Yahoo News How to do the splits like Strictly's Debbie McGee
When Debbie McGee effortlessly slipped into the splits during her Argentine tango the Saturday before last, Strictly viewers were left awed by the 59-year-old’s flexibility.
That McGee, best known as the magician Paul Daniels former assistant and then wife, trained as a ballet dancer is no secret, but when it comes to staying supple, it’s a case of use it or lose it.
McGee has credited yoga for her fitness – attending Berkshire-based Ashtanga teacher Joelle Pettitt’s classes.
Ashtanga, where a set sequence of movements is performed in time with the breath, has a reputation for being one of the more demanding styles of yoga with celebrity practitioners including Madonna, Gwyneth Paltrow and Sting. But, Pettitt believes, it is perfect for beginners, too.
“It’s structured so you know what to expect each time. By repeating the same postures in the same order you can see the progress you’re making.”
Most of the students in the class McGee attends are over 50 and Pettitt says it’s one of her favourite classes to teach. “They’re all focused and you see them progress quickly from week to week.”
A lot of people run and look fantastic but they’re shortening their muscles
Melissa Gray
She stresses that being able to touch your toes isn’t necessary. “The look of the posture isn’t the most important thing. It’s about working in the pose and observing your breath,” she says.
If you are working towards the splits, which requires open hips and hamstrings, then the Ashtanga primary series targets those areas. “Ashtanga helps to keep you flexible and strong, especially as you age,” says Pettitt.
McGee’s commitment has paid off. Yet staying flexible throughout one’s life is just as important even if you’re not looking to score a perfect 10 on the dance floor.
“A lot of people run and look fantastic but they’re shortening their muscles,” says Melissa Gray, co-founder of London Dance Academy and the creator of their popular Splits Therapy class.
Tightness in one part of your body might cause you pain somewhere unrelated. According to Gray, it is often the hamstrings, the glutes, the piriformis and psoas that are the most in need of stretching. The emphasis in her Splits Therapy class is on relaxing and moving slowly.
“It’s very therapeutic,” she says. “It’s about holding the stretch. Move gently in your range of motion, then hold your stretch for as long as you can.”
And age is no excuse not to start. As Gray says: “I’m in my 40s and I remember seeing a picture of a 100-year-old guy in India doing the box splits and I thought, that’s it, I’m never stopping.”
Indeed, Eiko, a superstar yoga instructor from Osaka, Japan, believes anyone can learn to do the splits. She has sold more than 1.8 million copies of her book Even the Stiffest People Can Do the Splits, which has been translated into 16 languages.
She maintains that under her instruction it’s possible to achieve the pancake split in about four weeks. “If you can put both of your elbows on the floor, you’ve done it!” says Eiko. “Spread your legs wide, while keeping your knees straight, lean your body forward and touch the floor with both elbows, and you’re there!”
EIKO'S STRETCHES
TOWEL STRETCH
1 Loop a hand towel over the underside of one foot, extend your leg (keeping your knee straight) and pull the towel toward your head with both hands.
2 Hold for 30 seconds. Repeat with the other leg. DON’T DO THIS If you bend your knee, you won’t get much of a stretch. If this stretch is difficult, use something longer like a bath towel, rope or belt.
SUMO STRETCH
1 Standing, point your knees out to the side, spread your legs to about twice the width of your shoulders, lower your backside and place your hands on your inner thighs, near your knees.
2 Move up and down about 20 times. 3 Next, stretch the groin and back by shifting each shoulder toward the middle in turn, while pushing harder with your hands.
WALL STRETCH
1 Lie on your back with your backside against the wall. Extend your legs up the wall and open them up.
2 Place your legs against the wall, spread them as much as you can without bending your knees or pushing too far and stretch for one to two minutes.
3 Adjust the intensity of the stretch by varying how open your legs are and the distance between your backside and the wall. If this stretch is difficult, it’s OK to only go as far as you can.
Even The Stiffest People Can Do The Splits, by Eiko, is published by Yellow Kite, priced £9.99.
