Test Your Flexibility Potential
Will you be able to do splits after following this stretching method?
Do these tests to determine if you have the potential to do front and side splits even before you start our stretching program.
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Deep lunge. The knee of the front leg is flexed and the thighs are nearly in one line. |
Front split test: Stand in a deep lunge. If your thighs are nearly in one line, as they should be in a front split, it means that your hip joints and their ligaments do not prevent you from doing the front split. Only tightness of your muscles may keep you from sitting in a flat front split with both legs straight. With our stretching method you will relax, or even elongate, these muscles and be able to do the front split with no warm-up.
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If you think that the length of your muscles and structure of your
hips will not let you do side splits, try this test . . . The leg resting on the chair is in the position it would have in a split |
Side split test: Stand beside a chair or table and put your leg on it as shown below. Make sure that both your hips and your raised leg are all in one line. Repeat this test with your other leg.
Now, what have you done? You have done “half side splits” with both your legs!
You have proved to yourself that both your hip joints have all the mobility (range of motion) needed for a full side split!
You have also proved that the muscles of each of your legs are already long enough for a side split. You know that no muscle or ligament runs from one inner thigh to the other (or, if you don't know it, you can ask your doctor). So, what keeps you from doing the whole side split with both legs spread sideways at the same time? The book Stretching Scientifically will tell you that and how to learn to do side splits any time, without any warm-up!
Many adults, who can perform the side split test with ease, have a great deal of difficulty with side or straddle splits (but not necessarily with front splits) due to a problem in the outer part of their hips. They feel that there is a “stop,” accompanied by pain in the outside hip or upper thigh region that prevents them from opening their legs wide enough to do a full side split. More info on dealing with this problem is in the larger, downloadable version of our Test of Flexibility Potential.
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