Hello community,

I have had great success with using the elephant walk to improve my forward fold. I love to build up the intensity by starting with stretching alternating legs, do the movement with both legs simultaneously, and moving into the forward fold.

Are there any similar exercises for different stretches? I mostly struggle with increasing ankle, and adductor flexibility.

Thank you very much in advance!

Hi! I have been struggling with my flexibility for as long as I can remember.

I'm still very far from being able to touch my toes. What confuses me is that my lower back barely seems to flex compared to my legs, and I don't feel any stretch or discomfort there at all.

Instead, I only feel a very intense stretch in the areas I've marked in red in the image (the upper calves and the backs of my knees). It feels like those tissues stop the movement long before my back or hamstrings are actually stretched.

Because of that, I'm wondering if the usual advice for improving flexibility even applies to my situation. My experience seems quite different from what most people describe. Has anyone experienced something similar or has an idea what might be causing this and what I should focus on?

Full disclosure: I’m the founder of StretchWell, an assisted-stretching and personal-training studio in Belgrade. This is general education, not a diagnosis or a sales offer.
A lot of people treat flexibility as a test of how much discomfort they can tolerate. I think that is usually the wrong target.
Static stretching and PNF-style contract-relax work can both help improve range of motion when they are practiced consistently. PNF is not magic and it is not necessarily superior for every person, but it gives some people a useful way to explore end range with more control.
A simple contract–relax sequence looks like this:

1. Move into a comfortable stretch-not sharp pain.

2. Gently contract the target area for a few seconds at a low effort.

3. Relax, breathe normally, and see whether a slightly larger comfortable range is available.

4. Repeat only a couple of times; more intensity is not automatically better.

The useful question is not “How far can I force this today?” It is “Can I return to this movement consistently, with control, next week?”If a position produces sharp, electric, spreading, or worsening symptoms, stop rather than trying to stretch through it.
Assisted stretching can be useful when it helps someone learn control and comfort in a position they cannot manage alone-but a good session should build independence, not dependence.

What helped you the most?

I have a forward head posture, rounded shoulders, and some degree of lumbar lordosis. My main issues are a tight neck and pecs, tight lower back, and tight inner thigh adductors.

What is the single best exercise, or combination of exercises, to address all of these? It seems that no matter what I do, the tightness and the feeling that my body is "out of alignment" never go away.

I regularly stretch my chest (pecs) and lower back, and I've been doing glute bridges, rows, face pulls, reverse flies, dead bugs, and reverse crunches, but nothing seems to provide long-term relief.

What has helped you the most?

I want to throw a spinning wheel kick but I can only land it about shoulder level. Anyone know any stretches or exercises to build up mobility?

I would say I'm fairly flexible in my upper body, but I can touch my hands to my toes, not even close. If I sit down on the floor with my legs and back straight, i can't even sit up. I get to an about 150-degree angle. If I stand up with my knee bent, I can get my knee to my chest no problem, I can also get my toes to touch my lower back without any pain or resistance. I'm a bit tight in my upper inner thigh as well, but not too an abnormal degree.

I wouldn't say I'm an unactive person, I do bouldering 3 times a week, go too the gym 1-2 times a week and do at home core workouts and a full body stretch rutine 5 times a week (truing to do it everyday tho)

I'm also a pretty restless person, so I rarely sit down for long periods of time without getting upp and moving around.

When I do hamstring stretches, I get a pain in the back of my knee and sometimes in my upper calf, rarely do I feel anything in my hamstrings

I feel like I'm doing this all wrong and I have no idea where too start. I don't even want to be able to touch my toes I just want to be able to sit up with my legs straight.

I have been working on my side splits for a few week and I have tried the Cossack squats to help. However, I am barely feeling any stretch. The Cossack squats are usually called a tough exercise so I expected to feel a lot more resistance.

The only hard part is when I need to use some leg strength to push up. Other than that the Cossack squats actually feel pretty easy to do.

I am a dancer. I am, on break right now, working on my flexibility and strength. I already have my front splits down. My side splits and my strength are not that great.

I am wondering if I am missing something when I do the Cossack squats or if my dance background is just making the Cossack squats feel easier than they should.

After warming up with wall dog, wall puppy, seal, camel, and wheel/bridge, I like this drill for getting a tighter backbend and eventually a teardrop backbend!

✨️ Steps: ✨️

1. Get into a bridge close to the wall

2. Think about externally rotating your shoulders/elbows out to open up your chest

3. Walk your feet as close to your hands as possible as you press your chest against the wall. Keep your arms straight

4. Lift your heels up and down (heel pauses) while keeping your upper body still

5. Hold your tight bridge for a few breaths

6. Walk legs out a bit, and lift with your fingers (finger tip pauses). Focus on lifting belly UP, not rocking forward

Then, when you are ready, after walking your feet as close to your hands as possible, walk your hands up to your heels, then your ankles (use the wall as support unless you have a spotter). Push with your arms and try to look forward as you get into a teardrop backbend!!

That's how I recently got my teardrop backbend! First segment was early June 2026, and second was mid July 2026. I was beyond happy! If I can learn to do it as an adult, anyone can!

Hope this helps :)

Hii Everyone,

I am interested in getting more flexible and ultimately, to be able to do the splits!!

Do you guys have any youtube video or stretching routine recs? The one i’ve been using is a bit hard for me, but if you guys think I should continue with it then I will!!! This is the video: https://youtu.be/Ic68bks6-Wc?si=ZJqm9IB1OXqNLr6t

Thank u guys🙏

tbh i feel like this whole community has been only about people asking for how to do this and fix that but i want a community where its only pure flexibility and no asking for stuff

im not advertising since advertising is asking smth and thats it

should i do it? or someone else?

How can I stretch my hip flexors? What can I do for outer glutes as I cannot pigeon pose? I am almost 4 months post OP from an extensive knee reconstruction and have been told I may never bend my knee fully again PT told me to deep lunge on the bed but I can barely tolerate the weight on my knee.

I was in a wheelchair for 2 months my hips just feel so tight. I can backbend over a yoga ball and it helps but my knee wont tolerate deep lunges. I can also use a yoga strap lying face down pulling my knee back and doing a superman style pose, but are there other stretches i can do?

Criteria is basically no kneeling on knees, no tight knee bends but up to 120 is okay.

So if i did stretching everyday or almost everyday for some time and then stopped for a month or 2. How long would it take to regain the lost flexibility? And will it come back quicker like lost strength or will it take the same time to come back?

Thanks in advance

For context, I danced throughout middle school and high school and was pretty flexible. I stopped dancing 10 years ago.

I started getting back into fitness at the beginning of this year and wanted to work on my flexibility. I was doing pretty well and almost got my side splits again. However, around 4 months ago, I think I overdid a stretch and pulled something in my right groin area. Since then, I always feel a pull sensation when I try to stretch my right leg and it's preventing me from wanting to keep stretching every day.

Any tips on how to relieve this area? I've tried resting it for close to a month and it's still not getting any better.

Not sure if I'm posting on the right forum.

Hey guys! Just joined! I found this group trying to Google a question about flexibility; which was basically, “Does it stay?”

The reason I wanted to know is because I was highly athletic during my teens (basketball, ballet, rollerblading, occasional yoga & down hill skiing), but gradually dropped off the fitness wagon.

Anyway, I’m 37 now and I started taking Taekwondo lessons last Winter and was shocked to find that all my previous flexibility is intact! How is that possible? I was truly shocked. I haven’t purposely stretched in years yet all I have to do is ten jumping jacks and I can do full split each way. I can still easily reach at least 5” past my toes…! All kinds of flexibility I haven’t even tried to see if I still had at all. Could this be my genetics or maybe the ballet? I worked very hard on my flexibility at that time, but I was forced to quit my lessons at 16. I haven’t been skiing in a couple years now, but I did go every 3-5 years since my 20’s and before that it was every year since I was 4 or 5.

I dunno! It just seems so bizarre to me! If anyone has any thoughts or answers as to why this could be I would appreciate it!

TLDR: Didn’t actively stretch for about 20 years and found that my flexibility is just as good! How?

I stretch almost everyday since I’m an athlete but my sport doesn’t require that much flexibility. Was just wondering how many days/weeks you’d think it would take for me to do a split on either leg. I feel like my bottom one (right foot forward) is closer than the other.

Hey guys! How to be consistent in learning something 😖 gimme some ideas

Has anyone ever really gotten so flexible that they can pancake, splits, folds etc so late in life? I need a pep talk, gang.

Having some weird hip pain during certain positions that I can't fully pinpoint the location to, exacerbated by climbing. Pain is pinchy, not muscly, not sure how else to describe it. Doesn't affect daily activities, in fact, there isn't a clear action that replicates the pain. Last physio I saw didn't quite solve the issue.

So far the most noticeable instances are mixtures of flexion, external rotation and abduction. Common offenders are the frog stretch, and when I move laterally while in a low cossack squat. No issues usually in deep squat though. Pancake/split positions are painful only when I rotate legs while having them far apart.

Recently I've noticed that a couple sets of single leg glute bridges until fatigue allows me to stretch deeper without pain, especially in frog and deep flexion position.

Last physio said there is no impingement at the front (pure flexion direction). Anyone had any idea what this might be?

I'm recovering from a minor back injury and my orthopedist gave me several stretches to do. There are about 10 of them, all with different durations and numbers of sets. Is there an app where I can enter the details for each one and basically make a "playlist" that cycles through each of them? I haven't found one that allows me that level of customization. Thanks!

Been too busy with college to train lately. Today was rough, but it feels good to be back. For my warm-up, I start with cat-cow. I get on all fours, round my back toward the ceiling, then lower my belly while looking up to loosen up my spine. After that, I do the doorframe shoulder stretch. I place my hands on the frame and lean my chest forward to stretch my shoulders and upper back. You can use a wall too, but I think a doorframe works better because it lets your chest go farther for a deeper stretch. Next, lie on your stomach and hook your legs under something heavy. Then lift your upper body off the floor without using your hands. It's basically a sit-up, but in reverse. Lastly, keep your glutes squeezed during backbends. It helps protect your lower back and keeps it from hurting.

I can do backbends and press my chest to the wall, but when I try to do this movement I can't even get my elbow up to my ear. I don't know how to reach that far back in this position or how to train toward that. It seems like it's not just range of motion but strength too and I don't know how to get that strength. She seems to also be lifting her hip off the ground and has a lot of flexibility in her lower back.

For me, it’s between the calves and inner thighs. The straddle stretch is a favourite of mine for this reason.