12 great stretches for flexibility

Muscles lose elasticity and become shorter as we age, which puts strain on the joints, so we need to keep flexibility. 

Regular stretching not only helps ward off potential injury by keeping us supple, but it feels good too. And yes, you can totally groan out loud whilst doing it.

The problem with stretching is it can feel daunting to start, especially if you know you have tightness in certain areas.

It’s something that rewards the effort you put in, and after a few sessions you’ll really start to see (and feel) the benefits in your day-to-day life.

When to stretch

It can be confusing knowing when you should stretch and how long for. Some suggest stretches should only be done after a workout, when the muscles are warm, and blood is flowing through them.

Others say dynamic stretching (flowing from one move to another) should happen before a workout to prepare the body for what’s to come.

The fact is, if your body is warm enough, you can stretch whenever you like. Warm can mean after a walk outside; the heart is pumping blood to the muscles and our joints are loose and relaxed. It might mean waking up after a night under a cosy duvet (gentle stretching is ideal then).

Or you might just like to stretch whenever you choose. If you’ve been sitting for long periods, move around a bit first to get your muscles full of blood again.

Some gyms have entire classes devoted to stretching, and of course many of the forms of yoga work on increasing flexibility too. The benefit of using yoga for flexibility is that it’s good for your mind, helping you switch off from day-to-day life and focus on your body, but in reality, this can apply to any form of stretching.

We’ve compiled a list of 12 basic stretches you can use at home to increase flexibility and reduce tightness in the muscles, and a lot of these work on pushing your stretch reflex.

What is the stretch reflex?

Never heard of it? Well, everyone has a stretch reflex, and it’s that point at which your body stops itself from going too far, preventing injury. If you try the hamstring stretch, for example (listed below), there will come a natural point where you can’t stretch further.

At that point, hold the stretch for around thirty seconds, then relax and let the muscles ease. Take another deep breath, and as you exhale go into the stretch again. This will allow your body to stretch a little bit further.

It’s best to try these when your body is warm, so after exercising or when you’ve just woken up. You might not be able to adopt all these poses right away, and that’s okay.

Work towards them and use some of the modifications suggested throughout if needed – remember, you’re looking to build up your flexibility, not testing how flexible you are on day one and giving up...All you need is a space (ideally private...) and something soft to lie on; a yoga mat, a rug or carpet is just fine.

1. Child’s Pose

Stretch out your shoulders

• Kneel on your mat with your bottom on your heels.
• Reach forward, sliding your hands on the floor in front of you.
• Keep your bottom as close to your heels as possible and drop your head between your arms.
• Inhale deeply and as you exhale try to push your hands forward a little bit more each time.
• Hold for 15–30 seconds depending on comfort.
• You should feel this in your back and shoulders.

2. Cobra

Ease the tension

• Lie face down with your hands at the side of your chest, palms down and your toes curled.
• Lift your head and chest up from the floor, arching your back.
• If you’re able, you can extend the stretch further by lifting your stomach off the floor too.
• Hold for a count of 10, then come back flat. Repeat 3–5 times.
• You should feel this down your back (your lats) and your stomach and lower chest.

3. Side bend stretch

Stretch out your back muscles

• You can do this sitting or standing. If sitting, cross your legs. If standing, keep feet shoulder width apart.
• Slide your bodyweight over to one side by running a hand down your leg or resting it on the floor (as shown).
• Reach over and across (above your head) with the other hand, keeping your hips facing forward.
• Hold for 15–30 seconds, then do the other side.
• You should feel this down the sides of your body.

4. Shoulder stretch

Give a tree a hug

• Seated or standing. If seated, cross your legs.
• Bring your arms together in front of you, like you were giving a tree a hug, and clasp your hands together.
• Try and pull your fingers apart, creating resistance between your hands.
• Drop your head to deepen the stretch.
• Hold for 15–30 seconds.
• You should feel this across the top of the back and bottom of the neck; it’s almost worth a groan of satisfaction.

Stretches: Across the back of the neck and shoulders, specifically traps and rear delts. These can become tense when we are sitting typing for long periods, or when we’re stressed.

Try and remember the mantra “shoulders and ears aren’t friends!” 

5. Butterfly stretch

Open up the hips

• Sit on the floor with the soles of your feet pressed together.
• Tighten your core (stomach) and, sitting tall, press your knees down towards the floor (use your elbows to help do this).
• If you’re flexible enough, you can fold your body forward towards your feet, otherwise just sit tall and breathe deeply.
• Hold for a slow count of 10, release, then repeat twice more.
• You should feel this at the tops of your thighs and going into your butt.

Stretches: Glutes (butt), thighs, hips. Flexibility in the hips and glutes is important; most of us spend time sitting for long periods, keeping our hip flexors contracted (shrunk).

Stretching them out, lengthening them again, lets them work in harmony with our glute muscles leading to less stiffness and pain. 

6. 90/90

Try a modified pigeon pose

• This is a slightly tricky position to get into, but worth the effort.
• Start seated, with your legs in front. Fold your right leg at 90 degrees in front of you, so the sole of your foot is facing to the left and your calf is in a straight line in front of your body.
• Bring your left leg to the side of you, bending the knee so your foot faces behind you.
• You should then have a 90-degree angle in both legs.
• Keep your right butt cheek on the floor and try to get the left one as close to the floor as possible. This will depend on how flexible your hips are.
• Hold the stretch for 30–60 seconds, then switch sides.
• You should feel this in the back of your hips, into the glutes.

7. Hip flexor stretch

Ease any tightness in the hips

• Kneel on the floor with your right leg in front of you, knee bent and foot flat.
• Push the left hip forwards until you feel a stretch in the hip, up near your groin.
• Hold for a slow count of 10, relax, then repeat two more times.
• Switch sides.
• You should feel this in your hip flexors, at the front near your groin.

8. Figure 4

The gold standard of glute stretches

• Lie on your back and cross one leg over the other, resting the ankle just above the knee.
• Grip the back of the leg that’s on the floor and pull it towards you. Think knee to shoulder rather than chest.
• When you feel a stretch, stop there and hold for 30 seconds. Don’t overstretch.
• Relax, then stretch and hold twice more, aiming to pull the knee in a little further each time.
• Switch sides.
• You should feel this quite strongly in your backside and top of the hamstrings.

Stretches: Glutes, hips, hamstrings, lower back. This is an excellent stretch for the muscles of the lower back and glutes and can help relieve sciatic pain.

9. Lying quad stretch

Improve flexibility in the leg muscles

• This is great stretch for the front of your legs, which will then make the next stretch slightly easier.
• Lie on one side with your head resting on your arm or a cushion.
• Bring the heel of your top leg towards your bottom and use your hand to pull the ankle of the top leg closer.
• Hold for 15–30 seconds, then switch sides.
• You should feel this in the front of the legs, above the knee.

10. Lying hamstring stretch

Worth it, we promise

• Lie flat on your back with your legs straight.
• Lift one leg, keeping it straight with a soft bend in the knee (don’t lock the joint out).
• Pull the leg towards your torso until you feel a stretch.
• If your hamstrings are very tight, this might feel uncomfortable. Hold the stretch and take some deep breaths to ease the discomfort.
• After a slow count of ten, relax the stretch, then repeat two more times.
• Switch sides.
• You should feel this in the back of your leg, above the knee. Some people will feel it into their calf as well.

11. Triceps stretch

Stretch out the back of the arms

• Sit tall with your legs crossed.
• Bring one arm up overhead, then bend the elbow so your hand comes down behind your neck.
• Use the other hand to reach across the top of your head and gently grip the opposite elbow. Pull towards your head.
• You should feel a stretch in the triceps, the back of the upper arm.
• Hold for 15–20 seconds, then switch sides.
• You should feel this in the backs of your arms above the elbow.

Stretches: Triceps, neck, shoulders. This is a particularly good stretch if you’ve been doing a workout involving weights. Put simply, it’ll help you to be able to wash your hair the next day.

12. Knees to chest

Curl up in a ball

• Lie on your back, the draw your knees into your chest, hugging them close.
• Breathe slowly and steadily, holding for up to two minutes.
• You should feel this across the lower back.

Get stretching

You don’t need to incorporate all these stretches into your routine; you might feel some are more applicable than others. If you spend a lot of time sitting at a desk for work, it’s a good idea to release the hip flexors and glutes with the figure four and hip flexor stretches.

If you have tight hamstrings (hello, runners), the lying hamstring stretch is very useful. Pair it with the quad stretch (which you can also do standing if you prefer) to stretch both the front and back of your legs. 

Pick one or two stretches from our list or the routines suggested and commit to doing them daily. Take note of where you start, and then see how it feels in a week.