Bowed legs in oversplits

Kyrsten started this discussion · 11/14/2012

I have an odd question about the aesthetics of a split... I've noticed that my legs bow a lot when I stretch my oversplits -- is this normal? It's like a lot of the stretch is coming from behind the knees. Looking at photos of people oversplitting, some seem to keep relatively straight legs, but some have very curved legs. I'll use Felix Cane as an example, because I notice this with her splits a lot too: http://442.perfil.comhttps://pub-a085b59791bc4c1a94b0a223a67a37d6.r2.dev/wp-uploads/2010/10/felix-cane.jpg http://www.pocketpolestudio.com/wp-content/gallery/felix-cane/061010-Felix.004a.jpg I'm not really sure I like the aesthetic of the super bowed legs -- is there anything I can do to keep them a little straighter?

6 replies

Kyrsten · 11/14/2012
And as a counter example: Gabby Douglas... her leg has a very slight bow, but it isn't like Felix's: http://www.rutgersprep.org/kendall/7thgrade/cycleB_2012-13/04_gd/gabby
Kyrsten · 11/14/2012
http://www.usmagazine.com/uploads/assets/article_photos/gabbydouglas-2-467.jpg (try that again.. lol)
PoleWarrior · 11/15/2012
I think Felix has hyper extended legs though her whole body probably is. If you have hyper extended legs, you might need to take a bit more care stretching and strengthening. This article is quite useful: http://www.pointemagazine.com/issues/december-2011january-2012/your-best-body-beyond-hype Do your knees hurt when they're over splitting?
Kira · 11/15/2012
Felix has hyper extendable knees, that's why no-one can do the spatchcock exactly like her lol as awesome as it sounds it can be pretty damaging if you don't know how to stretch it properly. I have hyper extended elbows so things like split grip are slightly harder for me because I automatically hyper extend my elbow to lock my arm when in fact I should stop at the point where my arm is straight. This causes extra tension to not fully lock my arm and risk putting too much weight at that point. I can only assume that applies to your legs if you are hyper mobile there.
emotioncatcher · 11/15/2012
I also have slighty hyper extendable knees. When I do an overplit with just one yoga block, the back of my knee is touching the floor, so the main stretch is in my knee. you can just put something less high under your knee during training, so your knee can´t bend and you won´t stretch them further.
Kyrsten · 11/15/2012
Thanks guys!! I never realized I had hyperextendable knees, but reading into it a little more, I definitely do and it explains a lot... Looks like I will have to make a conscious effort to keep them slightly bent. Hard because I'm used to pointing and straightening as hard as I can. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. Thanks Emotioncatcher for the tip... My oversplit is 4 inches and my knee is still flat on the floor when I do it lol :( I also have noticed a lot of rhythmic gymnasts have this... It explains why I always found their legs sort of off looking... The extension just doesn't look graceful to me with the extended knees. Looks more contortiony.