Q&A for How to Improve Your Leg Flexibility

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  • Question
    How do you loosen tight leg muscles?
    Monica Morris
    ACE Certified Personal Trainer
    Monica Morris is an ACE (American Council on Exercise) Certified Personal Trainer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. With over 15 years of fitness training experience, Monica started her own physical training practice and gained her ACE Certification in 2017. Her workouts emphasize proper warm-ups, cool-downs, and stretching techniques.
    ACE Certified Personal Trainer
    Expert Answer
    Stretch regularly to make your everyday activities easier. The reason your legs can get really tight is because your hips and groin are a really intricate system of different tendons, joints, cartilage, bone, and muscle. It's the moving force behind all of the moving, lifting, and walking you do throughout the day, and it really needs to be stretched thoroughly.
  • Question
    How can I improve my leg flexibility for splits?
    Monica Morris
    ACE Certified Personal Trainer
    Monica Morris is an ACE (American Council on Exercise) Certified Personal Trainer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. With over 15 years of fitness training experience, Monica started her own physical training practice and gained her ACE Certification in 2017. Her workouts emphasize proper warm-ups, cool-downs, and stretching techniques.
    ACE Certified Personal Trainer
    Expert Answer
    Try a straddle stretch to open your hips. A straddle stretch is one of the best ways to improve the flexibility in your legs, and it's exactly what it sounds like—a stretch where you straddle the floor. To do it, get down on your knees and open your knees to about 2 1/2 feet wide. Then, fit your pelvic girdle down toward your right leg and shift your hips to push down that way. Then, slide over to your left leg, and continue going back and forth.
  • Question
    Can I stretch my hamstrings every day?
    Monica Morris
    ACE Certified Personal Trainer
    Monica Morris is an ACE (American Council on Exercise) Certified Personal Trainer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. With over 15 years of fitness training experience, Monica started her own physical training practice and gained her ACE Certification in 2017. Her workouts emphasize proper warm-ups, cool-downs, and stretching techniques.
    ACE Certified Personal Trainer
    Expert Answer
    Yep! To stretch your hamstrings, create a V with your legs while you're standing, then reach towards the floor from the center of your body. To stretch your quadriceps, use a pole or wall to brace yourself, then grab your foot and pull your leg backward.
  • Question
    How can I get more flexible?
    Monica Morris
    ACE Certified Personal Trainer
    Monica Morris is an ACE (American Council on Exercise) Certified Personal Trainer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. With over 15 years of fitness training experience, Monica started her own physical training practice and gained her ACE Certification in 2017. Her workouts emphasize proper warm-ups, cool-downs, and stretching techniques.
    ACE Certified Personal Trainer
    Expert Answer
    Stretch your major muscle groups every day. For instance, do a standing stretch with a stool to loosen up your hips. Stand close to a wall or something you can hold on to and place one leg on a stool. Then, reach down sideways toward the foot that's on the floor. To stretch your calf muscles and IT band, try going to a wall, and putting your foot up against it. Then, press your knee toward the wall while your foot is in an upright position.
  • Question
    Will stretching help me do other things like the split and needle?
    Community Answer
    Yes, it will definitely help you. The more you stretch, the more flexible your legs will become.
  • Question
    If I want to take figure skating lessons, do I need to be flexible?
    Community Answer
    I am a figure skater myself, and if I'm being honest, flexibility wasn't required until later on. That being said, if you're extremely stiff, that won't help you. You can always look up stretches online and teach yourself; that's what I did. You also want to make sure that you don't overstretch yourself. That can be very unpleasant and painful.
  • Question
    Is stretching good for my health?
    Community Answer
    Yes, stretching is beneficial for your health and your muscles.
  • Question
    All of these are way too easy for me. I already have my splits, can touch my knees with my forehead and do a needle. What should I stretch?
    Community Answer
    Try over splits, the ring stretch, scorpion, and bow and arrow, to name a few. You have a good start. Applying your flexibility is the fun part.
  • Question
    About how long does it take to become flexible in both your legs and back together
    Community Answer
    It'll depend on how many times you stretch per week, on your flexibility goals, and how flexible you are to start with. In general, if you stretch for about 30 minutes a day, four to five times a week, you will likely find stretches a little easier to do each time. You should find yourself noticeably more flexible within four to six weeks if you keep up your regular routine. Don't be discouraged if you have to bend your knees during stretches, or otherwise modify a pose. It's better to modify a stretch and make it a little easier when you're just starting out to avoid hurting yourself.
  • Question
    What are the best stretches to help me do a split?
    Community Answer
    Touch your toes and hold the position as long as you can; this will improve flexibility, posture, and balance. Check out wikiHow's article on stretching for splits for some additional tips.
  • Question
    What are some stretches I can do in bed?
    Community Answer
    You can easily do the splits or butterfly in bed. Also, try lying down on your back, grabbing either leg with both arms, and pulling it as close to your head as you can.
  • Question
    What do I do if I cannot sit cross-legged?
    Community Answer
    Try stretching your hamstrings before sitting cross-legged. Stretch a little bit every day and you should see a difference pretty quickly.
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