# Gaining flexibility as I age **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 29, 2015, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaining-flexibility-as-i-age/726498 "2015-07-29T18:18:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ssgenius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5ac83/32.png) [@ssgenius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ssgenius)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2015, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaining-flexibility-as-i-age/726498/1 "2015-07-29T18:18:17Z")
Is there any way to gain any additional flexibility as I age. I am a 47 year old male (partial couch potato) but I do weight training and stretching exercises commonly but they only make a marginal improvement and I am very stiff and sore afterwards even after a day or 2 of rest I am not that bad, I can just barely touch my toes when bending over with my legs straight but I would like to improve on that Or am I am just a victim of getting older ? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2015, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaining-flexibility-as-i-age/726498/2 "2015-07-29T18:58:33Z")
I’d recommend a couple yoga classes a week, on days that you don’t otherwise work out. There’s a type called Yin yoga that emphasizes longer-duration stretches which work the connective tissue, joints & fascia rather than just stretching out the muscles. I’ve been doing it for a year and have seen a lot of improvement in basic flexibility; after a few months, I also started taking heavier yoga classes (Vinyasa and Hatha are the more specific names) which specify a series of poses which work more on strengthening muscles as you stretch them. ---
**Author:** ![ssgenius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5ac83/32.png) [@ssgenius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ssgenius)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2015, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaining-flexibility-as-i-age/726498/3 "2015-07-29T19:06:12Z")
Thought about that with Yoga but I usually workout by my self rather than attend a class as it can be difficult to make a regular class. Still, the yoga stretches sound like a good idea as opposed to the typical physical therapy stretches that I have been doing ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2015, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaining-flexibility-as-i-age/726498/4 "2015-07-29T19:09:34Z")
You can probably find a variety of yoga classes or demos out on Youtube which you could follow along at home. ---
**Author:** ![ssgenius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5ac83/32.png) [@ssgenius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ssgenius)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2015, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaining-flexibility-as-i-age/726498/5 "2015-07-29T19:22:31Z")
Thanks. Looked at the Yin Yoda website. Now all that I have to do is travel to Vancouver and attend one of their classes 🙂 or order the book ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2015, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaining-flexibility-as-i-age/726498/6 "2015-07-29T19:35:12Z")
Or try one of these… > **[Google](https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=yin+yoga+classes+youtube)** > > Search the world's information, including webpages, images, videos and more. Google has many special features to help you find exactly what you're looking for. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![ssgenius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5ac83/32.png) [@ssgenius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ssgenius)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2015, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaining-flexibility-as-i-age/726498/7 "2015-07-29T19:36:15Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > You can probably find a variety of yoga classes or demos out on Youtube which you could follow along at home. Thanks as well. I think part of the problem is that after going to the gym for the yoga classes, I will be hitting the weights to boost the strength as well. I may be overdoing it in that respect if I am doing both at the same time but once I am at the gym, it is hard to stay away from the weighst as I do like to pump the iron as well ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2015, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaining-flexibility-as-i-age/726498/8 "2015-07-29T19:37:58Z")
There are a ton of videos/pages about increasing flex. Warm up your muscles and be diligent and consistent. I have been working on mine for a while too. Good luck! ---
**Author:** ![ssgenius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5ac83/32.png) [@ssgenius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ssgenius)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2015, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaining-flexibility-as-i-age/726498/9 "2015-07-29T19:41:04Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Or try one of these… > > [Google](https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=yin+yoga+classes+youtube) > > :dubious: Thanks for the links. I doubt if I could be as flexible as some of these ladies but it should help;) ---
**Author:** ![Lanzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2015, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaining-flexibility-as-i-age/726498/10 "2015-07-29T19:55:53Z")
Dallas Page [Yoga](http://www.diamonddallaspage.com/?page_id=24). YRMV but I am 63 and can put my hands flat on the floor without bending my knees. I can also come within 2-3 inches of doing a real split. But then I have passed on the couch potato phase. ---
**Author:** ![ssgenius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5ac83/32.png) [@ssgenius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ssgenius)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2015, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaining-flexibility-as-i-age/726498/11 "2015-07-29T20:13:46Z")
Thanks for the encouragement. If I could get to that point, that would be great. It is not that I am that bad, just that I have reached a plateau right now and am looking for ways to get past it ---
**Author:** ![sevenwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@sevenwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sevenwood)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2015, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaining-flexibility-as-i-age/726498/12 "2015-07-29T20:47:47Z")
There are lots of stretching exercises that you can do at the gym (and it’s recommended to do some stretching before your strength workouts anyway). I am 67 and don’t do nearly enough stretching, but I do go to the gym regularly. I can (barely, and only briefly) touch the floor with my fingertips with my knees locked. ---
**Author:** ![ssgenius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5ac83/32.png) [@ssgenius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ssgenius)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2015, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaining-flexibility-as-i-age/726498/13 "2015-07-29T20:53:57Z")
> [@sevenwood](#): > > There are lots of stretching exercises that you can do at the gym (and it’s recommended to do some stretching before your strength workouts anyway). > > I am 67 and don’t do nearly enough stretching, but I do go to the gym regularly. I can (barely, and only briefly) touch the floor with my fingertips with my knees locked. Thanks I do some stretching before working out but probably not enough. and you are about at where I am roughly in terms of flexibility and being 20 years older than me is actually not bad I am just amazed at the flexibility of some of these young kids who are much more flexible than even I was when I was younger. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2015, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaining-flexibility-as-i-age/726498/14 "2015-07-29T21:30:06Z")
> [@sevenwood](#): > > There are lots of stretching exercises that you can do at the gym (and it’s recommended to do some stretching before your strength workouts anyway). > > I am 67 and don’t do nearly enough stretching, but I do go to the gym regularly. I can (barely, and only briefly) touch the floor with my fingertips with my knees locked. Correction - You want to stretch when your muscles are warm. Stretching cold muscles is not a good idea. You’ll find you gain more flex if you warm up first. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ssgenius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5ac83/32.png) [@ssgenius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ssgenius)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2015, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaining-flexibility-as-i-age/726498/15 "2015-07-29T22:07:37Z")
Thanks. I was considering the stretch the warm up but I see your point in having a warmup (bike, treadmill, stairs, rowing) before getting into a full stretching/yoga routine ---
**Author:** ![Ornery\_Bob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/da6949/32.png) [@Ornery\_Bob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ornery_Bob)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2015, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaining-flexibility-as-i-age/726498/16 "2015-07-29T22:33:12Z")
_and it’s recommended to do some stretching before your strength workouts anyway_ Very light stretching, if any. “It has been a long time since anyone has recommended extensive stretching before exercise, because it has been known for a while now that the best time to stretch is after,” says Richard Cotton, the national director of certification at the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). Do your yoga after lifting, never before. ---
**Author:** ![ssgenius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5ac83/32.png) [@ssgenius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ssgenius)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2015, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaining-flexibility-as-i-age/726498/17 "2015-07-29T22:59:45Z")
Thanks I learned something there. Previously, I have done the stretches between the weight lifting sets but good point on doing the yoga after the weight bearing exercise. ---
**Author:** ![bluezooky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e8c25b/32.png) [@bluezooky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bluezooky)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2015, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaining-flexibility-as-i-age/726498/18 "2015-07-30T05:01:07Z")
You might try a few of the Somatic Exercises popularised by Thomas Hanna, plenty of freebies on youtube for the hamstrings, can usually get three to six inch’s closer the the floor after doing these… ---
**Author:** ![SeniorCitizen007](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8baadc/32.png) [@SeniorCitizen007](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeniorCitizen007)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2015, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaining-flexibility-as-i-age/726498/19 "2015-07-30T08:21:27Z")
Do you go up stairs two at a time? Do you use your arms when standing up from a sitting position? ---
**Author:** ![Weedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/weedy/32/301_2.png) [@Weedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weedy)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2015, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaining-flexibility-as-i-age/726498/20 "2015-07-30T09:58:52Z")
You can do stretches every day, not just when you go to the gym. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gaining-flexibility-as-i-age/726498.md?page=2)