But as a former college athlete and current CrossFit competitor, I took it as a challenge. Sure, he may have been trying to help temper my expectations. But 30 days is enough to see some progress,” he says. It’ll probably take a couple of months of regular stretching to get yourself there. Wickham also warns, “The way you’re going to nail the split and gain flexibility and mobility is practice.” He compared it to my back squat: “Just like it took you 18 months to increase your back squat 30 pounds, this change won’t come overnight. The last thing I wanted was to injure myself. If you stretch them too far before they’re ready, they can snap, or get injured.” My No. “Think about your muscles like rubber bands, which are naturally elastic in nature. “This is a great idea, but you need to make certain not to do too much, too soon,” he says. I also try to take a yoga class at least twice a month, so I have a pretty good idea of what my body can and can’t do.īut when I reached out to my go-to fitness expert, physical therapist Grayson Wickham, DPT, CSCS, founder of Movement Vault, he made it clear that there’s right way and a wrong way to go about a challenge like this. I strength train, run, and do CrossFit regularly. Will trying to do the splits in 30 days hurt my body?

My posture has changed too, at least according to my friend from the gym who suspiciously eyed me up and down and told me, “You look taller today, GK”.Īs for whether or not I can ease into a split as gracefully as the bendy stars you see on Instagram, keep reading to find out. My knees have stopped cracking like bubble wrap during squat-focused workouts, and my lower back feels less “rubbery” in the middle of my work day.

Thirty days later, my hips have stopped snap-crackle-popping every time I sit down. The month began with a lot of questions: Could a monthlong foray with my yoga mat, some stretches, and 10 to 15 minutes a day help reverse the effects of my sit-all-day work routine? Would this actually work, even for my yoga-antithetical self? In the past, I’d tried a 30-day squat challenge, so I knew that if I really wanted to make a long-lasting difference, consistency was key. So, in the name of athleticism and improved mobility, I challenged myself (or rather, surrendered my tight hamstrings and hip flexors) to a 30-day split challenge. I can’t touch my toes, breaking parallel when I squat requires some real hip TLC, and more than one CrossFit coach has told me my lack of mobility and flexibility is keeping me from getting better, faster. You know that woman who really gets “ass to grass” when she squats? Or how about the person you’ve seen in yoga class who’s so bendy she should have a pose renamed in her honor? I’m not one of those women.

Alexa jean fitness 30 day pdf