For years, the splits felt like an unattainable goal. Growing up dancing for 15 years, I always envied those who could effortlessly drop into a full split. While I could manage a left split of sorts, the right side was a no-go, and middle splits? Forget about it. I remember Amy (not her real name), a girl from my ballet classes who could glide into splits like it was nothing and always had personalized accessories. Meanwhile, I’d struggle and strain to achieve something that barely resembled a split, never finding my initial on any cool accessories. Clearly, the childhood trauma of splits-envy still lingers.
Like any good quest, mine started with a nemesis – Amy. On day one of my mission to learn how to do the splits, thoughts of her perfect form fueled my determination.
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Day One: Setting the Stage for Splits
Determined to see how much progress I could make in a week, I began my online research: “do the splits in one week.” YouTube offered a plethora of options, and I landed on Gabriella Whited’s video, “How to get your splits in ONE DAY (SIMPLE, FAST, EASY) for BEGINNERS,” boasting nearly seven million views. The promise of splits in just one day seemed ambitious, but I thought, Even if it takes longer, a week is still quick!
Gabi starts her video by acknowledging, “Some of you will be able to get your splits in a day, some of you won’t.” While that statement is universally true, the “in a week with this stretching routine” part caught my attention. It’s worth noting that online content promising rapid splits achievement has become increasingly common, with numerous TikToks offering quick fixes to learn how to do the splits in as little as two days.
To assess my starting point in learning how to do the splits, I attempted what I thought were near-splits. Reality check: I was a good 7-8 inches off the ground on both sides. Okay, everyone starts somewhere. Gabi’s one-week promise still echoed in my mind. Fueled by the ghost of Amy’s smug middle splits, I felt ready to conquer this challenge.
Day Two: Embracing the Burn of Stretching
I’d always associated stretching with relaxation, but day two brought a rude awakening. Gabi’s method involved ten static stretches – hamstring stretches, lunges for hip flexors, and so on – each held for 45 seconds to two minutes. The routine concluded with holding your best attempt at both front splits for up to two minutes. She recommended doing this twice daily to achieve splits in a week. My goal became holding each split for at least 30 seconds – a reasonable target, based on Gabi’s promises. The entire circuit took about 30 minutes.
During a hamstring stretch – lying on my back, leg straight and pulled towards my face – my leg trembled. My hips weren’t thrilled with the repeated lunges either. A wave of soreness for the next day washed over me. Unsurprisingly, 24 hours in, no split miracle had occurred. Even less surprisingly, attempting to hold a split, even briefly, was painful.
Day Three: Pain Persists, Progress Stalls
Doubt started creeping in. I decided to consult physical therapist Emily Gardner from the Memorial Hermann IRONMAN Sports Medicine Institute in Houston to get a professional perspective on the “splits in a week” claim. Her response? Laughter.
Gardner explained that achieving splits for most adults takes months. “When we talk about long-term tissue change and flexibility, you usually see that over the course of six months to a year, depending on the frequency of stretching and range of motion a person has,” she stated.
I mentioned my dance background and current exercise routine – weekly yoga, occasional running, and bodyweight exercises. Her assessment remained unchanged. Still, my determination to learn how to do the splits persisted. Even if a full split in a week was out, I wanted to see tangible progress.
Even Yiannis Christoulas, a YouTube sports scientist with his own “how to do the Split fast” guide, clarified that “fast” in this context meant “one to eight months.”
Gabi’s one-day promise now seemed mythical. Yet, I persevered, following her instructions religiously: twice-daily routines, two-minute leg extensions, cushion progression for splits. Despite my efforts, day three yielded no visible progress. Frustration mounted.
Day Four: Rest and Reset
Sore and discouraged, I declared day four a rest day. Christoulas, in his splits video, advocated for rest days to overcome plateaus. Given my complete lack of progress, “plateau” seemed generous. A rest day it was.
Day Five: A Glimmer of Progress?
Back at it on day five, I repeated Gabi’s stretching routine twice. After a day off, it actually felt… good. Stretching hamstrings and hip flexors mid-pandemic quarantine wasn’t such a bad idea.
“The biggest issue is that people are sitting too much,” Michel Fredericson, a sports medicine physician at Stanford Health Care, explained. “Sitting all day leads to tightness in hamstrings and hip flexors. Regular stretching of these areas is necessary to maintain normal tissue length.” Fredericson suggested holding stretches for 30 seconds, repeated three times daily, for basic maintenance.
While “normal tissue length” wasn’t as glamorous as splits, 30 minutes of stretching did make sitting at my computer less torturous.
But the splits quest continued. At the end of day five, my splits attempt showed a slight improvement. About an inch closer to the ground on my left side, and less hamstring pulling. Hip flexors remained stubbornly tight, but straightening my front leg felt easier, even if hip-squaring was still a challenge.
Day Six: Shifting Gears to Dynamic Stretching
“Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.” By day six, I decided to deviate from Gabi’s static stretching method. Progress was minimal, and perhaps, as Gardner hinted, the approach was flawed.
Many physical therapists now favor dynamic stretching – movement-based stretching rather than prolonged static holds, which Gabi’s routine emphasized. “For the average person, a weekly yoga class is a good approach,” Gardner recommended, highlighting vinyasa flow yoga as an example of dynamic stretching: fluid movements through stretches, engaging muscles actively.
Running out of time and patience, I opted for a 45-minute yoga class on day six. Serendipitously, it included splits poses twice. While I wouldn’t completely dismiss Gabi’s efforts, this yoga session brought me closer to actual splits with less pain. No trembling legs, no hamstring strain, no hip flexor burn. It felt… good, perhaps a glimpse of Amy’s split-induced bliss.
Warming up beforehand likely played a role. Fredericson noted that static stretching isn’t inherently bad, but dynamic stretching, like butt kicks, high knees, or jumping jacks, is better pre-activity to warm muscles and connective tissues. My limited experience leaned towards agreeing.
Day Seven: Assessing the Results
On the final day, aiming to replicate day six’s success, I wore the same outfit and did another yoga class. At the end, I attempted the splits. Considering my starting point – 7-8 inches off the ground – left-side progress was significant. Without squaring my hips, I was almost there, just 2-3 inches from the floor. The right side was less cooperative. While my right leg straightened more, a tight left hip flexor (possibly from an old running injury) hindered progress. I remained about 5 inches from the ground on the right.
In short, I failed to achieve Amy-level splits perfection. However, when I asked Gardner and Fredericson about the health benefits of splits, they both stated that splits are unnecessary for normal adults. Gardner even called pursuing splits “kind of a waste of time.”
“Splits are an extreme range of motion,” she explained. “For general flexibility and wellness, splits aren’t required.”
Fredericson concurred: “There isn’t any benefit [to doing the splits], unless you’re a dancer or gymnast. I practice martial arts and can get close, but that’s after years of training.”
He also warned that excessive focus on flexibility and over-stretching can cause functional issues and injuries. He emphasized the importance of mobility – the ability to perform daily activities like squatting, jumping, and turning – over just flexibility.
“Mobility is equally important,” he said. “Good mobility means the body moves well as a whole system, not just at one joint. Someone mobile might not do splits but can squat or deadlift functionally.”
While “functionally fine” lacks the allure of effortlessly dropping into splits at a party, it holds practical appeal. I can squat, jog comfortably, and deadlift if needed. Whether Amy can do these things is unknown, but in my mind, she probably can’t.
On day eight, my first splits-free day, I skipped stretching. My hamstrings and hip flexors rejoiced. Realizing the limited practical value of splits (party tricks aside), I’m abandoning this lifelong goal. It’s not “giving up”; it’s recognizing the superiority of “functional fitness” and “normal tissue length.” Besides, I got pretty close on my left side, so I could do it, if I really wanted to.
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