This article originally appeared in the August 2003 Harvard Men's Health Watch and is provided courtesy of Harvard Health Publications.

Stretching for health

It won’t improve your heart or lower your cholesterol like walking or swimming. It can’t slim you down or lower your risk of diabetes like biking or jogging. It may not lower your blood pressure as well as skating or dancing, and it can’t compete with strength training to build up your muscles and bones. It may not make you slimmer, faster, or stronger, but it’s worth a significant portion of the time you set aside for exercise. It’s flexibility training — stretching.

Flexibility and stability
People sometimes liken the skeleton to the steel girders that support tall buildings. It’s a reasonable analogy, but it has limits. True, your bones are strong and stiff, and they are at least as important and complicated as a bunch of beams. But your skeleton does more than hold your body up; it also allows you to bend and twist, to move. That movement requires flexibility.

Your bones meet at your joints, and that’s where movement takes place. Your body has dozens of joints, each with a special structure and role. Despite their differences, some fundamental things apply to nearly every one. The ends of the bones that meet at a joint are covered with smooth, slippery tissue called cartilage, which allows the bones to slide easily without damaging each other. A typical joint is surrounded by a capsule of fibrous tissue; it is filled with synovial fluid, which cushions the joints and provides nutrition for the cartilage. It’s a crucial task since cartilage does not have any blood supply of its own and can’t get oxygen and nutrients in any other way.

Joints are designed for flexibility, but they must also be strong. They are held together by ligaments, sturdy bands of fibrous tissue that run across joints, connecting bone to bone. Strength and stability are also provided by muscles and their tendons, the fibrous bands that connect muscles to bones. When a muscle contracts, it shortens, which pulls on the tendon and moves the bone around its joint.

Healthy joints are both flexible and stable — but the two don’t always go together. It’s all too easy to sacrifice flexibility for stability — and that’s where stretching comes in.

Stay loose
Each joint has a natural limit to its mobility. If a joint is forced beyond its normal range of motion, it will place abnormal stress on tissues. That’s why a misstep can injure your ankle — the excessive force stretches ligaments, producing a sprain. When muscles and tendons are stressed and stretched, the injury is called a strain (see Harvard Men’s Health Watch, September 2001).

Abnormal stretching is not a good thing — but neither is excessive stiffness. When muscles become stronger, they tend to become shorter. Tendons, too, get stiffer as they get shorter; that’s why exercises as different as weight training and running can make you stiff. And because elastic tissue loses spring and resiliency with age, the mere passage of time will also make you stiff. The good news, though, is that you can fight back; stretching exercises may not restore the limberness of youth, but they can certainly help.

Why stretch?
Flexibility has many benefits. Because you’ll stand taller and move more easily, you’ll look better. Daily activities as simple as bending down to pick up a newspaper will be easier, so you’ll feel better. Stretching will also help you feel less sore after a day of golf or gardening. Your balance will improve, reducing the risk of the falls that can be so devastating (see HMHW, March 2001). You may also lower your risk of some exercise-induced injuries, including sprains, strains, and tendinitis, the inflammation that typically develops when tendons are overstressed or overused.

Stretching will help keep your body flexible and your musculoskeletal system healthy. But it can also help your mind by reducing mental stress. Stretching is an intrinsic part of yoga, and even without the structured breathing and meditation parts of the routine, it is relaxing.

Stretch for health; it’s the smart thing to do.

Stretching facts
Like strength and endurance, limberness varies from person to person. Flexibility also varies in the different parts of your body. Joggers, for example, are notoriously stiff in their hamstrings; paradoxically, perhaps, people who sit behind a desk all day are prone to the same problem. Concentrate on the muscles you use most and the joints that are least flexible, but don’t neglect the other parts of your body. Above all, give yourself time to improve. Restoring lost flexibility is a slow process; if you are impatient and push too hard, you’ll produce the very injury you want to avoid. Be patient but persistent. Establish realistic goals; if you are stiffer than average, you may never get to a full range of motion, but you can surely make progress. Finally, don’t try to improve on human nature; there is no benefit to being “double-jointed,” and there’s no point in trying to stretch beyond a joint’s normal range of motion.

Although some exercise buffs prefer dynamic stretching, based on calisthenics, most authorities now recommend static stretching, based on yoga. The goal is to establish a posture, then use the weight of your body to stretch your tissues. But the stretch must always be gentle and gradual — you should be able to feel a mild pull on your muscles, tendons, and ligaments, but it should never be painful. If you are just starting out, don’t try to hold any stretch for more than 10–15 seconds; as you improve, build up gradually to 20–30 seconds. Start out with a deep breath, and let it out slowly as you stretch. Focus your mind on the part of your body that’s being stretched. Relax your body, mind, and breathing after each stretch, wait for 15–30 seconds before repeating the stretch, and then move on to another part of your body. Don’t be surprised if one side of your body is stiffer than the other. Most people have a dominant side, which becomes stronger but also tighter with use over the years.

A basic routine
If you have special needs, you’ll benefit from individual instruction and supervision. A physical therapist, a good personal trainer, or an experienced yoga teacher can design a personalized routine for people who need extra help — and they can also plan advanced stretching for people who are ready to move on.

Ordinary guys can use an ordinary program like these 10 basic stretching exercises. If you are starting on your own, try to have a friend or relative watch you to be sure your positions and angles are right. Start with standing stretches, then sit on an exercise mat or thick towel or rug for your floor exercises. Save your back for last.

Shoulder blade scratch for your shoulder muscles, rotator cuff, and upper back. Reach back and down with one arm as if to scratch your opposite shoulder blade. Reach up with your other arm, trying to clasp your hands behind your back. If you can’t make the connection, use a towel to bridge the gap. Gradually pull up on your lower arm, gently stretching your shoulder. Relax, then repeat before reversing your arm position to stretch your other side.

Towel stretch for your triceps, shoulders, and upper back. Roll up a towel and grasp it between your hands in front of you. Keeping your arms straight, lift the towel over your head, and then as far back as you can. Then grasp the towel behind your back and bring it up as high as you can. Wall lean for your calf and Achilles tendon. Stand about 3 feet from a wall with your feet pointing straight forward. Step forward with one foot but keep your back knee straight. Push your pelvis forward as far as comfortable, keeping your heel firmly on the ground. As you improve, start farther from the wall to give yourself a greater stretch; aim to bring your leg to a 45-degree angle with the floor. Relax, then repeat with your rear knee bent to move the stretch down to your Achilles tendon. Relax, then switch to the other side.

Hamstring stretch. Rest your heel on the second or third step of a stairway. Keep your knees straight as you lean forward to touch your foot. Keep your head down and your pelvis as far forward as possible. Relax, then repeat and switch to the other side. As you improve, you’ll be able to reach your toes instead of just your ankle, then you can move up to a higher step.

Thigh stretch for your quadriceps muscles. Stand parallel to a wall so you can touch it for balance if necessary. Keep one leg straight while you bend your other knee and grasp your ankle to pull your heel up towards your buttock. Relax, then repeat and switch to the other side.

Hip stretch. Sit on the floor and bend one knee, point your foot toward your other leg, grasp your ankle, and lift your leg upward. Relax, then repeat and switch sides.


Groin stretch. Sit on the floor with your soles together and your knees bent out to the sides. Place your forearms on the inside of your knees and gradually press down toward the floor. Relax, then repeat. As you improve, start with your heels closer to your body. If you are able to lean forward as you stretch your groin, you’ll also stretch your lower back.

Starter’s stretch for your groin and thighs. Get in a racer’s starting position with your rear knee on the ground and your front foot flat on the floor. Place your hands on the sides of your front foot. Gradually straighten your back knee as you lift up on your toes and bend forward with your head down. Relax and repeat; then switch to the other side.

William’s stretch for your lower back. Lie
on your back with your legs straight. Bring one knee up to your chest, pulling it in with your hands as you curl your head toward your knee. Relax, then repeat before switching to the other side. As you improve, you can bring both knees up together.

Cat stretch for your upper back and shoulders. Rest onyour knees, then lower your head and reach forward with one arm, then both arms. Relax, then repeat.

Flexibility first — and last
A basic stretching routine should take you about 10 minutes. That makes it an ideal way to warm up before you play a sport or go for a brisk walk. It’s also the best way to cool down afterward. And remember that stretching can be just as beneficial before or after working in the garden or making household repairs as it is for golf or tennis.

When it comes to preventing exercise-induced injuries, stretching is a means to an end — but it can also be a goal of its own. Many people start the day with some stretching; others stretch before bed. Try it to limber up after a long car trip. Perhaps it will help you relax when you are under stress. If you are flexible and creative about when you stretch, your body will stay limber, and your mind may be more relaxed. That’s a big return for a small investment.