How to improve flexibility: what works, how long to hold a stretch and how often

Regular stretching works

Across 77 studies (3,870 people), stretching for 2 weeks or more clearly increased range of motion compared with not stretching. A review of 189 studies (6,654 adults) found a large effect of regular static stretching.

Sources 1, 2

Static or PNF stretching, or strength training

Holding a stretch (static stretching) and contract-relax (PNF) stretching built the most lasting range; moving (dynamic) stretches built about half as much and suit warm-ups. Strength training through a full range, with a weight, improved range about as much as stretching.

Sources 1, 3, 4, 5

30 to 60 seconds, on most days

Hold each stretch for 30 to 60 seconds, leaning towards 60 if you're over about 65, and stretch most days. The total is less settled: one meta-regression found gains peaked at about 10 minutes per muscle a week, but two other reviews disagree, so treat it as a rough target rather than a rule.

Sources 1, 2, 6, 7, 8

A clear pull, not pain

Gentle stretching, below the point of discomfort, gained as much range as hard stretching in two large reviews.

Sources 1, 2

Weeks to change, and it fades if you stop

Trials of 4 to 6 weeks gained roughly 10 to 20 degrees of hamstring range. Early on you mostly tolerate more stretch; the muscles themselves change slowly. Range slips back if you stop, but stretching 2 or 3 days a week kept it in a trial.

Sources 9, 10, 11, 12, 13

Any age, and strength first if you're very flexible

Age didn't change how much people gained, and adults with an average age of 85 gained range within 6 weeks. If your joints are already very flexible, the NHS advises building muscle strength rather than stretching further.

Sources 1, 2, 7, 14

Passive and active range

Flexibility is the capacity to move a joint, or a group of joints, through its available range of motion. Passive range is how far you get when something else moves you, such as gravity, a strap or a partner. Active range is how far your own muscles can take you and hold you there, and it is usually smaller.

Sources 2, 15

Four ways to stretch

Static stretching means holding a position where you feel the stretch. Dynamic stretching means moving through your range repeatedly without holding, such as leg swings; ballistic stretching is the faster, bouncing version. PNF (proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation) stretching adds muscle contractions: in contract-relax, you tense the stretched muscle against resistance for a few seconds, relax, then ease further into the stretch.

These are the definitions agreed by a panel of 20 stretching researchers, the same ones our warm-up guide uses.

Source 3

Stretch tolerance changes first

Stretch tolerance is how much stretch your nervous system will accept before you call it the end. In programmes of 3 to 8 weeks, most of the extra range comes from this: people accept more stretch, while their muscles and tendons barely change.

Sources 12, 16

Muscles, tendons and nerves change slowly

Programmes of 3 to 12 weeks moderately reduced muscle stiffness, and high-volume stretching lengthened muscle fibres only very slightly. Nerves count too: the sciatic nerve runs behind the hip and knee, and putting it on tension by bending the spine and neck forward cut hamstring range by 8 degrees with no change in muscle activity.

Sources 17, 18, 19

Bone ends some movements

Some ranges stop where bone meets bone. The expert panel notes that ankle bend is limited by the shape of the bones, and the hip at the end of a split is another example, which our splits guide explains.

Sources 3, 20, 21

One session or a programme

One stretching session gives a small increase in range that typically fades within 30 minutes. Stretching regularly for 2 weeks or more gives a moderate to large increase that lasts.

Sources 1, 2, 22, 23

Static and PNF stretching build the most lasting rangeStrong evidence

Across 77 controlled studies (3,870 people, average age 27), stretching for 2 weeks or more increased range by a moderate to large amount compared with not stretching. Static and PNF stretching did about equally well, and each built roughly twice the range of dynamic or ballistic stretching. A review of 189 studies (6,654 adults) found a large effect of regular static stretching, and the expert panel advises static or PNF stretching over dynamic for long-term flexibility (95% agreement).

One older review found static stretching ahead of PNF, so treat the two as similar. Both large reviews found signs that small studies with disappointing results may be missing, so the true effect may be a little smaller than reported.

Sources 1, 2, 3, 8

Strength training through a full range works as wellStrong evidence

In 11 trials (452 people) that compared them directly, strength training and stretching improved range by similar amounts, and programmes of 5 weeks, twice a week, were enough. Across 55 studies, resistance training improved range by a moderate amount, matching stretching. Training with body weight alone didn't significantly improve range, so use a load. Untrained people gained the most, and strength training plus stretching gained no more than stretching alone.

Sources 4, 5

Lowering slowly (eccentric training) has large effectsStrong evidence

Training that loads a muscle as it lengthens, such as the lowering half of a Romanian deadlift or a Nordic curl, gave a large increase in leg range across 17 studies (376 people), largest at the ankle, and a moderate increase across 27 trials in adults (911 people). In 69 teenage boys with tight hamstrings, 6 weeks of eccentric hamstring exercise gained 12.8 degrees and static stretching 12.1, against 1.7 for no training.

Sources 10, 24, 25

Foam rolling programmes work about as wellEmerging evidence

Across 85 studies, 13 of them on foam rolling, rolling programmes improved range about as much as stretching programmes, except programmes of 4 weeks or less, where stretching did better. Our fascia guide covers rolling technique.

Source 26

Yoga helps older adultsEmerging evidence

In trials of older adults, yoga improved lower-body flexibility compared with doing nothing, and a little compared with other exercise, along with balance and leg strength.

Source 27

What the trials don't cover

Most trials studied young adults (average age about 27) for 4 to 8 weeks. Few included older adults, women on their own or people chasing extreme ranges, and the studies were of middling quality. Treat the doses on this page as starting points.

Sources 1, 2

How long to hold: 30 to 60 seconds

In younger adults with tight hamstrings, 30-second holds worked as well as 60-second ones and better than 15-second ones. In people aged 65 to 97, 60-second holds gained range about twice as fast as 30-second holds and kept it longer.

The American College of Sports Medicine suggests holds of 10 to 30 seconds, repeated 2 to 4 times to total about 60 seconds per stretch, and the expert panel suggests 30 to 120 seconds for the biggest gains. The NHS's gentle flexibility exercises use short holds of a few seconds: they keep joints moving, but the trials that built range held for 30 seconds or more.

Sources 3, 6, 7, 28, 29, 30, 31

How often: most days

Most days while you're building range. In the largest analysis, the weekly total mattered more than how it was split, and in one trial once a day worked as well as three times a day. Another review found stretching on at least 5 days a week helped. The expert panel suggests daily stretching for the biggest gains; the American College of Sports Medicine's minimum is 2 or 3 days a week.

Sources 2, 3, 8, 28, 29, 30

How much a week: one meta-regression says 10 minutes, others disagreeMixed evidence

One large meta-regression, an analysis of how results changed with the dose across 189 studies, found gains peaked at about 10 minutes of static stretching per muscle group a week, and at about 4 minutes per muscle group in a single session.

It conflicts with other reviews: one of 77 studies found no link between time spent stretching and the gains, and another found that at least 5 minutes a week, over at least 5 days, mattered most. The studies behind the 10-minute figure averaged 4 out of 7 for quality, so treat it as a rough target, not a threshold.

Sources 1, 2, 8

Our editorial starting point

Pick 2 to 4 areas that matter to you. For each, do 2 holds of 60 seconds or 4 holds of 30 seconds on 5 days a week, counting each side separately. That adds up to the 10 minutes a week from the meta-regression above, a figure other reviews dispute. A routine covering 6 to 8 areas at this dose takes about 15 to 20 minutes a day, which is why most people prioritise.

Source 2

How hard: a clear pull

Stretch to a clear pull you can breathe through, below pain. Gentle stretching gained as much range as hard stretching in two large reviews, and in a trial of dance students, gentle stretching improved active range more than moderate-to-hard stretching.

Sources 1, 2, 15

When: once you're warm

Any time of day works, but stretching is most effective when the muscle is warm, so after exercise or a few minutes of movement suits it well. Before exercise, stretching is optional: keep it under 60 seconds per muscle and keep moving afterwards, as our warm-up guide explains.

Sources 3, 23, 29

Contract-relax (PNF) technique

Take the stretch to a mild limit, then push gently against a strap or your hands for a few seconds, relax, take up the slack and hold. A review of how PNF works found a contraction of about 3 seconds at no more than 20% of your maximum is enough, and most of the extra range comes in the first round. It works by raising your tolerance to the stretch, not by switching off reflexes.

Our move page uses 3 rounds of a 6-second push at about a quarter effort and a 20-second hold.

Source 32

Strength training as flexibility work

Lift through the full range you can control, with a weight, lowering slowly, at least twice a week for 5 weeks or more, as in the trials. Romanian deadlifts, deep split squats, Cossack squats and goblet squats load the hips and legs in long positions.

Sources 4, 5, 24

Big ranges: the splits, dance and martial arts

The expert panel suggests 2 to 3 sets of 30 to 120 seconds per muscle every day for the biggest ranges, and strength work in the stretched position helps you use the range. The reviews behind this guide rarely included people chasing extreme ranges, and their authors warn the results may not apply to them. Our splits guide has the detail.

Sources 1, 3, 15

Weeks, not daysStrong evidence

In trials, 2 holds of 30 seconds a day on 5 days a week added about 9 degrees of hamstring range in 6 weeks; 6 weeks of stretching or eccentric training added about 12 degrees; daily hamstring stretching for 4 weeks added 19 to 20 degrees of hip bend; and 30 sessions of calf stretching added 31% to ankle bend. The typical programme in the largest review ran for 6 weeks at 5 sessions a week.

Sources 2, 9, 10, 11, 33

Tolerance first, tissue laterEmerging evidence

In programmes of 3 to 8 weeks, range rises mainly because people tolerate more stretch, while muscle and tendon properties barely change. Over 3 to 12 weeks, static stretching moderately reduced muscle stiffness, though the stiffness of the muscle and tendon together fell only slightly. Muscle fibres lengthened only trivially, and only with high volumes or intensities. What changes beyond 8 weeks is still debated.

Sources 12, 16, 17, 18, 34

Our estimate: what to expect

This is our estimate, not a trial result: if you stretch an area on most days, the same stretch should start to feel easier within a few weeks, with a clear gain by 4 to 6 weeks, as in the trials. Big changes, such as the splits, take months of regular practice.

Sources 10, 11, 12

Keeping what you gainEmerging evidence

Across 13 studies (556 people), range stayed above where people started 2 to 6 weeks after they stopped stretching, but slipped back from its peak, and only people who stayed active kept their gains. In a trial of 32 adults, those who stopped after 4 weeks of daily stretching lost about a third of their gain within 4 weeks, while those who kept stretching 2 or 3 days a week lost none. In a smaller study, a 9-degree gain had gone 4 weeks after stopping.

Our suggestion: once you're happy with your range, keep stretching it 2 or 3 days a week.

Sources 9, 11, 13

The least flexible gain mostEmerging evidence

Flexibility improved more in people who started with poor flexibility than in those who started average, and untrained people gained more from strength training than trained people.

Sources 2, 5

Flexibility falls with age, joint by jointStrong evidence

In 6,000 people aged 5 to 92, overall flexibility fell about 0.6% a year in women and 0.8% in men, most at the shoulders and trunk and least at the elbows and knees. In 436 adults aged 55 to 86, shoulder and hip movement fell by about 5 to 7 degrees a decade. In a US survey of adults aged 25 to 74, most hip and knee movements were only 3 to 5 degrees smaller in the oldest group; only hip extension, taking the leg behind you, fell by more than a fifth.

Sources 35, 36, 37

Range is trainable at any ageEmerging evidence

Age didn't change how much people gained from stretching in two large reviews. In a trial of 62 adults aged 65 to 97 (average 85) with tight hamstrings, stretching 5 days a week gained range within 6 weeks, and 60-second holds worked best.

Sources 1, 2, 7

Older adults: range improves, everyday function is less clearMixed evidence

The UK guidelines for adults aged 65 and over say to do activities that improve strength, balance and flexibility on at least 2 days a week. Flexibility programmes improve range in older adults, but their effect on everyday tasks is inconsistent; yoga improved flexibility, balance and leg strength. Our older adults guide covers the strength and balance work that matters most for staying steady.

Sources 27, 38, 39

Women are more flexible on averageStrong evidence

Women were more flexible than men at every age, in nearly all joints, in large samples. Whether women also gain more from stretching is unsettled: one large review found bigger gains in women, another found no difference.

Sources 1, 2, 35, 40

What hypermobility isStrong evidence

Some people have very flexible joints, sometimes described as being double-jointed. The NHS describes joint hypermobility syndrome as very flexible joints with symptoms such as ongoing joint pain and stiffness, frequent sprains or dislocations, tiredness even after rest and poor balance, though some people have no symptoms. Specialists now place it on a spectrum, using the term hypermobility spectrum disorders.

A GP may use the 9-point Beighton score: bending each little finger back past 90 degrees, each thumb to the forearm, each elbow and knee backwards by more than 10 degrees, and placing your palms flat on the floor with straight knees. A score of 5 or more counts in adults, 6 in children before puberty and 4 over 50, though evidence on how reliable the test is remains limited.

Sources 14, 41, 42, 43

Strength, not more stretchingStrong evidence

The NHS says the main treatment for joint hypermobility syndrome is "improving muscle strength and fitness so your joints are better protected". It suggests starting with low-impact exercise such as swimming or cycling if you're new to exercise, taking regular breaks from repetitive activities, and not overextending your joints just because you can.

Source 14

What the trials showMixed evidence

The trial evidence is thin: people improve with exercise, but no type of exercise clearly beat the comparison in reviews of 4 and 10 studies. In the best trial so far, 100 adults with hypermobile shoulders and pain or instability did 16 weeks of heavy, full-range shoulder strengthening or light, mid-range exercise, 3 times a week.

Heavy training improved shoulder function more at 16 weeks, though by less than the change people usually notice, and caused more temporary soreness (56% vs 37%) and headaches (40% vs 20%). By 1 year the difference was no longer clear.

Sources 44, 45, 46, 47

Our suggestion

If you're already very flexible, put your time into strength and control through the range you have. Stretch only areas that feel genuinely tight, and only to a mild pull, and avoid hanging at the end of your range or pushing joints back past straight. The strength and control moves below are a place to start.

Source 14

Can you be too flexible?Mixed evidence

In 44 rhythmic gymnasts followed for 14 weeks, both too little and too much flexibility in particular areas went with more complaints. It is one small observational study, but it fits the practical point: range you can't control isn't an advantage.

Source 48

Prevent injuriesStrong evidence

Across 25 trials (26,610 people), stretching programmes didn't lower sports injury rates, while strength training cut injuries to under a third. The expert panel doesn't recommend stretching for injury prevention in general. Our warm-up guide covers the warm-ups that do prevent injuries in sport.

Sources 3, 49

Change your postureStrong evidence

The expert panel agreed unanimously that stretching doesn't change posture. Our posture guides cover what helps instead.

Source 3

Build much muscle or strengthStrong evidence

The expert panel doesn't recommend stretching as a main way to build muscle or strength. The small gains seen needed 15 minutes or more of stretching per muscle a day, on at least 5 days a week, for 6 weeks or more; strength training is the main tool.

Source 3

Add years to your life, as far as anyone knowsMixed evidence

In 3,139 adults aged 46 to 65 followed for about 13 years, those with the least overall flexibility were more likely to die, and in another study poor trunk flexibility went with stiffer arteries. These are associations: the authors call for studies of whether gaining flexibility changes survival. The expert panel says regular stretching may help blood vessels, but more research is needed.

Sources 3, 50, 51

Call 999 (911 in the US) or go to A&E

After an injury, if you heard a crack, the limb has changed shape or is pointing at an odd angle, it is numb, tingling or has pins and needles, or the skin has turned blue or grey or feels cold.

Source 52

Get help from NHS 111

If a stretch brings on a sudden sharp pain, a snap or a pop, and it's very painful or getting worse, there's a lot of swelling or bruising, or it hurts to walk or stand on the leg. In the US, contact your doctor or urgent care.

Sources 52, 53

Back off: a nerve or a joint, not a muscle

Burning, tingling, numbness or pins and needles down an arm or leg while stretching usually means a nerve is under tension, so ease off to a position without it. A pinch at the front of the hip or ankle at the end of a stretch is the joint, so work below it. See a GP or physiotherapist if either keeps happening (our suggestion).

Very flexible joints with symptoms: see a GP

See a GP if you think you or your child have joint hypermobility syndrome, for example joints that keep dislocating, ongoing joint or muscle pain and stiffness, frequent sprains, tiredness even after rest, poor balance or thin, stretchy skin. A GP may check your Beighton score, arrange tests to rule out other conditions and refer you to a physiotherapist.

A shoulder or kneecap that keeps slipping out needs a strengthening plan: see our shoulder dislocation guide.

Source 14

After surgery or a joint replacement

Follow your surgical team's movement limits. After a hip replacement, the NHS advice during recovery includes not bending your hip more than 90 degrees and not sitting with your legs crossed.

Source 54

Dizzy coming up from a fold

Come up slowly from forward folds and head-down positions, and keep them brief if you have glaucoma or high blood pressure that isn't under control, as each move's page advises.

"You need to hold stretches for minutes"Emerging evidence

In younger adults, 30-second holds worked as well as 60-second ones. Within one session, gains peaked at about 4 minutes per muscle in total in one meta-regression, and over weeks the total time mattered more than any single hold. Older adults may do better with 60-second holds.

Sources 2, 6, 7, 28

"Stretching only works if it hurts"Strong evidence

Gentle stretching, below the point of discomfort, gained as much range as hard stretching in two large reviews. Stretching into pain is unnecessary.

Sources 1, 2

"Stretching makes your muscles longer within a few weeks"Emerging evidence

In programmes of 3 to 8 weeks, people mainly tolerate more stretch, and muscle and tendon properties barely change. Muscle fibres lengthened only trivially, and only with high volumes or intensities.

Sources 12, 16, 18

"Lifting weights makes you stiff"Strong evidence

Resistance training increased range of motion across 55 studies and matched stretching in head-to-head trials. Lifting through a full range is flexibility training in its own right.

Sources 4, 5

"Dynamic stretching is the best way to get flexible"Strong evidence

Moving stretches built about half the lasting range of static or PNF stretching, and the expert panel advises static or PNF stretching for long-term flexibility. Dynamic stretching belongs in a warm-up.

Sources 1, 3

"You're either flexible or you're not"Emerging evidence

Range improved with training across 77 studies, and the least flexible gained the most. Bone does set limits at some joints, such as the ankle and the hip at the end of a split.

Sources 1, 2, 3

"If you're hypermobile, stretching keeps your joints healthy"Strong evidence

The NHS says the main treatment for joint hypermobility syndrome is improving muscle strength and fitness, and advises against overextending your joints just because you can.

Source 14

"Once you're flexible, you stay flexible"Emerging evidence

Range slipped back from its peak within 2 to 6 weeks of stopping, though it stayed above where people started. Stretching 2 or 3 days a week kept the gains in a trial.

Sources 11, 13