Standing Splits Workshop
Who this workshop recording is for:
Take your front splits vertical! In this 75-minute workshop we’ll be focusing on standing splits, which combine deep forward fold flexibility (hello hamstrings!) with hip flexor flexibility and glute strength to actively lift your leg to the heavens. This is truly an active flexibility challenge when we no longer have gravity “helping” us slide our legs into our split.
While of course the focus of this workshop is on standing forward fold front splits, the active flexibility drills and strengthening drills in this workshop also are great for improving active inverted aerial splits as well (ex. in a handstand or forearm stand, where you have to use the power of your leg muscles to flatten your legs into your aerial split).
Suggested Prerequisites:
Flat splits are not required for this workshop (although flat splits and/or oversplits do help!). But due to the challenge of some of the drills, it’s recommended that students are relatively close to flat in their front splits (hips 6 inches or closer to the floor).
If your splits aren’t that close to flat yet, I’d suggest you start with the 45-minute Starting Front Splits workshop instead.
This 75-minute, follow-along workshop covers:
A thorough warm up to prepare hips for deeper split work
Sciatic nerve mobilizations to ensure our nerves are slide-y and glide-y and ready to help us stretch
Mobility & conditioning drills for our hip rotators to help ensure they’re firing appropriately to support deeper forward folds
Active flexibility exercises to strengthen and stretch the main muscle groups that help with a standing split, with an emphasis on hamstring flexibility in the bottom leg, and glute strength in the lifted leg
Standing split variations at and away from the wall to challenge your active front split flexibility
Required props:
Uncluttered wall space you can lean against
2 yoga blocks
OPTIONAL: Stretchy resistance bands (for a couple of the exercises I demo options to make them more challenging with a mini loop style resistance band and a long stretchy superband style resistance band - but the exercises can still be performed without the bands if needed!)
Upon checkout, you will receive a PDF with a link to the workshop recording (Squarespace limits file upload sizes so I can’t actually upload the whole recording here). The recording is for your personal use only, not to be shared with others - thank you!