Straddle Leg Opens
Straddle Leg Opens
Muscle Group Stretched: Adductors
Muscle Group Strengthened: Glutes
Type of Stretch: Active Dynamic
Difficulty: All Levels
Suggested Prerequisites: none
This drill is a great active stretch for our inner thighs. We work to strengthen our glutes to pull our legs open, helping us work towards wider straddles and flatter middle splits.
How To
You’ll want your legs to be able to slide on the floor for this exercise.
Step 1
Start in a “comfortable” seated straddle, meaning sitting in a straddle (legs open out to the side) where it feels easy to sit upright, and you’re not feeling a deep stretch in your inner thighs. Depending on your flexibility level, that might mean modifying your seated straddle by:
slightly bending your knees
sitting on 1-2 yoga blocks, or even sitting in a chair
Step 2
Keeping your torso lifted and back flat, engage your outer hips (glutes) to pull your legs as wide open as you can. Don’t use your hands to help (that’s cheating!), just open as far as you can using the strength of your legs. Don’t worry if your straddle still looks like a narrow pizza slice - as long as you’re feeling a stretch in your inner thighs and a squeeze in your glutes, that’s what matters!
Step 3
Once you’ve pulled the legs open as far as you can, hold for just a moment, then close the legs back towards the middle to reset.
Repeat for 8-12 leg opens.
Modifications
Need to make it easier?
Bend your knees slightly.
Want to make it harder?
Add a (flat back) forward fold to turn this into straddle pancake leg opens, which adds a hamstring stretch component.
Related Content
Flexopedia: Straddle Pancake Leg Opens
Flexopedia: Fire Hydrants
Blog Post: 10-Minute Middle Split & Straddle Routine
Blog Post: Straddle vs. Middle Split - What’s the Difference?
