text: how should i warm up before stretching to get the splits? i take martial arts and need to get my splits down, so i've looked up some good tips around the internet.  they say i should warm up before i stretch so that i won't keep staying sore the next day.  but exactly how should i warm up?  i thought stretching was warming up! i do martial arts as well and the easiest way to go would be to take a hot bath and directly after stretch your muscles as far as you can. theory here is that all your muscles will be heated up (not just the ones you try and warmp up through various stretching excersises). it does take a couple of weeks to go completely flat. try going down as far as you can and keep that position for as long as you can before getting up. the muscles have to become used to a stretched position.