Here I am again writing down the routine i usually do everyday to mantain my splits and flexibility:
These exercises are very helpful but you must never exaggerate because you could cause an injury. If you feel pulling it's ok, pain is not.
To get best results you should practice everyday, to do this routine (i do it very slowly to be really warm) i take usually an hour. Hold each position for at least two 8.
1) I start if i am in my studio by running around the room 10 times, if i'm at home i do diagonals of grand battements ( 8 in front, a la seconde, behind and repeat) .
2) I will then move on to my back and i will find a table where to place my hands, bend my body with my legs open and straight and push my back gently. Stand up straight with your legs closed and try to reach your toes with your hands, do the same with your legs open (:
3) Moving to my arms these are three exercises i do:
4) I will go a la seconde with both my legs bent and push down, then i will straighten my left leg with my foot in flex keeping my right leg in a 90° angle.
I will then turn in this position (on the right side where my leg is 90°degrees) and push down gently with both my hands down straight.
Then straighten the legs and push with the shoulders, keep the legs as open as possible (without lifting the heel), then bend again turning out the leg in front. Next lay on the floor the leg that's straight and try to make it reach the thigh.
This is the position but the leg in front is turned out and try to get it as near as possible.
Then get back to the position of the picture before these last two ones and hold. Lay the leg down again on the ground and try pushing it further away and relax. Straighten the leg and bring the other up in penché as high as you can, keep the hands on the floor to help you. Find an empty wall and put the right leg down and the left up. You are in a splits position but don't push hard it's just to get the legs and thighs used to it, and keep the foot pointed. Repeat all the series of exercise 4 on the other side.
5) At this point sit on the floor with your legs open, don't push them to hard, and reach your right foot with your hands. Then flex your feet and with the arms in the position of the picture try to reach your toes.
Passing through the center try to reach the floor with the stomach, keep arms straight in front and head up. Repeat on the other side and pass to centre again. This time once you have pushed down for 2 eights, get back sitting upwards and try to open your legs more. Repeat all the exercises of number 5 again. Close your legs straight and try to reach your toes first in point and then in flex.
6)On a yoga mattress, a carpet or a blanket lay down. Keep the left leg bent and the right straight. With the right do 8 grand battements in front, then repeat the 8 battements in front but keeping the left leg straight on the ground this time. After always with the right leg do 8 battements a la seconde, and then 8 battements where the leg goes first in front and without any pause in second.
Bend the left leg and grab the right straight with your hand, pull it near your face (don't let it fall in second position). Straighten the left leg, you might need help to keep a straigh correct position with the body. Pull the right leg in front (i like to keep this position for about a minute) then bring the leg in seconde and try to pull it towards your face. Let go and relax the leg. Repeat the same exercises on the other side.
7) Find a mirror in your house and a chair, i like to use elastics for this exercise but you can also use your arms, i just find elastics way stronger and they have helped me a lot.
Leaning on a chair like if it's a barre and place the theraband around the foot safely. Then start to lift the leg up in arabesque. Once in the position of the girl in the picture start going down in penchè making sure you are holding tightly with one hand on the chair, check in the mirror for the correct position and that you are not lifting the hip. If you are doing this without therabands (even though i really reccomend them) hold over your knee with the arm either from inside the leg or from the outside. Do the other side and then do this whole exercise again twice.
8)Now loosen up the legs with a few jumps and try the splits, first on the right side and then on the left. Hold each side for at least 30 seconds and make sure your legs are both straight. Next if you have still a long way to go repeat and hold for 45 seconds.
If you have just a few hands left it's harder to go down so try an oversplit. Place the front leg on a foam roller or a chair, or something higher than the ground and try the oversplit.
After holding the oversplit for 40 seconds on both sides if they are both flexible or only on one, do both splits on the ground again for 45 seconds. You will go further down now.
9)For the straddle split or middle split if you have a long way to go an exercise that helped a lot is to find an empty wall and lay down with the bum close to the wall and open your legs on the wall. Gravity will slowly push them down. If they are already down a lot you can pull with your arms.
Try the middle split and hold for 30 seconds then roll in front. You can also try sitting in front of a wall and get someone to push you against it or just push yourself.
Loosen the legs and try again holding for 45 seconds this time.
These exercises helped me a lot for my flexibility and doing them everyday i managed to get a perfect left and middle split ( still working on the right, it's my bad leg and i have left a hand to go ). Loads of dancers whom i have introduced to these exercises got finally their splits.
Remember to be patient, it takes time, don't force it, some are naturally flexible (luckily i am) and will take a few months other aren't and will take up to a year, but doing these exercises everyday sure helps.
If there is something you don't understand just comment below and i will answer!
Kiss ;)
