ABSOLUTE ASCENDANCY

Commencing operation . . .

The centre split has to be one of my favourites for stretching out the groin as well as the legs and hips. The variation that I will showcase today will place an additional strain on your groin muscles while also engaging your core muscles. I love putting the karate and kickboxing students through this exercise and hearing their groans and complaints. I admit I can be sadistic at times. That being said, if you have any stability issues with your lower body, then I do not recommend attempting this as it is rather demanding.

What you need to do is widen your stance, so you are greater than shoulder-width apart. Then, bending at the hips, lower your upper body and then place your elbows on the ground with your arms roughly horizontal. The closer to your body you get your arms the better. I like to position my elbows further away and then shuffle them towards me. If you can, also try and get your forehead to touch the floor. Now, this is where it gets tricky. Rise slightly and then reach outwards with your hands, ensuring your hands do not make any contact with the floor. Try not to crane your neck while doing this, so keep your eyes on the floor, not looking ahead. Hold position until you become too uncomfortable and then recall your arms and push them between your legs, so they are behind you. You can then proceed to alternate between the two positions of arms reaching out, and arms pushed through. You can also rotate sideways and try and work towards touching each of your knees with your forehead (while holding onto your leg) before returning to an upright position and completing the stretch.

Mission complete – Overlord Drakow signing out.