Stretch your legs quickly. The best leg stretching exercises for beginners. How to do the splits correctly

We have prepared for you 21 leg stretching exercises that are suitable for both beginners and experienced athletes.

Types of stretching exercises

Exercises for stretching the leg muscles can be divided into several types:

Type of stretch	Description
Static	It is especially suitable for beginners, as it is gentle on the muscles. They stretch, but do not tense. Do these exercises for 15 seconds to a minute. You can train any muscle groups.
Dynamic	The essence is completely opposite to the static one. These movements are characterized by dynamics and active actions. Raising your arms, lunging your legs, twisting your body.
Passive	It differs from static in that it is performed in pairs. Here it is important to feel your body and react in time to your partner’s actions, to tell him how hard to push or pull. This stretching allows you to stretch your muscles even better and increase your range of motion.
Active	It is in many ways similar to dynamic, but its main difference is independent actions and work with own weight. This stretching often acts as a complement to another type, but can also be independent.
Ballistic	This is a specific type and is not suitable for everyone. Unlike smooth movements, these exercises are performed rhythmically and intensely - jumping, pushing, sharply and with maximum amplitude.

When to stretch your muscles: before, during exercise, after training?

Jacob Wilson, a sports physiologist at Florida State University, says stretching before exercise is important. However, this should not be a static form, you need to do a dynamic warm-up. And after classes, stretch to calm the body and bring the pulse back to normal (book “Cardio or Strength” by Alex Hutchinson).

Citing the same source, it can be noted that Jason Winchester, a scientist at Louisiana State University, is confident that Don't stretch before strength training. But this is a must. If such exercises are planned, it is good if enough time passes before the main strength exercises. You can also do them on non-training days, for example in the morning or before bed.

It is also a good idea to stretch the working muscles between sets. strength exercises. Not for long, literally 10-15 seconds.

Warm up before stretching

Experiments on rats at the University of Michigan showed that muscles must be warmed up before stretching, otherwise they will be severely injured. Experts advise warming up before stretching - jogging, cycling to warm up properly (book “Cardio or Strength” by Alex Hutchinson).

How and how long to stretch?

Ideally, stretching your legs should take 10-15 minutes. On average, stretching lasts about 10-20 minutes. Before it starts, you should restore your pulse.

Exercises for the front of the thigh

In this section, we will look at the basic movements for stretching the front of the thigh (quadriceps).

Lie face down on the mat.
Raise your head, move your hand back and clasp your ankle with it.
Pull your foot toward your buttock, while keeping your thigh pressed to the floor.
Do the same with the other leg.

You can also use a rubber shock absorber or a jump rope here:

Get down on one knee as if you were doing a lunge.
Place your hand on your front leg. With your other hand, grab the toe of your other foot and pull it towards your buttock. Try to tighten your gluteal muscles.
Do the same with the other leg.

Take a deep lunge forward. The back leg should be straight.
Lean your body forward and place your hands on the floor on either side of your front leg.
The leg laid back is bent so as to reach the floor with the knee. Stretch forward, pushing your knee, you will feel the quadriceps of that leg stretch.
Now repeat with the other leg.

Exercises for the back of the thigh

Stretching exercises back surface hips can be performed using additional objects. And also lying, standing or sitting.

Hamstring stretch with expander

Lie on your back, stretch your legs.
Place a jump rope, expander or rope on the foot of one leg, lift it as high as possible and pull it towards you. The second leg is straightened and does not come off the floor.
The same must be done with the other leg.

Stretching while standing

Stand up straight and place your hands on your waist.
Take a step forward and tilt your body almost parallel to the floor. The back should remain straight. Stretch forward without lifting your feet off the floor.
If you bend a little back leg in the knee, the lower part of the back of the thigh will be tense, if the leg is straight, its upper part will be tense.
Switch legs and repeat the movement.

Tilt to feet

Sit on your buttocks and straighten your legs in front of you.
Bend towards your feet and place your hands on either side of your legs as far as possible. You can grab your feet with your hands and slowly stretch forward.

One leg bend

Sit as in the previous exercise, but extend only one leg in front of you. The second one needs to be bent at the knee and rest the foot on the thigh of the straightened leg.
Grasp the foot of the outstretched leg with your hands, lean forward and pull the toe towards you. Try not to round your back. Repeat with the other leg.

Standing bends

Stand with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart (the width depends on your stretch).
Bend your body down while keeping your back straight. At the end point you need to rest your palms on the floor. The toes point forward, as do the fingers.

If stretching allows you, sit in a longitudinal split.
Your arms should be placed at your sides and your body weight should be transferred to them. There is no need to turn your hips and shoulders to the sides.
Switch legs and repeat.

Exercises for the inner thigh

Exercises to stretch the inner thigh are performed while lying or sitting. It’s worth trying each option and choosing those that best feel the stretch in the target muscle group.

Deep squat

You need to sit down on a counter, exercise machine, door frame, or any other convenient surface so that you can grab it with your hands when squatting.
Place your feet wider than your shoulders, turn your knees and toes outward. Holding onto a support, slowly lower yourself into a deep squat until your thighs touch your calf muscles. The squat is performed with a straight back and without tilting the body.

"Butterfly at the Wall"

Sit on the floor on your buttocks. You need to keep your back straight. If this is difficult for you, sit with support against a wall.
Bend your legs and press your feet together. Now, keeping your back straight, lower your knees towards the floor. But do not press on them with your hands.

"Frog"

Lie on your stomach, then rest on your forearms.
Spread your knees out to the sides and bend your legs at a 90-degree angle. The socks look to the sides. Try to lower your pelvis as low as possible to the floor. If you can completely put the pelvis down, great.

The position is similar to the previous exercise, only one leg is now straightened. Again, try to lower your pelvis to the floor.
Repeat with the other leg.

Forward fold

Sit on the floor on your buttocks and spread your legs out to the sides as wide as possible. Socks point up.
Lean forward, extending your arms and placing your palms on the floor. Try to lower your stomach as close to the floor as possible. Don't bend your knees.

If stretching allows you, spread your legs apart in cross twine.
Do not move your pelvis back; it should be at the same level as your knees and feet. With a good stretch, you can lean forward and lean on your forearms. If it is difficult for you to do this, rest with your palms. Strive to pull your pelvis towards the floor.

Lie on your back so that your pelvis is close to the wall and your legs are perpendicular to the floor.
Spread your legs and let them fall to the sides under your weight. Socks point down.
Try to stay in this position for a few minutes.

Exercises for the outer thigh

Even untrained people can perform the exercise near the wall. And what is done while standing requires some preparation. But at the same time the abs are stretched.

Today's beauty standards and the flashing of long-legged models on the catwalk bring a lot of frustration to average girls and women who are dissatisfied with their appearance and proportions. They try at any cost to resemble the ready-made standards of beauty presented to them. To be perfect, they undertake any operations and risks.

You can lengthen your legs not only through surgery

Today, many girls are worried about the seemingly impossible task of changing natural length legs I don’t really want to advise poor things to go under the surgeon’s knife. Maybe this problem can be solved in a less bloody way? How to lengthen your legs without surgery, at home?

Ways to lengthen legs at home

In most cases, women's dreams of plastic surgery are unfounded: beauty is not a standard norm, and we are beautiful precisely because of our differences. And the beauty of the body is not the size of the waist or the length of the legs.

Body beauty - in the right proportions

This truth was known to ancient sculptors, who proved that a small, plump woman can be no less beautiful than the long-legged huntress Diana. Therefore, before you decide to lengthen your legs, take a close look at yourself in the mirror: perhaps, despite your small height, your legs are actually long (in accordance with your proportions)?

But to the point. You still can’t convince a woman: if she decides to lengthen her legs, she will do it at any cost.

Lengthening your legs with exercise

Let us reassure fashionistas: it is indeed possible to “grow” your legs a little at home. However, no “folk methods” in the form of herbs, rubbing, eating grated carrots, or spells will work here.

The easiest way to lengthen your legs is to load yourself with daily physical activity. No, bodybuilding is definitely not suitable here. The problem is solved much easier with the help of stretching exercises for the thigh and calf muscles.

Daily jogging is a great way to lengthen your legs.

Examples simple exercises

Jogging, but, of course, not in heels, and also not in slippers or flip-flops:
- Shoes should be regular sports shoes, without any frills: you can use regular sneakers, but sneakers are more comfortable and healthier for your feet.
Walking on your toes is a fairly simple but effective exercise, in which case:
- if you walk on your toes every day for at least 15 – 20 minutes;
- the lift of the leg should be maximum, the toe itself should be extended, the back should be straight as a string:
- When walking, your arms are placed on your side, your shoulders are freely laid back.
Raising on your toes and lowering onto your heels, performed 20 to 30 times several times a day, also helps stretch the calf muscle and lengthen the leg.
Front leg swings:
- Extend your arms in front of you parallel to the floor or a couple of centimeters higher.
- Alternately, try to reach the opposite hand with your straightened leg, with your toe extended.
Rear swings:
- Holding the back of a chair or the crossbar of a gymnastic ladder, we slowly move our leg back and as high as possible.
- We fix this position for several seconds and slowly lower our leg.
- The longer the pose with an extended leg is maintained, the slower the exercise is performed, the better the effect.
Lateral swings:
- The starting position is the same as in the previous exercise.
- We move our right leg to the right and up to the maximum possible height.
- Having lowered it, we repeat the exercise with the other limb in the opposite direction.
Karateka swing:
- Your task is to stretch your leg as high as possible with a sharp movement, while simultaneously making a pushing movement, simulating a kick.
- You can train on a suspended punching bag, beating it with your feet, or hang a pillow or some other soft object from the top bar.

Exercises on the gymnastic wall

Hanging on the bar:
- Hold the crossbar and hang on it. Legs are extended and should not touch the floor. We hang as much as our strength allows, increasing the hanging time a little every day.
Tilts with foot hold:
- We place our left leg behind the bar and, holding this way, bend towards the toe of the other leg without bending it at the knee.
- The exercise should begin with the lower bars, gradually moving to higher ones.

How to lengthen your legs with stretching (splits)

This is the most difficult exercise, crowning the entire complex of training for lengthening the legs.

In order to do the splits completely, you need long workouts

Before performing this, please read the warning:

Do not try to do full stretching right away in the first classes - this is dangerous!
The splits are also not performed on cold muscles - start it after a preliminary warm-up.
The exercise should also not be done if you have serious orthopedic problems or injuries.

Stretching training technology - in the video below:

Video: Stretching at home

Special exercises to change leg length

Women often ask whether hanging on a horizontal bar helps lengthen their legs. There is no particular difference between hanging on a gymnastic ladder and hanging on a horizontal bar.

Any hanging, with a load or not, lengthens not only the legs, but also the torso, and in general the proportions of the entire body do not change.

If a woman is determined to lengthen only her legs, leaving the length of her body the same, then it is better to replace hanging on a bar or horizontal bar with exercises on a chair with weights or an inversion table.

Chair exercises

For this exercise, a chair with a high seat, where your feet will not touch the floor, is suitable.

Attention: Use of weights for rheumatoid arthritis or arthrosis deformans knee joint may be dangerous. Be sure to consult your doctor if you have these diseases.

Exercises on an inversion table

This is also hanging, but upside down while holding it with your legs - in this position, stretching of the bones and joints of the legs occurs due to the force of gravity.

On an inversion table, leg exercises are performed upside down.

If you don’t have an inversion table, you can use either a horizontal bar or an Evminov prophylactic.
All exercises upside down on the horizontal bar must be performed in inversion boots.

Contraindications to special exercises

You cannot exercise upside down on these machines if you have:

glaucoma,
stage 2 hypertension,
ventral hernias,
cardiac arrhythmia,
coronary heart disease,
prosthetic joints,
cerebral aneurysm,
cerebral and mental disorders,
pregnancy.

About the results of leg lengthening at home

Many women do not have enough patience in their studies and very often they exclaim:

- My God! I’m already suffering so much, but I haven’t grown a centimeter and nothing has lengthened!

But when the girl is asked how much “that much” is, it turns out that she had been practicing, horror of horrors, for two whole weeks.

Daily leg measurements are a waste of time

So, beauties, the first result after daily training will appear after two to three months, and a more noticeable result will appear after six months. And then measuring your legs every day with a centimeter is a waste of time. The best analyzer is a mirror. Rate yourself:

If you yourself have become slimmer and fitter, then your legs will visually look longer.

Some people make a different kind of mistake:

It is recommended to do exercises with weight-bearing loads for 10-15 minutes a day, and they do it for half an hour, hoping that the higher the load, the sooner and more they will be able to lengthen their legs. The result is burst blood vessels in the legs, pain in the bones and muscles, and general fatigue, which kills further desire to exercise.

There is no way to storm or rush here.

Secrets of visually lengthening legs

For the truly lazy, you can tell us the secrets of selecting toiletries and clothing that will allow you to visually lengthen your legs:

You can lengthen your legs by carefully selecting your wardrobe items.

Watch your posture and gait:
- Even naturally long legs lose several centimeters when walking in a bent position.
- You need to walk with your shoulder blades and shoulders turned back, straightened up, and your head raised proudly.
- The foot should spring during the step, and the leg should straighten at the knee.
High-heeled shoes make the leg slimmer and longer:
- However, for orthopedic reasons, the height of the heel should not be too high, so as not to provoke arthrosis of the foot or cause varicose veins. The optimal height is 7 cm.
If you are short, do not wear over-the-knee boots, but rather give preference to boots with a medium-length shaft.
The length of the skirts is medium or short. Maxi skirts don't look very nice if you're short.
If you have short legs, never wear dresses with a low waistline, skirts or trousers that hang low on your hips.
Prefer trousers with a belt at the waist of different styles, except for breeches:
- straight classic with an arrow in black;
- flared slightly from the knee;
- narrow, tight;
- with stripes or thin vertical stripes.
Wear dresses without square necklines, a tight-fitting silhouette (if your figure allows), and only with high-heeled shoes.
Eliminate wide belts from your wardrobe.
Color preferences:
- Avoid contrasting colors in clothes, large tacky designs, rhinestones and any sparkles.
- Horizontal stripes and large checkered patterns should also be excluded.
- Clothing, both top and bottom, should be matched.
- Choose tights and socks to match your shoes.
Prefer summer shoes in light colors, open type, without any straps or ties on the ankles.

You see - with the help of very simple tricks you can visually lengthen your legs without any surgery.

Video: Lengthening your legs with exercises (part 1):

Video: Lengthening your legs with exercises (part 2):

Instructions

If you are seriously interested in sports, then stretching is a must for you, as it prevents injuries. Stretching the legs is important when practicing martial arts, dancing, running, and joints in general.

Before starting exercises, you need to warm up and warm up the body. It is advisable for you to sweat slightly. During the warm-up, run, bend over, and do the exercises in a warm room.

After completing the warm-up, begin the exercises. Place your feet shoulder-width apart and lower your arms. Slowly bend towards your toes and you will feel a stretch in your thigh muscles. Do 15-20 inclines. During all exercises, watch your breathing: inhale and exhale slowly.

Then move on to another exercise. Spread your legs as wide as possible and keep your arms crossed at your chest. Then start bending forward, while trying to reach the floor with your elbows. Then turn your body towards your right leg and also stretch down. Do the same for the other leg. Perform this complex 3 times, giving a little rest to the leg muscles. With each repetition of the exercise, try to spread your legs wider and lower your elbows.

Very useful exercise- " ". To perform it, sit on the floor, bend your knees, and bring your feet together. Then bend down as low as possible, while making sure your back is straight. In this position, begin to lower and raise your knees. Perform the exercise as long as possible, but do not overcome the pain.

Another exercise is performed while sitting on the floor. Sit down and stretch your legs out to the sides as wide as possible. Start bending towards each leg. Keep your back straight, because it is better to do fewer approaches, but perform them efficiently. Repeat the exercise 10 times for each leg.

If you have set a goal to learn how to do the splits, then do the following exercise. Place your feet shoulder-width apart, lower your body down, and place your hands on the floor in front of your toes. Next, begin to spread your legs as if you were trying to sit on the floor. Each time you will notice that you are sinking lower and lower to the floor.

Perform these exercises every day at any convenient time. If you clearly set a goal for yourself, then achieving excellent stretching will not be difficult. The main thing is not to try to overcome severe muscle pain, perform exercises to the best of your ability and ability, so as not to get injured.

Leg stretching is an integral element of training for both beginners and experienced athletes exercising at home and in gym. Thanks to stretching exercises, the muscles become more elastic, so even the most complex complexes can be performed without damage to the ligaments and injuries.

All exercises that stretch the leg muscles are divided into two main types: static and dynamic.

Static exercises are suitable for beginner athletes. Their essence is to gradually stretch the muscles. Exercises are performed in one position for a long time. There are no active movements, so the muscles do not contract.

Dynamic stretching requires specific skill and experience. It represents active movements, such as leg swings. This type of stretching should be used by more experienced athletes with good flexibility. They are not suitable for beginners as they can cause injury.

Active and passive stretching also stands out. Active is done on your own, passive - with the involvement of a partner. Ballistic stretching can be distinguished as a special type of stretching. Exercises in this complex are based on jerks and springy movements.

Rules for conducting stretching training

When performing leg stretching at home, you must follow the following rules:

Start stretching with the simplest static exercises with a minimum duration of execution.
First warm up your muscles well, do a warm-up consisting of active exercises.
If muscle pain appears during training, immediately stop stretching.
After 2-3 sessions, increase the duration of the exercises.
Before moving on to more complex exercises, make sure your body is ready for the stress.
Stretching regularly. If there was a break in training, it is recommended to resume training with the simplest exercises.
Monitor your breathing while stretching. It should be deep and uniform.

Is it possible to stretch muscles quickly?

Stretching the legs at home can be done for general muscle strengthening or in the process of mastering the longitudinal or transverse splits. Regardless of the end goal, it is impossible to stretch muscles quickly. Experts warn about the dangers of accelerated stretching.

To quickly achieve results, many decide to start immediately with active and complex exercises. Muscles unprepared for such a load will not only not become elastic, but will also be seriously damaged. Therefore, it is necessary to be patient and also make efforts to make the body flexible without injury.

To master longitudinal or transverse splits, it takes at least 6 months with regular training. If stretching is carried out in combination with other exercises, then there is no need to leave it until the end of the complex.

How to Warm Up Your Legs Before Stretching

To do stretching at home, you need to remember to pre-warm your legs to avoid injury to muscles and joints.

The main pre-warm-up exercises are:

After warming up, you need to even out your breathing. To do this, you can walk in place or do breathing exercises.

A few exercises for beginners

You need to start stretching your legs with static exercises.

The simplest and most accessible of them are the following:

Stretching for weight loss

Stretching at home will help you lose weight in your legs.

Perform the following exercises:

Before performing a set of stretching exercises for weight loss, it is important to remember to pre-warm up.

Muscle stretching for splits

To learn how to do longitudinal or transverse splits, you need to perform a set of the following exercises daily:

To do the splits for a beginner, you need to practice for a long time. Stretching should be done for 4-6 months to prepare the muscles and joints. Gradually you need to increase the duration of each exercise by an average of 5 seconds.

Exercises for stretching the back (spine)

Exercises for stretching the back muscles will relieve tension, get rid of pain and defects of the spine, and improve blood circulation.

Back stretching for beginners is represented by a set of the following exercises:

Post-workout muscle stretching for women and men

After training at home, stretching your legs is necessary to help tired muscles recover and rest faster, as well as to regulate blood flow. Stretching also helps consolidate the effect of the exercises that make up the complex.

Features of post-workout stretching:

Minimum duration is 5 minutes. The optimal duration of such stretching is 12-15 minutes.
The best option for post-workout exercises is static exercises.
Partner stretching is not suitable for post-workout exercise as it puts additional pressure on the ligaments.
It is very important to control your breathing while performing the entire set of exercises. Deep and even breathing helps you relax and restore strength faster.

Exercise options:

How to stretch your muscles while doing yoga

Stretching with yoga elements will help achieve quick results. Yoga helps to relax muscles and joints, as well as strengthen them and make them elastic without injury or damage, so leg stretching exercises often include elements of yoga.

A set of stretching exercises with yoga elements:

Sit on the floor, bending your right leg under you. Left leg pull it back, keeping it straight. Bend your torso forward, resting your elbows on the floor. Maintain the position for 25-30 seconds, then change legs.
Squat down, placing your legs at shoulder level. After bending forward, stretch your arms in front of you. They rest their palms on the floor with their heads bowed. Depending on the physical development The duration of the exercise can range from 30 to 50 seconds.
Lie on your back, raising your knees bent to chest level. Straight arms clasp the feet, fixing the position for 20-30 seconds.
In a sitting position, cross your legs. Hands move back slightly, touching the floor with your fingers. Lean forward a little to maintain balance. Remain in this position for 40-50 seconds.
In a sitting position, spread your legs with your knees to the sides and bring your feet together. Wrap your hands around your feet, performing a deep forward bend. At the same time, you need to press your elbows on your knees, pressing them to the floor. Fix the position for 20-30 seconds.
In a sitting position, bend the right leg at the knee, extending the left leg forward. They reach out with their hands to the outstretched leg, trying to clasp the foot with their palms. Fix the position for 20-30 seconds.
Sit down on your left knee, bending your other leg. Lean on your right leg, stretching your left back. Fix the final position for 20 seconds, after which the leg is changed.

The elements of yoga not only have a beneficial effect on the leg muscles. They allow you to relieve stress and fatigue at home while stretching your legs.

Regardless of whether stretching exercises are performed at home or in the gym, you need to remember basic safety rules. Violation of the stretching technique can result in serious muscle injury, which will make it impossible to do exercises of any degree of complexity.

Video about stretching leg muscles

Stretching complex at home:

Stretching for Beginners:

Stretching exercises for stretching the legs and ankles, including the calf muscles, ankle joints, peroneus muscle and plantar fascia.

Stretching for slimming legs

This exercise is effective, but you need to be careful and maintain balance.

Stand straight on the step platform (you can use improvised things, for example, a thick book).
Press your toes into the platform, keeping your heel on the floor. Make sure your knee remains straight.
Shift your weight forward until you feel a stretch in your calf muscles.
To stretch the soleus muscle, bend your knee slightly.

Muscles involved:

Soleus.
Calf.

The video shows how to do this stretch correctly:

Calf muscle stretch

Stretching the calf muscles can help prevent a range of lower extremity injuries.

Take one leg back.
Lean forward against the wall, keeping your back leg completely flat on the floor.
Bend your front leg, placing your weight on it.
Stay in this position for 10-30 seconds. The back should remain straight.

Muscles involved:
Calf.

Video of this exercise:

Watch the video to see how to do this exercise correctly:

During exercise, you should feel a stretch in your legs, but not pain. Pain signals damage that should not be allowed to occur. Try to do the exercises smoothly and carefully to prevent injury.

While performing the exercise, make sure that your back remains straight at all times. Even if the exercise involves bending, try to straighten your back all the time. If you do not follow this, then efficiency is lost and muscle elasticity decreases.

Stretching the soleus muscle

This stretching exercise targets the area of the soleus muscle, which is deeper, underneath the larger gastrocnemius muscle. Bend the knee relaxes calf muscle, allowing the soleus muscle of the leg to stretch.

Muscles involved:
Posterior tibial.
Soleus.

Don’t forget to warm up a little before the set of exercises: stretch and do simple charging: Jump rope, do squats a few times, do a couple of arm spins and leg lunges.

Advanced stretching of the soleus muscle

Muscles involved:
Posterior tibial.
Soleus.

Stretching while standing

The lower leg is stretched all the way until a space is formed that resembles a wheel in shape.

Stretching is a way not only to stretch your limbs, but also to lose weight. When you exercise, you lose calories. Stretching can be practiced as an independent form of fitness, or along with more intense aerobic exercise.

Fascial stretch

Muscles involved:
Plantar fascia.
Flexor digitorum longus.
Flexor pollicis longus.

These muscles are located in a hard-to-reach area at the bottom of the leg and are hardly used during physical exercise. Try, looking at the picture, to repeat the stretching exercise for your legs.

Muscles involved:
Peroneus longus muscle.
Peroneus brevis muscle.

Watch the video: stretching for legs: