
7. Oversplit Hip Lifts
Time to put all that front-leg and back-leg oversplit strength together!
Start in a front split with both legs supported by yoga blocks. The closer the blocks are to your hips, the easier this drill becomes. In the picture I’ve chosen a medium(ish) difficulty (front block at my knee, back block at my ankle)
Keeping your torso lifted, press your front leg and back leg down into your blocks, engaging your quads to straighten both legs as you lift your hips (that’s a lot of squeezing!)
Slowly lower your hips back down to the ground
Repeat for 5-10 reps
Need to make it easier? Keep the front knee bent, and/or scoot the back leg block up your shin closer to your knee, and/or put your hands on blocks to use your arms to help lift the weight of your hips
Want to make it harder? Slide either-or-both blocks farther away from your hips towards your feet, and/or add a second block to one (or both) leg(s)
Now Try Your Oversplits!
After doing these drills your hips should be primed for some longer oversplit holds! As I’ve mentioned before, I like working on my back-leg oversplits first (block under the back ankle), then front-leg oversplits (block under the front calf or heel), then my double oversplits (block under both legs) - holding each split for 30-60 seconds. But feel free to experiment with timing that works for you!
