Stretching the limits of our flexibility

Most people think you’re either born bendy or you’re not. Some kids fold up like lawn chairs. The rest of us reach for our shins and call it a win.

Yes, like everything physical, there are genetic advantages, but your mobility is more in your control than you realize.

A recent Huberman Lab podcast episode on stretching laid it out. Flexibility isn’t only about your muscles. It’s about your nervous system.

Picture your body as an overprotective bouncer. When you hit the edge of a stretch, it’s not always your muscle saying, “this is as far as I go.” Sometimes it’s your nervous system saying, “I don’t trust you out here, pal.”

Good news — bouncers can be talked down. With a little consistent practice, your body learns to trust those new ranges. At almost any age.

And the protocol is almost insultingly simple.

● Stretch a muscle for about 30 seconds

● Repeat two to four times

● Aim for roughly 60 seconds, total, per muscle group

● Do it five days a week

That’s it. No 60-minute class required.

Now let me bust the big one.

You’ve heard that lifting weights makes you stiff and blocky. That bodybuilders can’t scratch their own backs. The research says the opposite. One review pooled 11 studies and 452 people and found strength training improved range of motion just as much as stretching did. Read that again: Lifting made people as flexible as stretching.

But there’s a catch, and it’s the whole game — full range of motion.

Half a squat builds half your flexibility. You have to go to full depth. Deep squats. Split squats. Romanian dead lifts. Taken through a complete range, these are mobility workouts wearing a disguise. Most folks don’t need more stretching drills. They need better lifting technique.

This is usually where someone brings up yoga. Yoga’s good. I’m not here to trash it. For pure flexibility, it works.

But here’s the difference. Full-range lifting gives you that same flexibility, plus a second prize: added muscle and strength. Yoga and Pilates build mobility and balance, but they won’t keep you strong enough to carry a sleeping kid up the stairs at 60. Same hour, two birds. Yoga’s a great side dish, not the main course.

One more myth. Static stretching still works. The old “hold the stretch” approach that fell out of fashion is still one of the best ways to get flexible. Just save the long holds for after your workout. Before you lift or play, do a dynamic warm-up. Statically stretching a cold muscle before you sprint is like flooring the gas pedal in a cold car — hard on the engine. You’ll lose some power in the work itself.

Now here’s the fun part.

There’s research, some of it out of the University of Tampa, suggesting that stretching a muscle under load in a deeply lengthened position might help it grow a little. Emphasis on ‘a little.’ The dramatic numbers you’ll see online came from a study where they hung weights off chickens’ wings to stretch the muscle.

What the Doggcrapp?

But the kernel is real. And it reminded me of something I learned 20-plus years ago. Back then I trained under the influence of a bodybuilder named Dante Trudel, who built a system with an unforgettable name: Doggcrapp. One of its signature tools was extreme stretching. Right after you finish training a muscle for the day, you load it up and hold a deep stretch in its fully lengthened position for around 30-60 seconds. Think of a deep chest stretch holding a pair of light dumbbells. It is not comfortable. It was never meant to be.

At the time it sounded like gym-bro folklore. But over the years the lab coats slowly caught up. At the very least, it’s a good way to be consistent with your mobility work.

So I’m bringing it back to Cal Fit. With a giant asterisk. If you’re over 40 and your shoulders already sound like a bowl of Rice Krispies, you do not start at full-blown 60-second intensity. You ease in. Lighter load. Shorter holds. Build up over weeks. This is a tool, not a dare. Used right, it pays off. Used like a 22-year-old with something to prove, it puts you on the couch with an ice pack.

The big picture for most parents over 40 stays gloriously boring. Lift through a full range. Walk daily. Stretch your tightest spots for a few minutes. Repeat.

Five minutes done 300 times beats one hour done three times. Every single time.

Mitch Calvert is a Winnipeg-based fitness and nutrition coach who has helped more than 1,500 people transform their bodies and lives. Find him at mitchcalvert.com.