How to stretch the muscles behind your knees and hamstrings for the splits

The ligaments under the knee are a fairly strong structure that experiences heavy loads, so they are often injured during heavy physical work or sports. There are several common techniques to help stretch the hamstrings. They are used during the rehabilitation period after injuries or are designed for those who are just starting to play sports. They provide for the creation of gradual and measured loads that allow you to professionally and safely develop the popliteal area.

General recommendations

To ensure the safety of stretching events, you must follow the following rules:

Avoid stretching on an unheated body. Its implementation is permitted in special sportswear, in a warm room, or with preliminary aerobic warm-up.
It is dangerous to do stretching before strength training: it increases the risk of injury. It is worth stretching after heavy exercise, both strength and aerobic.
Monitor the symmetry of stretching of the limbs, spend more time on the less flexible side.
The preferred time is in the evening, when the body is easier to stretch. A shower or warm bath will enhance the effect.

How to do the cross splits in a short time

The answer is clear - no way. This exercise takes time to complete. The body must gradually get used to increasing loads. During the preparatory classes, muscles, tendons are stretched, and joints gain greater mobility. After serious work, they need to fully recover. And this is a rather lengthy process. But it cannot be ignored. Otherwise, there is a high probability of injury and long-term failure.

In addition, how quickly you can complete the task is directly affected by your level of physical fitness. If you have previously had the opportunity to “stretch” regularly, you will be able to conquer the cross splits much faster (3-5 months).

Beginning athletes should not count on such quick results. It can take a year or even more to fully prepare for the exercise.

Stretching exercises

This area of fitness is a balanced set of exercises that help stretch muscles and ligaments.

Frog pose. It is practiced by gymnasts, swimmers, and ballerinas. It is a preparatory stretch for performing longitudinal splits and one of the progressive exercises that stretches ligaments and muscles in the shortest possible time. Frog pose also helps stretch the deep muscles of the thighs.

This is done as follows:

Get on your knees and place both hands on the support.
Smoothly spread your knees, bend your lower back.
Lower your torso and hold this position for 30 seconds.

The side lunge is needed to stretch the thigh muscles. It's done like this:

Take a long step, bending one leg at a 90° angle.
Lower your pelvis directly to your heel as far as your body flexibility allows.

The butterfly pose is performed to relax the buttocks, thigh muscles, and prevent pain after severe strain. Starting pose:

Sit on the floor, on the mat.
Spread your bent knees to the sides, keeping them relaxed.
Connect your feet and move them closer to you.
Pull your head up, back straight, shoulders down.

Performing the exercise:

Lower your bent knees to the sides and hold them for 10 seconds.
Make a reverse movement without lifting your feet from the floor.
Freeze in the upper position for 30 seconds.
Put your legs back.
Repeat the cycle several times, daily, 25-30 swings per approach.

The “Scissors” exercise is performed in 4 variations.

Anatomy

The knee joint area contains many ligaments and tendons. Ligaments are divided into:

intracapsular (transverse knee ligament, transverse cruciate ligament, posterior cruciate ligament, anterior and posterior meniscofemoral ligaments),
capsular (oblique popliteal ligament and arcuate popliteal ligament),
extracapsular (patellar ligament, medial suspensory ligament of the patella, lateral tibial and fibular collateral ligaments).

The role of the knee ligaments is to support the joint and the bones that form it. Tendons are more massive and powerful; they are a continuation of the muscles and act as a means of attaching them to the bones.

There are three main tendons at the back of the knee joint, together called the hamstring. The following muscles take part in the formation of the latter:

biceps femoris muscle,
semi-membrane,
semitendinosus.

All these muscles begin from the ischial tuberosity and attach to the fibula and tibia.

Knee ligament injuries are just as dangerous as tendon injuries. Both pathologies require immediate attention and extensive treatment.

Yoga

Asanas performed at home will help you safely stretch the ligaments and muscles of your legs.

Supta Padangusthasana is performed as follows:

lie on your back;
place the belt over the foot;
pull the outstretched leg up;
straighten your arms without lifting your shoulders from the floor;
turn the other leg with the thigh towards the floor;
head up;
do this several times.

Uttanasana technique using a chair:

place a bolster on the chair;
move 0.5 m away from him, feet hip-width apart;
clasp your elbows and place your hands and head on the bolster;
legs perpendicular to the floor;
rise as you inhale, stretch your spine.

How to do Prasarita Padottanasana:

Legs as wide as the length of the limb.
Hands along them.
Bend smoothly forward, turning your hip joints.
Freeze after inhaling.
As you exhale, bend lower until the top of your head is in line with your legs.
After inhaling, gradually return to the original position.

T.N. The downward facing dog pose is performed as follows:

Sitting on your knees, inhale.
As you exhale, bend forward.
Stretch your palms forward, pressing them to the mat.
Stay in this position for 15 seconds to a minute.

Method of performing a variation of the pigeon pose:

Sitting on the carpet, pull your left leg back.
Lift it up and bend it slightly.
Bend the right limb and place it to the side, as in a “lotus”.
Tilt your head back, reaching the back of your head to your back leg.
Hold this for about 1 minute.

What are the benefits of cross twine?

This type of split is a very impressive pose. But the benefits of its implementation are not limited to the aesthetic side alone. So, stretching on the back of the thigh helps:

make the leg muscles strong and toned;
work out the muscles of the back, lumbar region and abs;
normalize the activity of the pelvic organs and genitourinary system;
improve the elasticity of the ligaments and the mobility of the hip joints, which is especially good for women (makes it easier to bear a fetus and give birth to a healthy child).

In addition, stretching acts as an effective preventative against various pathologies of the abdominal cavity and gastrointestinal tract.

Warnings

To avoid injury you must:

Follow the technique exactly.
Calculate your strength.
Don't get overtired.
Avoid sudden movements.

Proper stretching is an assistant in stretching the hamstring muscles, while simultaneously relieving pain and tension after training. By paying enough attention to it, you can improve your well-being and do the splits.

Cross split technique + thematic video

If the above preparatory stretching exercises have become easy, you can start doing the splits.

To do this, first squat down, resting your palms on the floor surface. Then smoothly spread your legs to the sides. As a result, they should be completely straightened. When entering the splits, the toes of the feet must be pulled towards you.

Keep your back slightly tilted, gradually bend your elbows, going lower. When you are fully seated on the floor, straighten up and roll your shoulders. If you fail to touch the floor with your groin on the first try, return to the starting position and try again.

To have a more complete understanding of how to do the splits correctly, it is worth studying the video material below:

What to avoid when preparing

The brain instinctively tries to protect us from injury, so if we stretch too quickly, the muscles will resist. It is necessary to perform all movements slowly so that your muscles are ready for it. The following are aspects to avoid:

Don't pull too hard or too fast
Avoid jumping or jerking as this will cause micro damage and injure tissue.
Always breathe, as muscles need oxygen

If you are recovering from an injury, check with your doctor to see if you can still do melon exercises.

Lying leg curl

To perform this exercise, you will need a leg curl machine. Some gyms also have a standing or seated leg curl machine. Step-by-step instruction

Adjust the roller pad so that it is higher than your heels. There should be instructions on the machine with pictures showing this step.
Lie on your stomach with the bolster on your lower calves. Make sure your legs are fully extended. Grasp the handles on both sides of the machine.
Bend your knees, keeping your hips on the bench, and draw your ankles toward your butt.
Pause for a few seconds, then slowly lower your leg to the starting position.
Do 10 to 15 repetitions.

Choose a load that is light enough to maintain proper shape. If your hips lift off the bench during the curl, reduce the weight.

Combinations of stretches

A combination is a combination of two or more elements. To make stretching more interesting, we have chosen the best for you. Do not repeat the same exercises, even if they are effective. Always try something new, compose, change the sequence and come up with something exclusive.

Sun

Sit with your legs straight in front of you.
Open them as wide as possible.
Cross the cross twine and assemble the legs together as shown in the photo instructions.

Stretching on the floor

Lean on your left side and elbow, bend your left leg and take your right leg by the heel.
Extend your leg and arm up.
Straighten your left leg and arm.
Take the leg with the opposite hand over your head.
Place your body on your stomach.
Go into a splits and bend your back leg at the knee.

Classic combination

Stand sideways to a support (machine, pole...)
Read also: Treatment of osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine
Place your heel in your right hand and rotate your knee to the side. The knee of the supporting leg is bent.
Extend your leg and arm up in front of you.
Move your leg and arm to the side while straightening the knee of your supporting leg.
Tilt your body to the left.
Bring your right knee back.
Tilt your body and stretch your leg.

Flying into a cross split. Jumping in dance. Spectacular dance element.

How to make cross splits more difficult

If you have sufficiently trained your body and are already confident in the splits, the exercise can be complicated. To do this, from the transverse position, stretch your body forward. Extend your arms and slowly lower yourself behind them. Ideally, the chest and stomach should be pressed to the floor. Make sure to keep your legs apart in a straight line and do not bend your knees.

To summarize the above, it should be said once again that almost everyone can do the cross splits. But the speed with which you will be able to achieve the desired result depends directly on the level of physical fitness, individual characteristics of the body, age and regularity of exercise.

This exercise allows you to keep yourself in good shape and has a beneficial effect on your health and overall condition. But it should be performed only in the absence of contraindications.