Straddle Pancake Leg Opens
Flexopedia > Adductors & Hamstrings
Straddle Pancake Leg Opens
Muscle Group Stretched: Adductors, Hamstrings
Muscle Group Strengthened: Glutes
Type of Stretch: Active Dynamic
Difficulty: All Levels
Suggested Prerequisites: none
This is a slightly-more-challenging version of the torso-upright straddle leg opens drill. By adding a forward fold, we also add a hamstring stretch. Depending on your hamstring flexibility, this may be a more passive hamstring stretch (where your body weight is leaning your torso into the stretch) or a more active hamstring stretch (where you are engaging your hip flexors to pull your torso forwards and hold you in the hamstrings stretch. Both scenarios are fine/helpful to work in.
How To
You’ll want your legs/feet to be able to slide on the floor for this exercise.
Step 1
Start in a “comfortable” seated straddle, meaning sitting in a straddle (legs open out to the side) where you can comfortably lean forwards with a flat back. That might mean sitting with your butt on 1-2 yoga blocks, or even sitting in a chair if you’ve got tighter hips.
Step 2
Keep your back flat (don’t let it round!) and lean forward into a forward fold. If you can’t easily reach your hands to the floor without rounding your back, you can reach forward to a yoga block (or if you’re sitting in a chair, hold on to the edge of the chair. This should increase the intensity of the stretch in your inner thighs and/or underside of your thighs (hamstrings).
Step 3
Now for the active component! Keeping your flat-back forward fold, engage your glutes to pull your legs as wide as you can. Don’t use your hands to help, and don’t let your thighs rotate forwards as you open your legs. Just open the legs as far apart as you can (it’ll feel like a strong squeeze in your outer hip), even if that’s not very far.
Then close your legs back towards each other to the front (they don’t have to come in to touch if your hands are in the way, just bring them in enough to come out of the inner thigh stretch).
Repeat for 8-12 leg opens.
Modifications
Need to make it easier?
Bend your knees slightly.
Want to make it harder?
Instead of resting your hands on the floor for support, lift your arms overhead. But still keep that back flat! Taking your hands off the floor for support forces you to engage your hamstrings slightly to keep your torso from falling to the floor in your forward fold.
Related Content
Flexopedia: Straddle Pancake
Flexopedia: Straddle Leg Opens
Flexopedia: Fire Hydrants
Blog Post: 10-Minute Middle Split & Straddle Routine
Blog Post: Straddle vs. Middle Split - What’s the Difference?
