@steppiebates

therenaissanceratchet:

& Happy Mother’s day to my granny

therenaissanceratchet:

Happy Mother’s Day to my mother the comedian & and president of the “turn this mother out” committee

spankmehardbarry:

me being laid to rest

Bury me a G

(via gdharpo)

katlaydee:

(Make sure you stretch both sides! I like to do this routine twice on each side as I find myself a little looser after the first run through. Hold each stretch for 20-30 seconds. )

Stretching for the Splits: Quick Guide

I get a lot of asks about how to achieve a split, so I took a couple quick videos today to help out anyone who is working toward this goal! These are my favorite side splits stretches. Here are a few things to keep in mind when stretching for the splits:

• Warm up fully before beginning to stretch! This is important. Warm muscles are much looser and more pliable than cold ones, and much less prone to injury. It’s best to save the stretching for after your workout, or if you aren’t planning on working out, do 5-10 minutes of a full body cardio session that gets your heart rate up. Jumping jacks, kicks, jogging around, running up and down the stairs, dancing to a fast song or two… whatever gets your blood flowing. I find it helpful to do some squats, lunges, and high-knees before stretching my legs as well.
• Try to keep the hips squared when you stretch.This means that both your hips will be facing forward, your legs should be nearly in line with each other, the knee and foot of the back leg will be facing the floor, and your torso should not twist out to the side. Think of pulling the back leg forward and the front leg back. Whether you perform your split squared or turned out/open will depend on your sport/dance style and aesthetic preference, but when stretching always aim for squared hips as it allows a deeper stretch.
• Stretch to the point of discomfort, NOT PAIN. Don’t hurt yourself! A pulled muscle can set back all of your progress for weeks or months, so listen to your body!
• Don’t stretch every day. My general rule is that if my muscles feel fine, I will stretch 2 days in a row, but try to give yourself a break at least every few days and especially if your muscles are very sore. Just like strength training, your body needs time to repair any muscles damage. Stretching too much can actually inhibit your progress. Light stretching however is ok every day.
• Be patient! Splits don’t happen overnight. It may take some 4 weeks and others 4 months and others 4 years, but keep at it and you will see results :)

Of course there are many many more stretches that you can do to help achieve your splits, but these are the basics that will target the hamstrings and hip flexors for your split. Make sure to vary your routine and add new stretches every so often!

katlaydee:

This is a follow up to my unexpectedly popular Stretching for Splits post! I got a lot of requests for center splits exercises.I myself do not have my straddle split, but you can see some of my progress here — these stretches do work!!

As with all stretching, make sure you are warmed up (5-10 minutes of cardio should do it — jogging, dancing, jumping jacks, running up and down the stairs, whatever!)

Wall Sits are a great way to increase your flexibility in your straddle! I like to do mine on this wall with the mirror as it gives me a point of reference for how I am progressing; when I first started, my feet were on the mirror! I also have a wall at home where I marked my starting point with pencil and update it every few weeks. Seeing visual progress is a good way to keep motivated and it’s easy to do with this stretch series!

Some great stretches for loosening up the hips and legs before trying a wall sit:
Froggy - Butterfly - Happy Baby - Pigeon - Floor Straddle

You will be using gravity and the wall as resistance in a few different positions. Try to hold each position for at least 1 minute (feel free to hold for longer).

1. Lie on your back with your butt against the wall, legs pointing up and flat on the wall. Slowly begin to open your legs in a V. Keep sliding your legs wider until it starts to become uncomfortable. Now here’s the fun part: HOLD! Let gravity do its work and pull those legs closer to the floor. Don’t resist! Try to relax! Breathe :)
   
2. Without moving your bottom, try to push yourself up onto your palms to press your chest toward to the wall. Depending on your level of flexibility, you may not be able to sit up all the way. You may need to begin with resting on the forearms rather than the palms.  Hold. Relax. Breathe.
3. Without moving your legs, begin to slowly slide your butt backward. Your feet will slide down the wall until they are on the floor. You will sitting up in a straddle with your feet against the wall. Here’s the fun part again: use your palms to press yourself forward into the wall, letting your legs stretch wider as you push forward. If you are flexible enough, once you get a good amount of resistance/stretch, you can rest your face, shoulders, or chest against the wall while you hold, relax, and breathe again :)

Optionally, while you are holding these stretches, try alternating pointing and flexing the feet every 15-30 seconds or so for another challenge.

A straddle split is usually harder to obtain than a front split (though for some people it’s the other way around) so again, PATIENCE! I’m still working on mine too, but I have made a LOT of progress! Good luck :)

escapedgoat:

patrickandmarcus:

meow

jhnc dsijmvklfcmo

(Source: iraffiruse, via gdharpo)