How long does it take to get the front splits?

There is no fixed timeline. It depends on your starting range, how often you practice and how tight your hip flexors are, and for most adults it takes months of regular work, sometimes more than a year. Tracking how low your supporting blocks go is a better measure of progress than a deadline.

How long should I hold the front split?

Hold each side for 30 to 60 seconds and repeat once or twice. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends about 60 seconds of total stretching per exercise on at least two days a week, so two 30-second holds per side meets that.

Do my hips need to be square?

For building front split flexibility, yes. With both hip points facing forward, the back leg has to open the front of its hip, while turning the pelvis toward the back leg lets the split look lower without stretching the hip flexors any further.

Can I do the front split before training?

After training or in a separate mobility session is the usual choice. Long static holds right before sprinting, jumping or heavy lifting can briefly blunt power, so if you use the split in a warm-up, keep the holds short and follow them with dynamic movement.

How is the front split different from the Pilates Reformer Russian Split?

Both put one leg forward and one leg back, but the floor split is a held stretch where your hands and any blocks control the depth. Pilates Reformer Russian Split is done on a reformer, where the sliding carriage and its springs control how far the legs open, so you move in and out of the range rather than resting at the bottom.

Front Split

What Is the Front Split?

Front Split is an isolation exercise that primarily targets the hamstrings and also stretches the hip flexors at the front of the back leg. It is an advanced-level movement done on the floor with no equipment, with one leg reaching straight forward and the other straight back until the pelvis sits close to the floor between them.

The front split is a skill as much as a stretch. Gymnasts, dancers, cheerleaders, figure skaters, martial artists and pole athletes all need it, and yoga practices it as Hanumanasana, or Monkey Pose. Each leg stretches something different. The front leg holds the hip bent with the knee straight, which puts the hamstrings at full length, while the back leg holds the hip fully extended, which stretches the iliopsoas and the rectus femoris at the front of that hip. For most people the back leg is the bigger limit, and the hamstrings end up taking more than their share when the hip flexors will not open.

This page covers the square split shown in the image, with both hip points facing forward and the hands on the floor beside the hips. Leaning the chest forward over the front leg moves the stretch toward the hamstrings, and lifting the torso upright over the pelvis moves it toward the front of the back hip. Turning the pelvis open toward the back leg makes the split look lower but takes the stretch off the back hip flexors, so it is a different shape rather than an easier version of this one. Pilates Reformer Russian Split works the same front and back leg positions on a machine.

Few people need a full front split for general fitness, but it is worth the time for anyone whose sport or practice asks for it. Most people build it through the half split, sitting back over the back knee with the front leg straight, and then practice the full split with yoga blocks under the hands and a block or folded blanket under the front thigh or pelvis, lowering the support as the range comes. Standing Hamstring Stretch and Seated Wide-Leg Forward Fold build the front leg, while Low Lunge, Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretch and Couch Stretch build the back leg.

Muscles Worked

MuscleActivation

Biceps Femoris: Primary
Semimembranosus: Primary
Semitendinosus: Primary
Rectus Femoris: High
Adductor Magnus: Medium
Sartorius: Medium
Tensor Fasciae Latae: Medium
Adductor Longus: Low
Erector Spinae: Low
Gluteus Maximus: Low

Instructions

Kneel on a mat in a low lunge with your right foot forward and your left knee on the floor. If you use yoga blocks, set one on each side of your front leg.
Shift your hips back over your left knee and straighten your right leg in front of you, heel on the floor and kneecap facing up.
Place your hands on the floor or the blocks beside your hips so they can take your weight.
Slowly slide your right heel forward and your left knee back, lowering your hips between your legs a little at a time.
Straighten your back leg as it slides away, with the kneecap and the top of the foot facing the floor.
Keep both hip points facing forward, drawing the back hip forward if it starts to turn open.
Stop where you feel a strong but steady stretch in the back of the front thigh and the front of the back hip, keeping your hands pressing down to control the depth.
Lean your chest forward over the front leg, then lift it tall so your shoulders stack over your hips without arching your lower back.
Hold for 30 to 60 seconds, breathing slowly and without bouncing.
Press through your hands, bend your back knee and slide your front heel back to the low lunge, then repeat on the other side.

Common Mistakes

Dropping into the split
Letting the hips sink under body weight without the hands or blocks taking the load pulls the front hamstring past a range it can control, right where it attaches to the sitting bone.
Bouncing at the bottom
Bouncing to get lower adds sudden tension to a muscle that is already at full length, so ease down slowly and hold still instead.
Twisting the hips open
Letting the back hip rotate out and the pelvis turn toward the back leg makes the split look lower while taking the stretch off the front of the back hip.
Bending the back knee
Letting the back knee bend or the back leg drift out to the side eases the hip flexor stretch, so keep that leg straight with the kneecap and top of the foot facing down.
Arching the lower back
Lifting the chest by arching the lower back makes up for tight hip flexors and loads the spine instead of opening the front of the back hip.
Stretching cold
Going straight into a deep split without warming up first asks cold tissue to reach its end range.

Injuries

Front Split is a medium risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The main strain point is the top of the front hamstring, where it attaches to the sitting bone. In a survey of 98 student ballet dancers, about a third reported an acute injury to the back of the thigh over the previous ten years, most placed it close to the sitting bone, and most said it happened during slow flexibility work such as the splits rather than in powerful movements. The back of the front knee, the front of the back hip and the lower back are the other places a forced split tends to hurt.

Warm up before you stretch, and never let body weight force the range. Keep your hands on the floor or on blocks so they take as much of your weight as you need, and put a block or folded blanket under the front thigh or pelvis so you can relax into a height you control. Lower slowly, without bouncing, and keep the hips square and the lower back long instead of arching it to lift the chest.

If the full split is too much, practice the half split, or use Standing Hamstring Stretch for the front leg and Low Lunge or Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretch for the back leg. Progress by lowering the supports one step at a time over weeks, not within a single session.

Stop at once if you feel a sharp pain, a pop or a sudden grab near the sitting bone, pain behind the front knee, a pinch in the front of either hip, or tingling or numbness running down the leg. Anyone with a previous hamstring tear or ongoing pain at the sitting bone should get clearance from a physical therapist before working toward the full split.

Overview

Primary Focus: Hamstrings
Equipment: Body weight
Modality: Stretching
Difficulty: Advanced

Alternative Exercises

Other Names for the Front Split

The Front Split is also known as:

Hanumanasana

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How long does it take to get the front splits?: There is no fixed timeline. It depends on your starting range, how often you practice and how tight your hip flexors are, and for most adults it takes months of regular work, sometimes more than a year. Tracking how low your supporting blocks go is a better measure of progress than a deadline.
Q: How long should I hold the front split?: Hold each side for 30 to 60 seconds and repeat once or twice. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends about 60 seconds of total stretching per exercise on at least two days a week, so two 30-second holds per side meets that.
Q: Do my hips need to be square?: For building front split flexibility, yes. With both hip points facing forward, the back leg has to open the front of its hip, while turning the pelvis toward the back leg lets the split look lower without stretching the hip flexors any further.
Q: Can I do the front split before training?: After training or in a separate mobility session is the usual choice. Long static holds right before sprinting, jumping or heavy lifting can briefly blunt power, so if you use the split in a warm-up, keep the holds short and follow them with dynamic movement.
Q: How is the front split different from the Pilates Reformer Russian Split?: Both put one leg forward and one leg back, but the floor split is a held stretch where your hands and any blocks control the depth. Pilates Reformer Russian Split is done on a reformer, where the sliding carriage and its springs control how far the legs open, so you move in and out of the range rather than resting at the bottom.