This is another way of developing strength to handle further ranges of motion using isometric exercise. You need a length of chain, two leg cuffs and carbiners to attach the chain to the cuffs. You can also use a stack of boards, mats or even books for the second technique.
Lets suppose you are trying to do a side split, this will also work for developing a high side kick. Put the cuffs on your legs and attach a length of short “two feet should be a good start) of chain between them. Steady yourself on something (at first) and raise one leg as far as you can till the chain stops you. Push as hard as you can against the chain for a slow count of ten, then let your foot down. Take one of the carabiners and move it a couple more links down and repeat this, eventually you will reach a point where you cannot pull the chain taught for the ten count. Shorten the chain till the longest point where you could still pull it taught for your ten count. This is what you are trying to improve.
Now mark that point with a marker, twist tie or tape in a color for that exercise. Every workout you start a few links short and over a few sets try and improve and make further the point at which you could pull the chain tight.
Not only will you develop a greater range of motion with this, but unlike sit down static kind of stretching, the extra range will indeed be range of “motion”. You will be able to go there and come back without “stretching” anything. You will just be able to move better in a larger range of motion.
You can do this by moving your legs in any direction, standing, seated or laying down. Do front leg raises standing up or laying down, splits side or front laying on your back with your feet up or out, once you have the basic idea, much else follows.
Suppose you are trying to improve your ability to frontbend. Lets do this example seated. Sit down with your legs together and in front of you. Bend forward as far as you can under your own power with no help pulling with your hands. Now take some boards, mats, books etc and stack them up to that distance on your lower legs so you can bend over and touch your forehead to the top one. Bend and push your forehead against the top block for a count of ten (isometrically) come up again and then try with one block lower. It is good to have blocks, books or mats of ˝-1” inch, any more than that might be too much of a jump.
Repeat until you cannot exert pressure against the top block for a count of ten. Next workout start a couple of blocks higher for warmup and then remove blocks a set at a time to improve your your last workouts performance. Using this principle there is a world of things to do. You can also do this up on your feet, holding different sizes of balls between your forehead and lower legs for a ten or twelve count. Its the same principle, just a different position.
Lets suppose you want to work on backbend. Everyone knows how to do the yoga move called a “cobra”. This is where you lay front down and raise your head as high as you can. In this case simply use a headstrap or chain around the back of your neck, and attach the carabiner to an eye-hook in an out of the way area on your platform. Attach the chain and simply raise up and curl your back as far as you can and hold it for your count, progress down the chain and try and improve between workouts the same way as in the others. You can also use this to work with certain areas of the spine by limiting how much curl is in your lower back. You can alternatively do this standing up with an eye hook fixed into a stud in the wall. It is the same move, just a bit easier in some ways.
What you are practicing doing is again “attempting to apply force at progressively greater ranges of motion. Same principles again, but another way of implementing them.