Have you ever wanted to touch your toes with your fingers without bending your legs? With this little trick it's very easy.
How I always admired others who could just touch their toes with their fingers out of nowhere.
Let alone those who can place their entire palms on the floor. For me, that was always a superpower and an unattainable goal. No matter how hard I tried.
With legs outstretched, my toes seemed to be at an unreachable distance. With my legs bent, I managed halfway, but the pulling in my legs was anything but pleasant.
You feel the same? You want to touch the floor with your hands, but you can't? Welcome to the club! But to change that very quickly, I've collected a few tips that I've tried out myself.
It really works!
Table of contents
Trainer reveals a trick how to get to the floor with your fingers
I have tried it several times. Several times a day, a few days in a row. But unfortunately no success. This can't be true, can it?
But after a lot of research and talking to my coach Werner, I found out something: it's not that difficult.
Not even if you are a complete beginner like me. There is a little trick that can increase your progress enormously.
What you won't be spared, however, is practice, practice, and more practice.
Because if you can't do this stretching exercise, it means you're too immobile. But fortunately you can work on that.
I asked myself the question: What is the easiest and most effective way to touch your toes with your fingertips?
In the process, I came across a trick that works well for me. I am still a long way from my goal and where I want to be.
But I managed to touch my toes for the first time. And with my legs stretched out! I'm really proud of that! 😊 It's amazing what regular stretching can do to the body!
Attention: Everyone should be able to do these 7 stretching exercises!
Why you can't touch the floor with your fingertips when your legs are extended
First, the good news: exercises that are particularly difficult for you are the best for your body! They show you what you still need to work on, what you should focus on and give you a new challenge!
In the forward bend, the entire back of your body is stressed and stretched. So, unfortunately, the ultimate answer to your "why" doesn't exist.
The important thing is to listen to your body. Try the exercise and pay attention to where it particularly pulls and hurts.
The back of the legs is most frequently shortened. Tension in the back and neck is rarely the cause. In such cases, you need to start with this first, stretch the lower back.
One of my problems was also that I was afraid of leaning so far forward. I didn't want to fall on my nose. Subconsciously, I was probably afraid of the Losing balance - for whatever reason.
That's why my legs were tilted back instead of straight through - like in the photo. The pelvis was not exactly under the heels. But that's where it should be. Can you see it in the picture?
How to finally get to your toes
Patience! And a lot of practice! Put the stretching exercise on the schedule 1x per day for at least 5 minutes. Challenge your body and don't let up.
Never start unheated! Especially if you have shortened tendons, it is very important to warm up.
This works particularly well with light running and steps in which you pull your legs as far as possible towards your bottom. Also suitable are Jumping Jacks to warm up.
This is how you give your body the signal: Here we go.
Once you're well warmed up, it's time to get down to business. Now for my little trick :)
Practice regularly
But what I can say about myself: It really does get better with time. When I first started stretching, it was terribly difficult. I realized how immobile I was - scary! 😅
I usually train at home myself. The Gymondo fitness platform works really well. You sign up once and can then choose from 60 programs and 570 workouts.
All you need is an exercise mat and a little space in your living room.
There is a wide range of yoga sessions or stretching-only sessions.
You can do abs, legs, butt one day and legs and arms the next. Just put together yourself what you feel like.
At not even 8 euros per month and unlimited access to the workouts, the investment soon pays off.
But now let's get to the trick that helped me.
The best exercise to get your hands on the floor
This time, instead of looking for a ledge, a piece of wood, or some other elevation. The height of your help depends on how far you can already lean forward.
I was looking for a styrofoam board.
Place your toes on the edge. Keep your heels on the floor. Now bend over in front as much as possible. Feel the pull in your calves and hold the stretch.
Why does touching the ground suddenly work?
You now have a different angle and slowly start to stretch your tendons and stretch them.
Now take a step to the side and try again - without elevation.
What's interesting is that you're now getting down a bit after just 2 minutes of stretching.
I am still a long way from reaching my goal. But my dream of touching ground already a big step closer.
Can you see it in the next photo? This is how far I made it with the styrofoam plate trick. And that's after only 2 minutes of stretching. The difference is enormous. Don't you think?
Stretch your legs every day! Over time, you will also become looser in your hips and will be able to tilt them forward better.
I haven't really managed that yet. But as they say: practice makes perfect 🙂
Train every day with the increase of your choice. You can also start with very low increases of just 2 cm and then choose a higher one day by day.
The next time it's guaranteed to go a bit further. And at some point the palms are on the floor. :)
When can you touch ground with hands?
You want to touch the full and preferably the floor immediately with your whole hands? There you put high!
When it comes to touching the floor with your legs extended and your whole palm, several factors come into play.
Every body is unique, so there's no exact timeline for how long it will take you to achieve this flexibility.
It depends on your baseline, your current flexibility, and how much training you do.
To improve your flexibility, you can do stretching exercises regularly.
Focus on your leg muscles, especially the back of your thighs (called hamstrings).
Stretching exercises such as leaning forward, sitting with your legs extended and stretching with a belt can help you increase your flexibility.
Your body needs time to adapt and become more flexible.
Set realistic goals and work toward them one step at a time.
With time and regular practice, you will notice progress and gradually approach the goal of touching the floor with the whole palm.
Remember that every progress counts, even if you don't reach the ultimate goal right away.
If your fingertips are already touching the ground, you're well on your way. 😁
My conclusion
A little trick makes you much more motivated right away. Being able to record your first successes gives you superpowers 😊. Don't give up and keep at it.
What is very exciting is that within a few minutes, it already becomes much easier and you can bend forward surprisingly far.
If you want to touch your toes with your fingers, you need patience.
Have fun training and practicing!
To browse further:
* Advertising & affiliate links: Our website is financed by advertising and affiliate links. As a partner of linked stores (e.g. Amazon) we earn from qualified sales.
Read more
