Been doing calf and hamstring stretches for 3 weeks with forward folds and such, but I still can't go lower than a few centimeters down my knees (when knees locked), no progress that I can notice. Is there anything I might be doing wrong that hinders my progress? Been doing them virtually every day, 40-second sets of two each day.

I have no stretching routine, used to do gymnastics but haven't stretched in years so this is where my flexibility is at now. is there any specific area you can tell from this picture that i need to work on stretching? and any tips for improving arm strength in this position? i could only hold this for a couple seconds because my arms are quite weak. this is actually the highest bridge i've done in years because i normally can't get my arms to push off the ground 🤣

hey guys, so for reference I am an extremely flexible person. My hips are flexible. My shoulders are flexible. My bridge is amazing so my back is pretty flexible as well. Everything is flexible except for my hamstrings. My hamstrings are literally killing me.
I would always occasionally try to train them, but this time I've been training consistently for a few months now, but I feel like my progress is super slow. Will it get any better?????🥲🥲 Hammies nerfed me

Has anyone used the Bendy Goal app? And has anyone seen any results from it/found it helpful. Please let me know!

I posted my flexibility progress here before, but I wanted to share it again - partly because I’ve made even more progress since then, and partly because I hope it might motivate someone who’s just starting out. <33 And again - i've NEVER BEEN flexible. I couldn't even reach my feet whole life.

I remember how slow it felt in the beginning, so seeing how far I’ve come now is honestly crazy to me. You really don’t need to be naturally flexible, consistency makes a huge difference.

Here’s what I’ve been doing:

ALWAYS 5–10 minutes of warm-up first.

• Low lunge + PNF (contract & relax) — 2×40s each leg
• Half split - 2×40s each leg
• Front splits - 3–4×40–50s each leg
• Low lunge knee taps 10 reps each side
• Couch stretch 2×40s each leg
• Pancake stretch 2×40–60s
• Active leg lifts 10–15 reps each leg
• Bridge variations regular bridge, straight-leg bridge, standing bridge, etc.
• Bridge shoulder/upper-back stretches to improve the overhead position

I usually try to combine passive stretching with some active flexibility work, rather than just sitting in stretches.

I’m still working on getting deeper and more comfortable in my splits and improving my bridges, but compared to where I started, the difference is huge.

Maybe this will motivate someone to keep going
Progress can be REALLY slow, but it does happen. ❤️Ask me about anything of course, i'll help if i can!!

So basically there's this restriction on my wrists, on the pinky side.. when I keep the weight mostly on the pinky side I can't flex(like in pushups, I'm training pseudo planche pushup and elevated pike pushup rn) a lot but when i put weight in the middle I still feel it somewhat but I get good range now after starting banded joint distractions (where you create resistance using a band and then do slow dynamic stretching)

However, I'm not sure if it's a bone issue that happens with everyone and I should keep weight more on my thumb side or if it is something I should work on using bands by gently pushing further till it goes away.

Not sure if I explained it well, but any advice would be appreciated.

I genuinely can’t figure out how to get my legs closer to my head, I initially thought it was my back but seems like it’s my legs/hips and I can’t seem to bring them closer. Any exercises to help?

This might be NSFW for some, not sure.
I went on a second date yesterday and we ended up making out in his car for 40 ish mins and now my legs are all sore. It's embarrassing to even admit, considering more things might happen in the near future. I'd like to actually enjoy those instead of being sore and whining. So how do I get more flexible and prepare myself for whats coming? I'm not really into working out, so I'm not sure where to start. TIA!

I've tried yoga, pilates, strength training, letting gravity help up against a wall but my straddle does not go beyond 90 degrees. If you've had progress after being stuck at 90 degrees please share some tips. I've tried a lot of different things so not sure if it's just because of my natural muscle/bone positioning.

Edit: 90 degrees is how wide I can stretch. I can't forward fold even by sitting on yoga blocks.

Hi everyone . Me( 42 y.o male) had this extreme tight almost sore feeling that actually hurt in hamstrings. In both...it lasted for two days and especially hurt when I lay in my bed.

I couldn't even touch my shoes from a standing position. Then ,out of nowhere through biggest pain disappeared, but I still feel the " afterburn " when I sit down.

I exercise a lot and I work a trade, thus a fairly physical job. It was kinda scary to be in such pain out of nowhere. Anyone got any advice? Where does the pain come from and how do I prevent this from happening?

My arabesque is about 90 degrees but it feels stuck there, and I can’t grab my foot to try needles or scorpions.

My hamstrings and hip flexors are flexible enough for all splits, so I don’t know what element I’m missing for needles/scorpions/higher arabesque: shoulders, upper back, lower back, or some dreadful combo of those.

Would so appreciate some insight!!

Started training my splits almost 3 weeks ago, i could see great improvement from week 1-2 but my left splits just can’t seem to go any lower (a few centimeters off the ground + i can only go this low for 10 seconds max)

how can i improve my splits?

routine:
- 5 min jog for warm up
- reach down to the floor for 30 seconds
- stretch hip flexors (half split)
- dynamic + static stretching for hamstrings

Hi I am looking to improve my flexibility but I can’t tell if it’s my back or my hips?

I feel like they could both improve but even when I do glute bridges, I feel like I can’t press my hips that much

If anyone has any advice or tips pls lmk below :p

I seem to have a really bad dorsiflexion mobility, but it seems like no matter what I do its not improving.

Has anyone actually made MEASURABLE progress? How much did you progress? How long did it take? And what was your go-to stretches and exercises?

Hi. I'm quite inflexible. Basically have never worked on stretching. I'm interested in working towards a thoracic bridge. I've seen a number of "modifications" like the half bridge rotation on the wall ad even those are hard for me to do, so I'm looking for literal baseline modifications. That's why I'm wondering if there's a "Couch to Bridge" program? Like the "Couch to 5k" programs that take sedentary people to a 5k, I'm looking for the flexibility equivalent specifically for the journey towards the thoracic bridge.

I found the Bridge Month challenge but it's 11 years old, so wondering if there's anything more recent.

Thanks!

To preface: I have no diagnoses, but Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome does run in my family and I have historically been more flexible than my friends by varying margins. I have been trying to focus on good form and conscious thought about my movements throughout my stretches, and have definitely historically been stretching "wrong" - I only recently figured out how to do lunges in a way that feel like stretching instead of flopping into the pose.

I have had to actually work at my pigeons and butterfly pose - it took about two months of inconsistent stretching to achieve them, but I can fold very flat in a butterfly and feel my hips "fold over" instead of my back, which is neat! I do experience some peculiar, non-painful "snapping" of tendons(?) moving over the top of my femur(??) if I settle deeply into pigeon or similar poses. I can more or less touch my toes with some slight warming-up, but a full straight/flat-backed forward fold requires significant warming up and I cannot place my hands flat on the ground.

The thing I absolutely cannot do is sit with my legs extended at any angle. Straight ahead, a v-shape like for a pancake fold - it's all entirely unachievable. Frog pose also puts me in tears within thirty seconds, and my w-sits are very lackluster compared to a few years ago. If I sit casually in any iteration of "folded up" in an office chair - one leg bent with one under me, weird variations of criss-cross-applesauce, etc. - my legs and feet often fall asleep fairly quickly, and there was a window of time where I would experience insane knee pain after extracting myself from these positions.

I assume my hamstrings are the issue, and likely internal hip rotation as well. I am slightly concerned I am hyper-extending my knees when attempting to straighten my legs in any position as well, I have zero idea of what that should "feel" like or how straight my legs should be when seated. I was often lectured for locking my knees in choir as a kid, but I really do not know what "normal" straight legs are.

With that said, my question is multi-faceted: What stretches should I be working on? What should my knees and legs look like (and feel like) when they are straightened out on the floor? Any notes on which muscles I should feel engaging for recommended stretches would also be super appreciated.

Thank you in advance, and if I omitted any information please feel free to ask me to clarify!

When I bend down to pick something up, my body is using my lower spine like above my glutes. Why does this happen and how can I fix it?

Heyo, your friendly neighborhood mod Dani here.

Just wanted to let folks know about some small updates to our sub's rules to help cut down on some of the "that's not really flexibility-related" and low effort / less useful post types I've seen over the last couple of months:

• "Keep discussion within the scope of this sub" and "NO MEDICAL ADVICE" - clarified some of the things that are explicitly outside the scope of this sub (minor updates in bold):
  • questions about posture (those are better for r/posture !)
  • hypermobility diagnoses (we can absolutely discuss training tips for folks with hypermobility, but "is the EDS" and "is this wacky thing I can do with my fingers/hips/feet normal" are outside the scope of this sub. This also extends to comments "diagnosing" folks with named hypermobility disorders (EDS, hEDS, etc.). It is absolutely OK to point out someone probably has some hypermobility in a certain joint - that can be observed from a photo. But telling someone they have a specific hypermobility disorder (like EDS) is not something that can be done visually. So: ok to say "hey you should consider talking to your doctor about screening you for a hypermobility disorder like EDS." Not ok to say "you have EDS."
  • no more "look at this thing I can do without training at all, is this good/bad/normal?" - these are not really contributing to the community in a helpful way and are no longer allowed
  • dealing with chronic pain / pain not associated with a stretch (still not allowed, we've always been pretty clear on this)
  • diagnosing or "fixing" anatomical issues (ex. knock knees, anterior/posterior pelvic tilt, scoliosis, "one of my shoulders is higher than the other" etc.)
  • diagnosing or rehabbing injuries including injuries specifically stemming from overstretching/overtraining (I've seen an uptick in "uh oh I think I hurt myself stretching and it's been a couple of weeks and hasn't gotten better" posts). I understand the concern, I understand wanting "non medical" advice for how to deal with a potential injury - BUT without actually assessing what the cause of the problem is, no one can accurately give you safe advice on how to proceed. Even well-meaning advice that is appropriate for some situations could be actively harmful in other situations depending on what the underlying issue is (and there's no way to "diagnose" that from a short text blurb of how you are feeling). If you are dealing with an injury that is not getting better, this IS medical advice, and should be handled by a professional like a physical therapist or a physio.
• "'Show off videos/photos must include your training routine'" - really just changed the wording on this to clarify that a training routine is required. The goal of this sub is to help lots of users learn about flexibility training and help them on their own flexibility journey. This is not just a sub for showing off cool things you can do (even if you trained your butt off to get there!). So if you do want to share your progress, remember you must include a short summary of your training routine (think of it like giving advice to other users). So "I took yoga classes 3x week for two years" is not helpful. Outlining specific things you do (like drills!) is helpful. Examples of posts that include a short routine (that aren't crazy detailed, although frankly I would looooooove if people put more detail in their routines/advice!) include:
  • TOUCHED GROUND on my front splits! : r/flexibility
  • Slow progress is still progress 22>23>24 : r/flexibility
  • Dropback progress : r/flexibility
• NEW RULE: "Training feedback questions must include your current training routine" - if you are asking about how to progress (especially in the context of hitting a training plateau), you MUST include a summary of your training routine. No one can realistically offer accurate advice of what to do differently without understanding what you're already doing. This most often comes up in the context of "my splits are stuck, I've been training for a while and am not making progress"

I won't be retroactively removing things based on this criteria, but will be stricter about when things like this get reported in the future (and remember, most mods don't really proactively "police" the sub content, we rely on users to report bad posts/comments so we can review them and approve/remove).

Always love to hear your feedback on how the sub is moderated, especially if you have thoughts/ideas on how to encourage more helpful-to-more-people content in r/flexibility!

I am working on the linked stretch here. I started yesterday and noticed my knee was achey today. It seems like a bit of stress on that particular joint. How can I stretch it while avoiding that issue?

Been trying to get more flexible over the last year for rock climbing but feel like I’m hitting a wall. I started doing pigeon pose, weighted buttery fly, and frog pose along with others to improve hip flexibility but I haven’t seen results on my left hip. My right hip has seen linear progress and things are great but for some reason my left hip just experiences more pain and discomfort without noticeable progress. Whenever I stop stretching the pain subsides but returns when I start a routine again. Not sure if I should just push through the discomfort or if something is wrong. Should I just do more frequent but lower intensity stretching instead?

Looking for advices to improve my form, kinda new to yoga.

I realize I have so much more to learn. My back flexibility is getting better but I’ve neglected training my shoulder flexibility. What are good stretches to fix my wheel position?