Since several people asked. . . here is the stretching routine that got me my forward splits in both directions for the first time in my life at age 42. The ones my physical therapist gave me were the hamstring stretches, which were the main key for me. I still do this routine after every practice to maintain my splits and keep my muscles from tightening up (I'm 49 now).
STRETCHING FOR SPLITS
I stretch at the rink immediately after skating, and it takes about 30 minutes.
Here's what I do, and the order in which I do them. I always count 1-missisippi, 2-mississippi for a count of 30 on each stretch position (unless otherwise indicated). NEVER BOUNCE.
1. Calf stretch - First, before the hamstring stretch
- Stand on the top of a step on the ball of your foot and push your heel down, hold for 30 seconds, then switch feet, or
- Grab a pole, bannister, wall, etc., put your heel on the floor and bottom of foot straight up vertically against the upright object. Keep knee locked straight and bring body as upright as you can while keeping foot in place. Repeat on other side.
2. Straddle Hamstring stretch Sit on the floor with your back against a wall or with something in front of you to grab. Spread your legs as far apart as you can, then either use your hand(s) to push your lower back away from the wall or to grab something in front of you (a railing or table leg attached to the floor) and pull yourself forward. Hold for 30 seconds, trying to flatten your lower back instead of rounding it. Move your torso gently toward the right leg, back to middle, then to left leg. Repeat several times.
http://yoga.prevention.com/slideshows/uploads/1/15_10minham-_widelegstretchmiddle.jpg3. Hamstring stretch with belt (supplemental stretch, if you can’t do #4 well)
- Lie on your back on the floor and bring one leg up. Loop a belt around the bottom of the raised foot and use the belt to pull the leg up and toward you while keeping the leg locked out straight. Hold for 30 seconds, gradually increasing the pull to feel a stretch. Slowly move the leg to the left and hold, then to the right, and hold. Do the same with the other leg.
http://www.yogajournal.com/media/originals/bas_228_01_sized.jpg4. Seated one leg hamstring stretch (easier after you've done the belt stretch and/or middle stretch)
- Sit on the floor with one leg outstretched in front of you and the other opened out and bent at at least a 90 degree angle so the sole of that foot rests against the inside of the thigh of the outstretched leg. I like to have my back flush to the wall so that I can push my lower back away from the wall with one hand. Arch your back and lower the torso--belly button down toward outstretched thigh--until you can hold your chest flat against the thigh (or the closest you can get without rounding your back). Hold for 30 seconds. Once you can hold your torso completely flattened to your thigh, with your face on your shin for a full 30 seconds, you have enough hamstring flexibility for a forward split
Correct intermediate position:
http://turbofitnesssecrets.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Lying-Hamstring-Stretch.jpgFull position:
http://media2.onsugar.com/files/2011/12/48/5/192/1922729/088634d9ef87fcdb_janu-550.xxxlarge_0/i/One-Legged-Seated-Hamstring-Stretch.jpg5. Quad stretchI get into the same position as the half split/hip flexor stretch (below), lean my torso forward, then bend my back leg to my butt. I grab the back foot, completely relax the muscles of that leg, then pull my foot to my butt, like this:
http://www.athleticsweekly.com/0/admin/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Table_Quad_Stretch.pngThen I lift my torso to deepen the stretch. I hold for 30 seconds, rolling a little to the inside and outside to stretch the inner and outer quads. The more you raise your upper body, the deeper the stretch will be. You can start with a band or belt if your quads are too tight.
4. Hip flexor stretch (half split)- Using the top of a staircase, a low bench, etc., extend one leg behind you on the raised surface while bending the front leg at at least a 90 degree angle and keeping that front foot flat on the floor. Keep your hips square and keep the knee of the back leg facing straight down to the floor; do not let your hip or leg turn out. Push the hip of the back leg down and pull the torso back so you are upright. Hold for 30 seconds. Do the other side. There’s also a floor variation where you bend the front leg to the side instead of straight down:
http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/9e/c1/9ec11049a8e04bd6dca14b0425cea07c.jpg
7. Split on ballet barre (or the railing at your rink, whatever works)
- This is the stretch to do once you can do the full "half split" and seated hamstring stretches for 30 seconds. I think it's easier than a split on the floor. Stand next to the ballet barre with your right hip touching the barre. Lift the right foot and put it behind you on the barre, knee facing down. Now lower your torso so that you get your chest flat to the left (front) thigh, then start pushing yourself back so the right (back) foot slides back on the barre (this will keep your hips square so you don't pull anything). While pushing back into the split, keep your weight on the heel of the front foot, lifting your toes, not pointing them. This gives you a good calf stretch and relaxes the front leg for a split. Now gradually raise the torso, pushing your pelvis down towards the floor as you keep sliding back into a split. Don't push it if it hurts. Now do the other direction and do it with the right foot on the floor and the left foot behind you on the barre. This is a good test of how well the other stretches worked.
8. Floor split - The final frontier! Once you can do the split on the ballet barre, try it on the floor. Take your time going all the way down, keeping your back knee facing straight down, NOT turned out like a spiral position. As you go down, stretch the hamstring and hip flexor wherever you feel tightness and resistance. I found it easiest to get into the split on the floor when I folded my torso over my front thigh like in the seated hamstring stretch (Like this:
http://www.drillsandskills.com/images/stretches/sp002.jpg