Flexibility is one of the most important components of gymnastics, and nothing will help you improve more than a flexibility challenge! Flexibility allows gymnasts to execute beautiful leaps, perfect splits, and seamless transitions between skills. Improving your flexibility can enhance your overall performance, reduce the risk of injury, and help you achieve more advanced skills. That’s why we’ve created this 30-Day Flexibility Challenge for Gymnasts! Whether you’re looking to improve your splits, get a higher leap, or just feel more flexible in your movements, this challenge is designed to guide you through daily stretches and exercises that will increase your range of motion and help you reach your flexibility goals. Let’s get started on the path to greater flexibility!
Before you get started with the challenge, complete our flexibility check to see how flexibile you are to start!
30 Day Gymnastics Flexibility Challenge
Day 1 – Slide into your splits with something on your head. Put something on your head, hint: think stuffed animal, pillow, and if you’re really daring, a cup of water or ice, and slide into each of your splits trying to not let the item on your head fall!
Day 2 – Switch from your left leg split into your right without using your hands. Start in a left leg split, then without using your hands, switch to your right leg split.
Day 3 – Do front kicks and back kicks with each leg – use your age as the number of repetitions to do for each leg for both front and back kicks.
Day 4 – Challenge a friend or parent to see who can hold their splits the longest. Try your bad leg, good leg and middle splits!
Day 5 – Send a split photo to a friend. Get creative!
Day 6 – Sit in a pike stretch and side roll back into a pike stretch. Start out sitting in a pike stretch with both legs out in front of you, reaching down and holding your feet. Next, lay on your back flat and roll to the side with your arms up by your ears straight, ending in another pike stretch.
Day 7 – Lay flat with something in-between your ankles (think stuffed animal, pillow or ball) and bring your legs up and put that item above your head while keeping it between your ankles.
Day 8 – Balance on one leg with your leg behind you and chest forward in the shape of a T. You’ll want to stand on your good leg and while keeping your arms tight by your ears, pivot forward on your good leg so your chest goes towards the ground until you achieve a 90º angle of a T.
Day 9 – See how many times you can touch your toes and stand up in 30 seconds. Start in a straight stand with your arms up by your ears. Reach down, touch your toes and return to the starting position. Count how many you can do in 30 seconds!
Day 10 – Try a one leg squat while holding your foot. Stand on your good leg, raise your other leg out in front of you. Reach forward and hold onto your foot in a flexed position. Squat down on your good leg while keeping a grip on your foot in front of you. If you can do this easily, see how many you can do without tumbling over.
Day 11 – Bridge and put one foot in the air and then the other for 30 seconds each – one leg at a time, no “no legs” trick for this one! Start in a bridge and then raise your right leg in the air for 30 seconds then switch to your left leg.
Day 12 – Bridge and bounce your feet off the ground 10 times. Start in a bridge and see if you can bounce off of the balls of your feet from the ground. Repeat 10x.
Day 13 – Seal stretch and balance something on your noise. Start in a seal stretch and see if you can balance something on your nose like a seal would!
Day 14 – Bridge and walk across the floor with something on your stomach. Start in a bridge, have someone put something on your stomach (like a stuffed animal, pillow, or book) – see if you can walk across the floor maintaining the object on your stomach.
Day 15 – Tuck and roll back and forth while listening to your favorite song. Start in a tuck position sitting on the ground (think popcorn game on the tramp) with your arms around your legs. Rock back and forth while listening to your favorite song.
Day 16 – Hold a cat stretch while singing the ABC’s. Start in a cat stretch position, kneel down, sit your bottom back onto your heels with your hands on the floor – as you sit back on your heels, you will get a nice stretch in your arms (they should be fully extended) – hold while singing your ABC’s.
Day 17 – Do a scale on each leg forwards and backwards. Hold each for the same number of seconds as your level in gymnastics.
Day 18 – Hold a deep squat for the number of seconds you are old. Make sure to have good form in your squat!
Day 19 – Walk forwards and backwards across your room in an open shouldered push up position. Start in a plank position and then walk your hands slightly forward so that you are in an open shoulder position. Walk forwards and backwards in this positioning while maintaining open shoulder position.
Day 20 – Do needle kicks holding a stuffed animal above your head with your arms next to your ears. With each kick, try to touch your foot or leg with the stuffed animal (while keeping it tight with your arms squeezed against your ears) and then stand back up back to your starting position. Do 5 on each leg.
Day 21 – Do 5 split jumps in a row without pausing. Do this for each leg.
Day 22 – Challenge a friend to hold a split with you for 30 seconds.
Day 23 – Sit in a butterfly position with your feet together. Put a plate of snacks on your feet and try to get one with your mouth by leaning down forward.
Day 24 – Trace the ABC’s with your ankles. Lay down on your back with your legs straight up in the air. While keeping your feet pointed and legs together, draw the ABC’s with your ankles.
Day 25 – Put down two stuffed animals about 4 feet apart. Crab walk in a figure 8 around them.
Day 26 – Sit against a wall with your arms by your ears touching the wall. Bring your arms down to a 90º angle trying to keep your arms touching the wall. Repeat 10x
Day 27 – Set up stuffed animals 3 feet apart then do alternating split leaps over them. You want both of your leaps to be close to the same. This is similar to running or deer runs, but with leaps.
Day 28 – Pretend you’re inside a huge clock. See if you can get a straight leg to 12 o’clock. (You can hold your leg if you need to).
Day 29 – See how many good straddle jumps you can do in a row without losing form.
Day 30 – Challenge a friend to do this 30 day flex challenge!
Tag us on Instagram for your daily challenges! Use the #gymhq30dayflexchallenge @gymnasticshq
If you want extra credit, here are some more exercises to improve your flexibility.
By completing this 30-day flexibility challenge, you’ve taken a major step toward improving your gymnastics performance and overall flexibility. Consistent stretching not only helps you achieve more graceful and powerful movements but also prevents injuries and enhances recovery. Remember, flexibility is a continuous journey—keep incorporating these stretches into your regular routine to maintain and further your progress. If you’re looking for more ways to level up your skills, consider joining SkillTrakker! With daily challenges focused on building strength, flexibility, and technique, SkillTrakker is the perfect tool to help you stay on track and keep improving. Keep up the great work, and stay flexible!
2 Comments
is this the stkilltrakker challenge for february?
Hi – we will be incorporating this into the challenge, yes! February’s challenge is Positive Growth Mindset + Flexibility.