I need help on how to get down on my foward splits?

Question

I was thinking of joining a Wushu Team (martial arts team) but im sure the training will eventually require me to get down on the splits. I am almost 16 years old and im not sure if it's just a bit too late to bring my splits down. Of course the sooner that I could have stretched the past few years I may have gotten them down sooner but I still hope I can as of now. Can anyone give me some tips on how to do the foward splits because I have no idea of how to begin. I want to know how long I need to stretch everyday, what type of stretches, and how long is it going to take for me to get all the way down (The sooner the better). Also I have a container of protein that is like powder that u mix with water/ milk together. Since im stretching my muscles, does anyone think it may be useful?

Answer 1

try resistance stretcing for fast results...protein stuff is good, just be sure to drink lots of clean water to move any lactic acid out of your system!

Answer 2

Some of the products that you can purchase across the counter can do some pretty amazing things for an athlete but I don't think they can do that. While diet and proper rest are very important for any workout program to be maximally productive only good understanding and knowledge along with it and constant effort and dedication on your part are also required. Flexibility is like muscle or endurance-you build it and for the groin area it takes time, knowledge and the proper training regiment along with extra effort to do it.

Those marathon runners or guys with the big muscles in the gym did not get that way over night or in just a few months so I would start reading as someone else suggested and get a good training program started for accomplishing this. Slow static and dynamic type stretching along with attention to your hips and lower back will help get you farther in accomplishing this and I would also check out Yoga and some of those aspects and I think you will see some progress. How far or how much progress you can make you won't know until you try and some of the suggestions here and in some of the other answers will help get you there.

Answer 3

First, let me dispel a common misconception: you do not have to be a 4-year old gymnast to do the splits. With proper training, you can achieve full frontal and side splits at any age within a few months. And you can learn to display this flexibility without a warm up.

The best resource for stretching is:

www.stadion.com - be sure to check out the advice column by its author, Tom Kurz

www.trickstutorials.com - this site contains much of the same infor as stadion, but in a more user-friendly (and humourous) way

Talk of lactic acid build up and protein powders (see the above post) is complete nonsense. You gain flexibility by adjusting the nervous system that regulates tension in the muscles. Waiting out the tension and building strength in the stretched position are excellent ways to achieve this.

Note: You do NOT need to buy any stretching machines or lame "magic powder" gimmics to gain flexibility.

If you want to buy a book to help you make more informed decisions regarding your stretching, then buy "Stretching Scientifically" by Tom Kurz at stadion.com

Good luck.