How to do the splits

Yoga / Popular

Progress hamstring and hip flexor range toward a split.

What coaches agree on

Support yourself with props under your hips or hands, such as blocks, pillows, or a chair, so you can hold the position at your current range, then gradually remove or lower the support as you get more flexible.
Warm up your whole body with dynamic movement, like kicks, lunges, or sun salutations, before you settle into any long, held stretch.

Briefly and actively contract the muscle you are stretching, such as pressing your heel down or pushing your foot into a strap, right before you relax and settle into a deeper position.
A front split needs two different things: hamstring flexibility in your front leg and hip-flexor flexibility in your back leg, so give both the same attention.

Common mistakes

Forcing yourself deeper than a comfortable stretch, into real pain rather than mild discomfort, does not speed up progress; it risks injury and can set you back.

Beginner

20 Minute Splits Practice - How to do the Splits with Good Technique and Anatomy - Yoga Tutorial

Coach's take: Genuinely well-built, anatomy-first class — one of the better ones in this batch.

3.8

Intermediate

How to Do the Splits – PNF & Breathing Tricks

Coach's take: The best explanation of why splits actually plateau, and real technique to work through it -- not just 'stretch harder.'

3.8

Intermediate

How to do the Splits Fast -- This Technique Changed Everything! -- (Science Based)

Coach's take: Real, well-explained method with a concrete protocol -- just a long windup before it gets to the splits part.

3.7

Beginner

30 Min Daily Yoga Routine For The Splits | Mixed Levels

Coach's take: Smart programming — builds strength into the stretch instead of just yanking on cold hamstrings.

3.5

Beginner

Sequence to THE SPLITS step by step (Hanumanasana) | Iyengar Yoga

Coach's take: Real progression with fallbacks built in for tighter hips — this is how you actually work toward splits.

3.4

Beginner

30 Minute Stretches for Splits!

Coach's take: Good, safe, well-cued stretching -- the timing tips (stretch warm, not first thing in the morning) are the kind of detail that actually helps.

3.3

Beginner

How to do the Splits

Coach's take: A real, complete stretch checklist you can just follow -- not much on the why, but solid on the what.

3.3

Beginner

15 Minute Deep Stretch for Splits

Coach's take: Good prop guidance and patient, safety-first coaching -- won't leave beginners feeling like failures.

3.3

Beginner

How to do a Split Fast! Stretches for Splits Flexibility

Coach's take: Well-organized routine with a smart progressive method — worth following along to, not just reading.

3.2

Beginner

How I Learned The Full Splits in 30 Days

Coach's take: Funny delivery, but the anatomy and PNF explanation are legit.

3.2

Intermediate

Open Splits Flexibility Formula

Coach's take: Real technique, real patience about it — just assumes you know some yoga vocabulary already.

3.2

Beginner

How to do the Splits for the Inflexible! Beginner Splits Tutorial

Coach's take: Honest about form differences and realistic timelines, but sends you elsewhere for the actual stretches.

3.2

Beginner

30 MIN Unlock Your Splits: Hip Flexor and Hamstring Flexibility Class (no equipment, follow along)

Coach's take: Real programming structure, not just 'stretch and hope' — active work before passive holds is the right approach.

2.9

Intermediate

HANUMANASANA Prep | Iyengar Yoga for THE SPLITS

Coach's take: Good technique, but it's a teaser clip for a paid class, not a complete lesson on its own.

2.9

Beginner

How to do Split (Stretches for splits flexibility)

Coach's take: Solid routine, but you really need the video — the words alone don't describe the positions well.

2.8

Intermediate

Strengthen For Splits

Coach's take: Good facilitated-stretch technique, just a bit meandering in how it's explained.

2.8

Beginner

Yoga for Splits | Stretching Routine for Front Splits Flexibility

Coach's take: Friendly warm-up, but hasn't gotten into the deep splits-specific stretching yet in what's shown.

2.5

Intermediate

How To Do Standing Splits [Top Yoga Alignment Tips]

Coach's take: Same good alignment cue as the other copy of this video.

2.4

Intermediate

🔵 How To Do Standing Splits [Top Yoga Alignment Tips]

Coach's take: Good alignment fix — stops you from twisting the hip open just to get the leg higher.

2.4

Intermediate

Why Your Splits Are Not Improving | Yoga Anatomy Explained

Coach's take: Good on the 'why,' promo-heavy, and the actual how-to isn't in the part I could see.

2.1

Intermediate

Shorten to Lengthen Your Standing Splits

Coach's take: One good cue, but it's over before it really teaches anything.

2.0

Intermediate

YOGA for STANDING SPLITS | Step-by-Step Sequence to Urdhva Prasarita Ekapadasana

Coach's take: Well-built hamstring progression, same caveat — different final pose than plain front splits.

1.8

Intermediate

Progression to the STANDING SPLITS - Urdhva Prasarita Eka Padasana | Iyengar Yoga

Coach's take: Builds real hamstring flexibility that transfers, even though the target pose here is different.

1.8

Beginner

8 MIN STRETCH FOR SPLITS - how to get your front splits / No Equipment I Pamela Reif

Coach's take: No transcript signal to judge teaching quality from — can't vouch for it either way.

1.6

Beginner

How to Do the Splits for Kids

Coach's take: Fine for teaching a small child, but there's not much depth here for a general learner.

1.4