Most women don’t need another hip stretch. They need hips they can trust.

Let me guess.

You already practice yoga. You’re not new. You’re not intimidated by a lunge. You’ve held plank longer than you wanted to, you’ve breathed through poses that used to feel impossible, and you’re active enough that your body isn’t the issue.

But when someone says “splits training,” you feel this immediate little nope inside.

Not because you’re lazy. Not because you don’t like a challenge. But because splits feels like it belongs to a different lifetime.

The younger version of you. The bendier version. The version who didn’t need three warm-up poses just to feel like her hips were cooperating.

And somewhere along the way, you might’ve decided:

“Splits aren’t for me.”

And honestly? That makes total sense… based on how splits has been sold to women for the last twenty years.

Because most people don’t teach splits like training. They teach it like a dare.

Slide down. Force it. Hold your breath. Hope your hamstrings don’t send a complaint to HR.

So if you’re a woman in midlife who actually respects her body, you take one look at that and think: Hard pass.

Wise.

But here’s the twist:

Splits training (done the way I teach it) is not a flexibility stunt. It’s not a party trick. It’s not “let’s see how close you can get to the floor.”

It’s strength training for your hips.

And if that sentence just made you sit up straighter, good. Because this is the part active midlife women need to hear.

You don’t need more flexibility. You need control, so your body stops slamming on the brakes.

If you’ve been practicing yoga for a while, you’ve stretched your hip flexors. You’ve stretched your hamstrings. You’ve done your pigeon pose. You’ve done your low lunge.

And maybe it helps… for a day. But then you wake up the next morning and your body feels like it hit reset.

That’s not because you’re “getting older.” That’s because mobility without strength doesn’t stick.

Your body is always asking one question: “Can I control this range of motion?”

If the answer is no, your nervous system does what it’s designed to do.
It tightens. It guards. It pulls you back from the edge.

Not to ruin your yoga practice. To keep you safe.

So the goal isn’t to stretch harder. The goal is to build strength inside the range of motion you want to keep. That’s what splits training does when you do it right.

The hip flexor conversation no one is having

Everyone thinks splits is about hamstrings.

And sure, the front leg matters.

But the real midlife magic is the back leg.

Because the back leg asks your hip flexors to lengthen. And most women have spent years either sitting, bracing, or stretching that area without actually strengthening it.

So the front of the hip becomes this sensitive, unpredictable zone.

One day it feels open. The next day it feels tight.
One day lunges feel strong. The next day your low back is doing all the work.

And here’s what I see all the time:

A woman will say, “My hip flexors are tight,” but what she really means is, “My hip flexors don’t feel stable.”

Tightness and weakness love to travel together.

Because when a muscle doesn’t feel strong enough to control a position, it gets grabby. It clamps down. It becomes “tight.”

So when we start strengthening the hip flexors—especially in hip extension—everything changes.

And the front leg? That hip flexor isn’t just along for the ride.
In good splits training it’s working like crazy, because it has to hold the leg in place and keep your pelvis organized while the hamstrings lengthen.

That’s why this isn’t “just stretching.”
You’re building strength on both sides of the equation, hip flexors that can lengthen and hip flexors that can contract with control. 

Lunges stop feeling like a negotiation.
Your low back stops chiming in every five seconds.
Your pelvis feels steadier.
Your stride feels smoother.
Your practice feels more athletic, more alive.

And, that press up to Headstand or Handstand begins to feel possible. 

Not because you stretched more.

Because you trained better.

Midlife splits training is not about forcing.

I’m going to say this clearly because I need you to hear it:

You do not need to train splits like you’re 25.

In fact, please don’t.

Midlife training is about precision. It’s about strategy. It’s about building a body that’s resilient, not just flexible for a photo.

So the goal is never “deeper.”

The goal is “stronger.”

Stronger while your hamstring lengthens.
Stronger while your hip flexor opens.
Stronger while your pelvis stays organized instead of dumping forward and letting your low back take the hit.

This is why I love splits training for women in midlife and beyond: it’s one of the cleanest ways to build strength and control in the exact places that make your body feel good everywhere else.

And the best part?

You don’t have to “get” the splits to get the benefits.

Most of the benefits show up long before you’re close to the floor.

The quiet belief that keeps women stuck

Here’s the real reason I want you training this.

Because somewhere in midlife, women start editing their goals.

They start quietly opting out.

Not dramatically. Not even consciously.

They just decide certain things are for “younger women.”

And I get it. I do.

But I also think it’s a lie we’ve been sold.

Not because everyone needs to chase big poses forever, but because your body is meant to keep adapting.

You’re allowed to keep expanding. You’re allowed to train ranges you want to have. You’re allowed to pursue something that used to feel out of reach—not with force, but with intelligence.

And if you’re already active and already practicing yoga, you’re closer than you think.

Not to the splits. To the capacity. To the feeling of, “Oh. My body can do more than I gave it credit for.”

So… is splits for you?

If splits has felt like a “younger you” thing, you don’t need to dismiss it.

You just need a better way in.

A way that feels like training. A way that honors your body. A way that builds strength first and range second.

Because splits isn’t the point.

The point is hips that feel powerful. A pelvis that feels steady. A low back that doesn’t have to carry everything. A practice that feels like it’s moving you forward, not just keeping you busy.

And if part of you still whispers, “Yeah but… I’m not built for that.”

Good.

That whisper is exactly why you should train it.

Not to prove anything. But to remind your body—and yourself—that midlife isn’t the time to shrink.

It’s the time to get smart, get strong, and keep going.

If this speaks to you, I have a Splits Mastery Series of classes on my YouTube Channel I'd love for you to move through. Click here to begin today. 

If you want support while you work to uplevel your yoga practice, that’s exactly what the Tori G. Yoga Online Studio is for. Real coaching, a clear plan, and a community of women who aren’t shrinking their goals. Learn more about Tori & the studio here.