Hey everyone, I was wondering if this is a good idea or not. I currently am aiming for a side split and stretch about an hour a day towards that goal, mostly static. I was wondering if I can do a light standing side split stretch when on my computer instead of using a chair. This would potentially add hours to my total stretching time and I was wondering if this would help or hinder my progress? I suppose a more general question would be, can too much stretching be bad for flexibility? Any advice would be appreciated.
General answer: Yes. How long have you been trying to do the splits? I mean genuine, consistent stretching without long layoffs? The average person with poor flexibility and healthy joints can reach full splits (front and side) with static stretching alone in about a year. Bear in mind that this means, after a year, being able to sit in the splits relatively comfortably at the end of a stretching session - not dropping straight into them (that happens a few months later). You could do that with 2-3 repetitions of 30-second stretches for each of the major muscle groups every day. You don't need to do marathon stretching sessions. Besides, sitting in a stretch for too long can cause muscle spasms, which reduce flexibility. Bottom line: Learn how to squat, deadlift and do isometric stretches. When combined with static stretches, all of these will enable you to do the splits in a few months tops.
Thanks for the quick reply. I spent a month or two serious stretching and gained about an inch a week. I ended up stopping during an exam period to have extra study time and now I have just come back to it and have been at it since last week. I have lost flexibility but not much and am still way ahead of how I started. I'll follow one of the plans you have put up on the site then and stick to shorter training sessions then. Thanks for the advice!
When I was a young teenager I wanted to become more flexible to improve my martial arts abilities. I really wanted to do the side splits. So, what I did was stack up couch pillows in a pile and do the splits over these while I watched TV. When I got more comfortable with my stretching at one level, I'd remove a pillow. I did this over the course of several weeks until I would watch TV with just two pillows under me. I'd usually hold this for 15 minutes or so.
