- It seems like you would be able
to do the splits in just a few weeks
but it's really not that simple.
(upbeat music)
- Full disclosure, I am not very flexible at all.
These are, like, skinny stretch jeans.
I feel like I'm about as stiff as they come.
(grunting)
This is about as far as I can go right now.
- I feel like flexible people can save lives
'cause they can, like, flexibly move into little spaces.
All right, this hurts right here.
- I want to be able to do the splits
because I want that flexibility back.
(chuckles) Honestly, I think this is as far as I can go.
I wanna feel those muscles stretch.
(laughs)
Oh, okay, no that hurts. Yup, right there.
- My goal is to do better than this.
And to actually hit this down here.
- Each morning and each night we're gonna be
doing some stretches to increase our flexibility
so that at the end of this challenge--
- I can do the dream splits that I've always wanted to do.
- Okay, guys, let's do some stretches.
- We have to do ten minutes of stretching every morning.
- Today's the first day where I'm going to try
and use these bands so I can learn how to do the splits.
This smells so weird.
- So I have to do a lunge, a leg stretch,
a standing stretch, and then try for the split.
Slide your front foot forward, lean back,
and slowly lower yourself to the ground.
We're supposed to be doing ten minutes of stretching.
I'm trying to hold it, but I'm gonna tell you what,
it hurts a lot.
- Stretching kind of hurts sometimes
and they always tell you in stretching videos,
like, "Stretch into the pain, breath into the pain."
Flexibility is hard, man. Uh!
But sometimes you're just, like, this pain...
Feel the burn, breathe into it.
...is, like, a lot and I don't wanna do this anymore.
- You can tell how out of shape I am
when, literally, just a stretch hurts.
A lot of spreading of the legs,
a lot of bending over,
a lot of putting your legs on top of things.
At first, it hurt a lot to stretch as much
as it needed you to, for like, every single morning
but, the more and more I got into it,
the better and easier it was.
- One of the funny stretches that I really like
is, like, doing it up against the wall.
And then you put your butt as close to the wall as possible.
Mom, are you proud of me?
- I also went to Barre class.
So you do the workout, you do a stretch at the end,
and the stretch feels incredible after a workout.
I'm gonna go home and I'm gonna see if I can do
the split with my muscles super toasty.
I can't go any farther. All right!
We're supposed to be doing a split in the next week
and I still feel like I barely made progress.
- I think it's just, like, kind of midway was
a little bit of a mental challenge and a mental hurdle.
It's early and I'm supposed to do these stretches,
but I don't want to.
But you gotta push through,
you gotta make yourself as flexible as possible.
I don't wanna do the stretches.
- Keep the post for 25 to 35 seconds,
all the time focusing on your breathing.
We have, like, one more week and I've gotta be able
to do that split in the next week.
I imagine some day soon
I'll be able to move my knee to my nose.
- It feels good to stretch.
There's something to it.
I feel like I can touch my toes a little bit easier now,
which is a good sign.
I used to not be able to touch my toes at all.
- These stretches, I kind of did it as a way,
almost like meditation, so it was kind of, like,
my morning wake up, kind of stretch.
Send help.
- My fiance was definitely a little annoyed
at my stretching because I kept doing it while
we were watching TV and I'd, like,
kick my leg in front of the TV.
Stretch.
That was the best time to stretch for me!
I might as well make some use out of my time.
- A big set back for me was an injury.
I had a knee injury.
I actually ran the New York City Marathon
and halfway through the marathon my knee kind of gave out.
Mile 12, my knee hurts.
And there's no one cheering, and my knee hurts still.
Geez!
This is not exactly going the way I wanted it to
but I'm gonna finish this damn marathon.
It was a little bit painful for about a week
but it also affected my stretching for splits.
My knees hurt really bad, so I'm a have to ice 'em.
If you have an injury it's always good to, like,
stretch it out, loosen it up,
and kind of makes it heal quicker.
- Okay, now, less pressure.
Oh my God, I still got, like, six inches to go down.
- [Man] You're pretty close though.
- You think so?
- [Man] Yeah.
- I definitely think I became more flexible, yeah.
I know I can reach my toes a lot better now.
- I think there's probably a 25% chance
of success for me to do the split.
- Maybe, like, the performance pressure
will help me do a split.
Oh! Where's that at?
It's better already.
The stretching I've done has made me more flexible.
I guess let's try that dream split
that I've never been able to do, ever, in my life.
♪ Come on, let's do it ♪
I think this just goes to show that
I need to more fully commit to things.
I think I should've been stretching more.
- [Hal] Ready?
(grunting)
- [Woman] Oh my god!
- [Hal] Yes!
- [Woman] You did it!
- Flexibility man!
Feels good to improve by three inches.
I wanna be lower to the ground
and I want to have straighter legs.
So that's what I'm going for.
(grunting) Oh, God.
That's about as low as I can go,
but I feel strong and I feel better.
- But I definitely think I can at least push past this time.
- [Woman] Yeah.
- 22? I kicked this thing's ass!
I don't know about doing the splits, still.
Stretching over is a little bit different
than, like, spreading your legs apart.
Now I know the proper form.
So you kind of have to go into a lunge
and then slowly and gradually make your way down,
instead of just, like, popping right into it.
So let's try.
(laughs)
- [Woman] Oh my God! You, wow!
- Wow! Yeah, I just surprised myself.
(happy piano and guitar music)
This feels so weird.
(exhales) Oh, yeah. (laughs)
It gave me the confidence to feel a lot more flexible.
Like, I can definitely do it.
I can kick the face if I really need to (chuckles).
So I think that's the best takeaway from this.
- If you're trying to do a split, be diligent.
Like, you actually have to do the stretches
to gain some flexibility.
- Seeing my progress, like, in numbers
has helped me be, like,
"You know what I think I can actually do this."
- If you're starting out from kind of an
inflexible standpoint, it'll probably take you,
like, a good three or four months
before you'll be able to do a split.
But I do see improvement!
- So stretching consistently does make you more flexible.
It's just about how consistent you are with the stretching.
- Yeah, check my social media.
I'll post if I'm able to do a split in the next few months.
(happy piano and guitar music)