In gymnastics, gymnastics and dancing, flexibility of the body is the most envied and useful skill. Professional gymnasts and dancers make it seem so easy, but body flexibility and stretching is one of the most difficult tasks to master and often takes years. But with consistent training, you can make your body flexible, learn to do the splits and win the envy of your peers.

 

Stretching exercises must be done every day. This can be directly after getting up or later during gymnastics or dance exercises. It is important to work consistently on flexibility and never skip a day, otherwise all the effort will be in vain.

Do various stretching exercises. Sit on the floor with your legs straight and try to reach your ankles with your hands and hold this position for at least 30 seconds. Or spread the legs and grasp the ankles. The back should be kept as straight as possible.

Stretching with legs apart stretches different muscles than stretching with legs closed, so it is important to vary the exercises.

While holding the stretched position, continue to breathe calmly and do not hold your breath. This makes it easier to endure the pain of stretching. Breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth. The stretched muscles are working hard and need a lot of oxygen.

For standing stretches it is better to hold on to a bar for better stability and even pressure on the muscles. With more stability, you can work more specifically on individual parts of the body and distribute the body weight better.

Working on the flexibility of the body requires a lot of patience. Through consistent practice, you unfortunately only ever see progress in small steps after weeks of effort. But in the long run, the body becomes much more flexible and stretchy.

Try to find a partner to train with. This way you can motivate each other if one of you has a slump.

During the standing exercises you can hang weights on the ankles, which make the stretching exercises more effective and strengthen the muscles.

Listen to your body. Stretching causes stretching pain, but if the pain becomes unbearable, you should stop.