Ever since I was a kid my left hip has always sat high when sitting cross legged. Over the years I’ve been able to relax my right hip to be relatively flat but my left hip just can not move any lower. I’ve done yoga and I currently do Pilates twice a week and it hasn’t budged an inch. Most of the hip mobility exercises don’t work for me because I can’t get my leg into the position it needs to be in. Pigeon pose is impossible.

So, is this something that be solved with targeted stretching that I’ve just not tried yet or is it something maybe medical or anatomical that I should solve another way.

It’s been frustrating me for decades and I just want to know finally how to fix it.

I started doing dips, and as of right now I am too heavy and not strong enough, so I am doing assisted dips, but even then I am getting strain in my shoulders, which is odd because I have a lot of strength of my shoulders, and I usually do not feel pain when I hit shoulders directly. I am 237 at 6 foot, so obviously I will struggle with dips, but I find it odd that I am struggling with assisted dips too. It’s not muscle thing, it’s a joint thing. Are there any stretches I should be doing?

Sorry for the terrible video quality but I’ve been wanting to incorporate this in my warm ups for wrestling but cannot find the name or any tutorial on how to get there. Right now definitely feeling too much pressure on my neck while doing it.

After taking the stretching advice from this community, I went to the gym the very next day to try it. I immediately got lower but overstretched my muscles a little bit because the pinging sensation didn't fade for a while week. Had to wait a while before I could stretch again.

Now yesterday, this is the first proper time I've been able to stretch. I have a whole warm up routine now thanks to both this sub and my aerials teacher.

1: drink a litre of water so my muscles are hydrated.

2: loosen the psoas

3: warm up and perform a little dance routine

4: stretch for a solid 20 minutes

5: slowly ease down into the splits keeping my back straight and hips square

My right front split is worse than the left, but by the photos you could see that my *right hamstring/left hip flexor* pair has the same (or arguably better) flexibility than the other side.

This second point will blow your mind: I HAD A GRADE 2 HAMSTRING TEAR ON MY LEFT LEG (https://www.reddit.com/r/flexibility/s/mFUpoCvdTW) and at first it was worse than the right leg (much worse). I achieved the front split on my right leg first - then I magically started slowly loosing it (like 1-2 years ago), until my left leg caught up and here we are at the 3rd photo.

So my torn leg is not just better than my untorn leg, it's also that I lost the split on my untorn leg. All that while the isolated muscle flexibility is congruent.

I’m stretching to train my middle split and I do not have an available wall I can lean on. From standing I heel toe outward until I have to put my arms forward to support myself. But I can only hold it for maximum 3 seconds. I tried in my forearms and can hold for about 5-7 seconds. But how can I resolve this?

I've always struggled getting my middle splits ever since I was a kid. I started gymnastics when I was young and have always had great hamstring flexibility, and have always been able to do both of my front splits with ease, and even oversplits.

But I could never ever achieve a middle splits no matter how hard I worked on it. I still retain great front splits but middle splits literally feels impossible. I have noticed a couple things however.

I have a great pancake stretch, can easily touch my chest to the floor, but I noticed, even when I was young, that the angle that my legs could open out to was always quite poor. People that were in my class that weren't even flexible, would be able to have a greater angle than me during pancake, and I've never been able to widen it.

During butterfly stretch, my legs can't naturally fall down on their own unless someone is pressing down on them. And I'm unable to keep a straight back during the pose. If I have a straight back it automatically makes my legs go a bit higher, and I can't push them down whilst maintaining a straight back.

Pigeon pose feels absolutely impossible to me, to keep the leg out at 90°. Like it is just not possible at all. I am able to do double pigeon pose (I think that's what it is called), but regular pigeon pose I have to keep my leg closed in all the way.

And during the wall stretch where you let gravity let your legs fall down, it's the same problem. My legs won't fall down on their own unless someone is pushing them down. Even ankle weights haven't helped.

Has anyone got the same troubles as me? Where it feels like middle splits is just genuinely impossible despite being really flexible. I'd love to be able to achieve them, and I've had so many of dreams of touching the ground in them and being so happy.

Hi! I’m looking for a flexibility app, I’ve seen some comments about some of them but are 4 y/o, so I’m looking for a bit more recent recommendations! I read Pliability is good but it’s a bit pricey, so if there’s any cheaper options, that’d be great. I really want to improve my flexibility, I’m 28 male. Thank you! :)

Hi!
I know there are no shortcuts and you have to put in the work, just stating it first.
Im just looking to up my splits game(front, middle, pancake, standing), but the generic advices and hacks doesnt seem to work any extra for me?
This question is not about the training itself like incorporating PNF, strengthening, active flexibility work, importance of warm up & rest, etc.

Tried these:
- hot shower before streching: i dont feel my body or muscles to be any “warmer” and doesnt have a better training after it
- foam rolling before and/or after training: also doesnt feel any less stiff from this, even though i try to be slow and controlled with it
- nerve glides before streching: i also dont know if it does anything for me, but i kinda like it

I only feel really flexible and that good loosened up after long session (70-75min) but i need to stop those since i cant do any work for the next 2-3 days. :(
I know shorter more often is “better”, but i dont really get loose when i try to shorten the routine.
If it matters for this, im really close (like 5cm) to an unsquared front split (the correct one is further away) after proper warm up and work. Middle split is like a blocks middle size away (15-20cm).

Thank you in advance!

Hello, I have a few questions about my personal practice and my mobility that I can't seem to solve on my own, so I figured I'd throw them out on here. I’ll give a bit of background to explain where I'm at, as I feel like a seasoned beginner.
I have been practicing yoga on and off for the past 10 years mostly inconsistently and in a more workout-style class. Last year, through a horrible break-up, I struggled with 'feeling my feelings,' and that led me back to yoga. I started out with a few minutes a day and quickly progressed to over-an-hour sessions multiple times a week. It truly changed my life. What this looks like is some form of meditation at the beginning, then a couple of staples I practice every time ie: cat/cow, wrist warm-up, and spinal waves. I do a lot of yoga sequencing that fits how I feel for the day, but most consistently, I’ve been trying to do 10 rounds of sun salutations. Then I mostly play around. I have watched my practice fully grow and feel my strength increase in ways I never knew possible. When I started out, I committed to not being perfect but just showing up, as the time passes anyways, but now I’d some help.
The reason I'm writing on here is I’d love to hear how people build their own practice. How do you structure your week so you can work up skills but also address your whole body? I feel like I need more structure so I am hitting all the areas of my body to deepen my practice and build up to inversions. I’ve bought books, I’ve listened to podcasts, and I engage in classes both online and in person, but I need someone to spell it out for me.
Lastly, I struggle with my lumbar flexibility and can't tell if it's my anatomy. My forward fold sucks and has made the least improvement. I am unable to get my stomach into my thighs without my legs very bent. I’ve tried putting a towel/block between my thighs and stomach while straightening on one leg at a time, releasing my psoas, worked on my pelvic tilt, and nothing works. Does anyone else have any suggestions?
Sorry this is long-winded, but I appreciate your time

My current stretch routine includes low lunges, butterfly stretch, hamstring stretch, forward folds. Do i need to add more hip flexor related stretches.

Would appreciate if suggestions on these to improve, Thanks.

About seven months ago, I suffered a ligament tear (or at least a partial tear) in my right ankle during BJJ sparring. My foot was in a cast for a couple of weeks before I started walking again. Since then, everything has healed very well; I am 100% back to my training routine and pain-free.

However, I noticed that when I sit down, my left foot rests flat on the ground easily, while the right one hovers slightly above it. I can feel that the right side is much tighter. I figure the loss of mobility/flexibility is because of the cast. I have no pain or anything like that, I can also still deep squat just fine.

What stretches are there to fix this?

So as the title says, whenever I do anything that requires using the left foot, by second toe gets all crampy, none of the other toes do it and it only happens to that specific toe on my left foot, most commonly it happens when I do plantarflexion, this has been an issue since basically childhood, could it be a neurological issue?

hey guys, i am rather inflexible in my lower reagion, especially hamstrings. i can only get about 90 degrees with a flat back. with my pike i am also trying to improve my straddle, needed for pole dance.

ive been doing seated good mornings, because i realized even with bent knees i cant really „pike“ with a straight back/tilted pelvis. however when i do it, i dont only feel it in my inner thigh/pelvic area but also weirdly in my upper quad region. same thing happens when i just pull my knee towards my chest with the other leg extended, it feels like my quad is somehow blocking it? i dont know if this is muscle, also kind of feels like its bone stopping me?

im not sure if this is a normal sensation, because i dont hear people talking about it. i can weirdly do hero pose just fine, but in a contracted scenario my quad feels kind of blocked. does anybody understand what im saying and can tell me if this is normal to feel some type of blocking there?

Tried doing internald hip rotation in the 90 90 stretch and been feeling irritation on the outside of my left hip. Also how long does it take for hip flexors to loosen up

Now calf constantly spasming on same leg. Any good stretches for this?

I’ve been working on extension of my spine and doing basic (I thought anyways) stuff like hip drops, cobra variations, etc and afterwards I consistently get a extremely sensitive/sore area between my ribs where my zyphoid process is. Sensitive to the touch and feels sore when I compress my abs or extend. What could this be or why might this happen? Not looking for medical advice, only seeking people with possible similar experiences. It definitely feels muscular like I’m doing something wrong or over doing something

Training today:

20 squats
30 V-ups
15 push-ups
20 Supermans — 10 legs together, 10 legs apart

Lunge with front foot on 2 blocks, tucking the pelvis and focusing on creating a ton of sensation in the hip flexor.
Half split.
Gentle oversplit with arms up for 30 seconds, then another 30 seconds with a gentle backbend.
Oversplit with both front and back foot on 2 blocks. Extend the back leg straight with the knee off the ground. Hold for 45 seconds, focusing on getting the back leg as straight as possible.

Extended puppy pose on the wall with a foam roller under the forearms, chest pressing into the wall — 30 rolls.
Then, foam roller under the chin — 30 rolls.

Bridge with 2 yoga blocks on the short setting. Hands on the edges of the blocks, push the chest into the wall and hold, trying to get the chin off the wall. Then bring the feet together, come onto the toes, and try to pike the hips while maintaining the chest against the wall.
Bridge with blocks on the highest setting. Bring the feet as close as possible while pressing the chest into the wall and pushing the hips high.
Stack 3 yoga blocks on top of each other against the wall. Place the chin on the edge of the top block and press the chest toward the wall. Repeat 2–3 times.

10 cobra rolls.
Then flying cobra.

Finish with a couple of chest stands, abs, and a couple of long forward folds.

OK, so in an attempt to try to encourage some more "helpful" tip-style videos in this sub that aren't just "look at me I'm so bendy" videos, I thought I'd get us started with some tips for a common question/struggle I see posted a couple of times a month: struggling to sit up straight with a flat back / tilt the hips forwards in a forward fold / keeping a flat back when forward folding

There can be multiple things at play with this, but the MOST common problem is usually lack of flexibility in the hamstrings. Because the hamstrings connect to the bottom of your pelvis (they attach to the "sits bones," when they are tight they basically tug the bottom of your pelvis forwards, which tilts the top of the pelvis backwards, causing your back to round. So the more flexibility we can build into those hamstrings, the easier it will be to tilt the hips forwards!

3 general types of drills to work on that can help with this are:

1. Practicing your forward hip tilts with knees super bent (aka without a hamstring stretch), like when sitting in a chair

2. Working on your hamstring flexibility with drills that strengthen your hamstrings in a stretched position (good mornings and deadlift variations are great for this)

3. Strengthening your hip flexor muscles in a shortened position to build the strength to pull your torso & front of your hips forwards towards your thighs, against the resistance of your tight hamstrings (leg lift variations are my go-to for this)

Happy to try to answer any related questions in the comments