12 Flexibility Exercises and Stretches You Can Do at Any Age, According to Experts

There’s a good chance you’re reading this while sitting down at your desk. Or lounging on your couch. Or withering away on a bus, a train, or a plane. (Hey, we’ve been there.) Flexibility exercises are barely a priority for most—but seeing as American adults spend at least six and a half hours per day (outside of sleep!) in a sedentary state, reclaiming our right to move and learning how to become more flexible is especially vital.

“Our muscles move our joints, so if they are stuck in a state of contraction or weakness over a period of time, those joints will become more stiff, painful, and degenerate,” says Ashley Cruz, a chiropractor and founder of Cruz Chiropractic Wellness in New York City. Unsurprisingly, this can have a negative effect on our overall health.

Adding stretches for flexibility to your regimen is also important when it comes to optimizing your fitness routine, whether that happens at the gym, through free workout apps, or via YouTube workouts. “If you're going hard in the gym and not stretching and notice things feeling tight or aggravated regarding your joints, try adding in a little stretching to see if it helps alleviate some of this discomfort,” says Jake Boly, a strength coach and founder of That Fit Friend. “A lot of this is contextual and individual, so don't be afraid to play with different stretching styles and protocols to see what helps you feel your best.” 

If numbness, tingling, or pain arises during this warm-up, you’ve likely done too much. So as always, consult a professional about how to get flexible first because the best regimen for you may not be recommended for someone else and could lead to a risk of injury. Factors such as age, fitness level, or exercise during pregnancy can also come in to play. 

Why are flexibility exercises important? And can you become flexible at any age?

The health benefits of having increased flexibility are directly linked to improved mobility and fitness performance, which helps us complete everyday necessary tasks and achieve personal records. “Flexibility helps a person do things like run or bend down to pick up their child instead of relying heavily on specific muscles, thus helping to prevent overuse,” says physical therapist Neil Guintu, DPT, at Ascent Physical Therapy in New York City. Without healing or retraining the area, he adds, “chronic tightness may occur.”

Says Dr. Cruz, “Movement of our joints through daily mobility and exercise allows nutrient-rich synovial fluid [found in between your joints] to bathe them, optimizing their function.” Taking a more active approach with stretching exercises, she says, “helps to essentially ‘floss your joints’ and rid them of the tension that develops throughout the stagnancy of the workday.”

And in case you were wondering, yes, you can become flexible at any age. “Younger individuals may have a bigger bandwidth of improvement with flexibility, but soft-tissue structures [i.e., muscles] can improve at any age with movement,” says Guintu.

What not to do when stretching

As previously mentioned, staying consistent with your stretching routine is the best thing you can do for your flexibility training. So is building muscle. “Creating strong muscles surrounding our joints is the best way to increase our flexibility and keep it for years to come,” says Cruz.