How to Get Your Leg Extension

Believe in yourself and believe you can do it. You will need to stretch daily to achieve it and it will take time, but you can do it if you work hard enough.

Develop the ability to do the splits. As this is aimed at beginners, not being able to do the splits is expected and you don't have to be able to do the splits fully to get a reasonable leg extension although it does help. The next few steps are going to be stretches and tips to achieve your splits. If you can already do them, skip the following steps.^[1]

Maintain some flexibility. Do some simple stretches to warm up. Stand up and touch your toes, legs together, and then stand up and touch the ground with your hands flat, legs shoulder length apart. Repeat this stretch sat down with your legs straight in front of you.^[2]

Start on your splits stretches. The first of which is the butterfly stretch. Sit on the ground with your knees bent outward and your feet touching. Press your elbows down on your legs and you should feel a deep stretch in your thigh. The aim is to get your legs fully on the ground but it is not expected that you will be able to because it is a very hard and advanced stretch. Once you feel pain you should keep your legs where they are and do not move them any further as it could result in serious injury. This stretch loosens the muscle in your thigh which helps in the last part of this splits so do this any chance you get.^[3]

Lunge. Lunge forward with your front foot at an angle and your back knee to foot just above the ground. This also helps your splits greatly. Start doing these for ten seconds at a time and gradually move up to sixty.^[4]

If you feel you are close enough to your splits, it's time to work on your leg extension. Find a piece of furniture at waist height. An extendable barre, meant for this exercise is good, but if you don't have once, sturdy furniture works just as well. Lift your leg up and place it on the furniture at waist height. This should be fairly easy as your leg is only waist high. Progress to gradually higher furniture but when you feel pain at a certain height, do not lift your leg onto furniture any higher. Keep working at the same height and eventually you will be able to lift it there without pain. Carry on like this with the ability to do the splits and you will get your leg extension with the furniture there holding it. Also be aware that it is possible to learn your splits whilst doing your leg extension so after practicing your leg extension, be sure to practice your splits to see how you have improved!

If you can lift your leg head high with furniture holding it, you need to work on your leg muscles so that you can hold it there without furniture assisting you. You don't need to be able to just swing it up if you don't want to, holding your leg with your hand is just as impressive to see but if you want to, then below are stretches that will help your muscles.

Do lunges and more lunges. Lunges will really help so do as many as possible.

Keep kicking your leg up high as your muscles will slowly get used to it. Make sure to use your turnout muscles because quads can not go over 90 degrees. Soon you will be able to hold your leg above you head!^[5]

Keep practicing because even if you don't get it immediately, you will get it eventually.