you want to warm up first. stretching cold muscles isn't nearly as beneficial. you can do some low kicking to work up a sweat and some leg swings. to do a leg swing you keep your leg straight and swing it back and forth as high as you can (while keeping your leg straight and not causing pain). try to do 10 each leg without putting your foot down. also do them to the sides.

the best way to stretch is very very slowly. it will take awhile to finish all your stretches but it's well worth it. legs alone should take about 15 mins if you can devote the time to it. breath out the entire time you are going into the stretch. when it gets to the point where it is about to hurt stop and hold that position for a minimum of 10 seconds. 20 to 30 is best. remember to breath while holding the stretch. shallow breaths are best. you should do 3 to six reps of each stretch. let your first stretch be your ***** stretch . . . hold it where there is only a slight hint of tension.

i hold my first stretch for 10 seconds, second for 20, and third for 30. i am fairly flexible though, and this is adequate. you may want to start out holding every stretch for 30 seconds.

muscular contractions are good too. while in the stretch, slowly tense up the muscle to completely straighten the leg as you breath out and relax it as you breath in. in order to do this you can not be stretched too far, so it's also a good guild line to make sure aren't overstretching. over stretching will make your flexibility goals take twice as long at best.

slowly release the stretch and switch legs. go back to the same leg and try to make it down a little further than you did the first time as it is warmed up. if it hurts don't go any further at all. after you have stretched daily for a couple of weeks you can press your limits a little further. your body will be more tuned to what is mere tension pain and what pain is being caused by overstretching.

remember that getting impatient and bouncing into the stretch, or not taking enough time to hold it, will not only cause injury, but will greatly increase the time it takes you to attain the flexibility that you desire. i doubled my flexibility in about 2-3 weeks doing this. the first week i didn't notice much difference, but i kept up on it. that is also a very important factor in flexibility as it will leave you very quickly if not practiced. you should start by stretching every day. everyday is always best, but if you cant manage because of time constraints, do it daily at least until you are at a level you are satisfied with. after that 3 times a week would sustain that level, but may not allow you to gain flexibility very quickly if at all.