Flexibility Training for Climbing: Side Splits & More!

Being a flexible and mobile climber is a real challenge for most of us.... especially for those who do any running, cycling or extensive periods of the week sat at a desk! That's why we have an in-house expert Josh continually work on improving our resources and knowledge when it comes to climbing mobility know-how.
Josh recently spent some time with Matt and Liv - who are flexibility coaches - to dive even deeper into the methods and sports science behind lower body flexibility, especially the dreaded side splits. In this video they run you through some of the functionality behind how the hip joint works and then a range of exercises that are incredibly effective in improving that range of movement.
For any of you who are on our Premium Plans / Performance Coaching Plans, you'll be pretty familiar with a lot of these from your session sheets and know the benefits that they deliver in a pretty short space of time!
Intro: (0:00)
Side split positioning: (0:44)
Passive VS Active Flexibility: (3:48)
Drill NO.1 Taylors Pose: (4:45)
Drill NO.2 Horse Stance Squats: (5:47)
Drill NO.3 Isometric Side Split: (7:12)
Drill NO.4 Kneeling Tilt: (8:50)
Outro: (10:33)
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More about Matt & Liv - Matt and Liv developed the Mobility & Flexibility Toolkit which now has thousands of students, learning as adults, in over 44 countries. They are passionate about leveraging online learning to make high-quality information more accessible. Matt is a sought-after teacher for distilling and breaking down both the how and why behind the tools needed to move better. Check out their website over on: www.matthewismith.com/mftk

[@derekxiaoEvanescentBliss]

Exercises i saw: For stretching: - Weighted butterfly reps or taylors pose - Horse stance squats - 45s-60s side split hold For strengthening muscle that pulls u into splits: - Kneeling tilt Tyoically 2 times a week, 3 sets, 8 reps, 3s hold at the deeper stretch. Maintain anterior pelvic tilt in second two exercises.

[@aidanloeser4890]

i've never understood the mechanics of my hip joint so well before -- he's a great teacher.

[@antoinehalik]

I have master degree from sport science, and I admit - he's great teacher. Honestly I forgot gracilis muscle even exist 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

[@rostam24]

I actually seriously damaged my hips because I spent years doing stretches like this. Just because it was successful for others, I assumed it would be successful for me. Unfortunately, I found out the hard way that the hip/feet position mentioned in this video wasn't enough to prevent my bones of rubbing together and causing serious degeneration of the hip joint. My advice: if it feels like bone on bone when you're trying to stretch, then stop and go to a professional first. Otherwise you may do more harm than good. I'm not even that much of an outlier, there's many stories like mine unfortunately... Anyway, I think a little disclaimer would've been good :)

[@Matthewismith]

You are correct. It should not hurt, there should be no impingement. A common example in horse stance squats is lacking the range in anterior pelvic tilt to roll the hips forward enough. Therefore, like any exercise, proper technical execution is of upmost importance. Same with something like a squat or deadlift. Almost everyone has heard of someone injuring a disk, often due to lack of preparation or poor execution. It's important to educate yourself and understand the details. I empathise with you because the topic of mobility & flexibility has less quality teaching (and research) than strength training. Proper information and teaching is not as readily available. However, that is not to say it's inherently dangerous when done right. This is why we didn't give an exact program here but rather some principles to consider in your training. This video is here to educate not prescribe. I wish you the best of luck with your recovery.

[@cyberflaneur9127]

How does one know if it’s bone on bone ?

[@rostam24]

@@cyberflaneur9127 not sure if this applies to everyone, but I feel the stretch in the wrong spot. Rather than the muscle on the inside of the legs, I feel it in a very localized spot in the hip joint on the outside (sometimes front).

[@jacobosolorzano6320]

Just got out of a reconstructive surgery of both my hip joints. They told me it was mainly genetic, but I believe this + high impact sports had as much to do with it...Now I did not only gained quite a lot of mobility but also can feel some actual stretching not only bone to bone!

[@rostam24]

@@jacobosolorzano6320 You have healthy hips now? It sounds like good news in the end! Can you tell me more about your surgery? Thank you for sharing!

[@trentcharleson7108]

Constructive idea: When you do these videos I think the participants should have a variety of mobility (rather than them being already super stretchy!). This would help people like me who need smaller steps as I am super inflexible! Cheers :)

[@LatticeTraining]

Just watch any videos of Tom R 😅

[@Seano09]

What a great idea trent!

[@trentcharleson7108]

@@Seano09 “Trent, you make me feel uncomfortable when you stretch” the pines 2021 😂

[@davidbecker54]

I would love to see one of these for Shoulder Mobility!

[@Matthewismith]

Thanks again for inviting us in. If anyone has any questions on the side split feel free to leave a comment, I'm happy to answer for the next 24 hours or so 🤙

[@isabellestraver1162]

This is such a great video! You guys are great teachers. I don’t have much time, but want to improve my flexibility. Would you say one of these lower volume options is better? a) 1x week doing the full 3 sets of 4 exercises b) 2x week each doing only 1 or 2 sets of the 4 exercises c) 2xweek doing 3 sets but only doing 2 of the exercises per session Thanks for all the info!

[@jinenjaninja5949]

Is it better to train befor or after a workout and should I worm up?

[@Matthewismith]

@@isabellestraver1162 This is where individual variation comes into play. None of the options you mentioned are inherently wrong but I'd need to know your training history, program, recovery ability, etc. in order to say which is best for you. I recommend keeping an accurate training journal and experimenting with each. In the long run, this training data will allow you to customise your training to suit yourself as an individual. Everything I teach revolves around this idea of learning to tweak things for yourself.

[@Matthewismith]

@@jinenjaninja5949 For this style of more loaded stretching, after climbing. Ideally it would be in a separate training session. Yes, warmup by doing a few reps where you gradually get closer to your working range of motion.

[@isabellestraver1162]

@@Matthewismith fair enough! That makes sense, thanks 😊

[@alexdasilva2578]

I was really looking for something like this! Can't wait to start :^D

[@tomrandall2434]

Nice one Josh!! I’m super inspired for the flexi now 😎😎

[@user-ji1ue5pw2i]

Inspire me!I stuck at the position, I will make it!Thanks guys!

[@maldeventre]

This was so instructive, Merci!

[@enticingearlobe1116]

finally, a good video on side splits. thanks!

[@Ichigoo82]

Really enjoyed it! Thnx

[@rockyhowe391]

Thanks for the explanation of the hip joint!! Have (mostly) recovered from a mild knee sprain that happened two months ago but I’m still a little cautious about fully locking the knee. Do you get the same benefit doing these exercises with a slightly bent knee?

[@brooke6308]

I’m really enjoying these videos! I just started rock climbing and these have been helpful for me on what to focus on next. 👍👍

[@katrinaxharhus3747]

I climb 2-3 times a week and I stretch after each session (10/10 would recommend) planning to add some of these in. I've already worked on my side splits quite a bit but I'm wanting to find ways to improve. It's a great complement to climbing! As a short person I always need to get a high foot up somewhere so it really helps me!

[@Syrupjuice]

This was stellar

[@jakublewicki8539]

Great video! Could you please add some information about set and reps of each exercise? :)

[@Matthewismith]

In reality it should be individualised to each person. Having said this, 8 reps, 3s pause each rep for 2-4 sets is a good starting place for most people. You should then tweak it from there. Like any program, once your body adapts you'll need to change the stimulus.

[@leonakadir3833]

that was great, who'd have thought a video on stretching could be so interesting!

[@LatticeTraining]

Glad you liked it!

[@chrisb4003]

This is ace, great video, love it

[@pfpchad2747]

I can do the middle splits and I've been able to do it for many years. But I never trained on holding at my lowest point for long periods of time. So, while I have the splits, my muscles lack strength. So, when I recently tried just holding the pose, I realized that I could only hold for like 10-20 seconds. I'm now working on strengthening that muscle.

[@larathompson1981]

Fantastic and clear advice! Any chance you can get these two experts to do another for high stepping?

[@LatticeTraining]

We’ve got some content around this on out Instagram already actually 😊

[@larathompson1981]

@@LatticeTraining Sweet! I'm following so I'll dig back in yourt content.

[@larathompson1981]

@@LatticeTraining found it! instagram.com/p/BotsF_xjKZ3

[@marcocofano2545]

Hi, I had a meniscus surgery last year and I have lost some flexibility in the hips and stretch in the hamstrings. I am still careful with bending or stretching my knee at full range while weighted even if the surgery went well and I am back to normal sport activities and climbing. Any simple tips on how to keep the knee safe doing these types of stretches and exercises? thanks!

[@zoecartlidge]

Thanks Lattice crew! Was wondering what a good rough start weight for the weighted bent knee exercises would be? Cheers

[@davidc4322]

Since it’s different for each person he explains it nicely at around 4:48

[@Mylada]

Its different for everyone

[@LatticeTraining]

Individualise always... start conservative and easily in control!

[@MafuHardy]

Ive been climbing for a year and can only just cross my legs and just about touch my feet. I will try these exercises, obv super scaled back!

[@LatticeTraining]

Great! Enjoy the process 💪😊

[@benja_mint]

whats a good target to aim for for side splits? i think my first goal is to do that 45 second hold with my feet wider apart than my arm-span

[@raaa-fx1ph]

lol i all ways stoped when it hit bone on bone didnt realise you needed to shift feet to go further the more you no. was educational, some nice exercises to.

[@mdlwlmdd2dwd30]

Isometric side spilt. How many set do you do per session?

[@Olaussen76]

Will there be a front split video?

[@LatticeTraining]

In the future, yes! We’re mainly concentrating on all our flexibility content for our training clients at the moment for the short term 😊

[@sarahpemberton4089]

In the last exercise my feet just slide outwards. Yoga mat doesn't stop it. Pilates socks don't stop it. How are you keeping your feet still?

[@LatticeTraining]

This requires the strength of you adductors to hold the position. Just stick within a range you can hold actively and as you build strength you can go lower.

[@16m49x3]

I get knee pain way before I feel any stretch in the side split. Makes me just avoid them.

[@TheXeeman]

im the least flexible guy ... i need this

[@jakubstankovic7275]

thats for women to do