How Do You Make Yourself More Flexible? · Awesome! Calisthenics (FREE)

How Do You Make Yourself More Flexible?

Here is a very general information dump on flexibility training, what it is, how long to do it and the best routine I found to get started.

@Emma Liao

, this should answer the question.

Video Transcript (Cleaned Up)

All right, let’s talk about flexibility. I figured I’d make a quick video about it since it’s already in the master book.

I’m about halfway through the book, and I noticed flexibility is something we don’t often cover in depth. Before we move on to mobility and freedom of movement, I want to give you the basics.

Flexibility vs. Mobility

Flexibility is simply increasing your range of motion. Mobility is how well you can move through that range. For example, if you want the splits, you need flexibility training to get there.

How to Improve Flexibility

Research shows the most effective way is to hold a stretch for 30–60 seconds. Anything longer doesn’t seem to give extra benefit. Personally, I prefer closer to 60 seconds since it can take time to relax into the position.

Flexibility is largely controlled by your nervous system. Your body limits range of motion to prevent injury. Stretching tells your nervous system, “This range is safe.” Over time, your body adapts. At extreme ranges, your muscles do lengthen a bit—similar to strength training adaptations.

Think of kids: they’re naturally more flexible because their bodies haven’t locked into specific movement patterns yet.

Intensity

When stretching, aim for about 30% intensity—mild discomfort but no pain. You may have seen extreme methods where athletes are forced into splits. That can work for children, but for adults it’s dangerous.

Why Flexibility Matters

Your body restricts motion as protection. If you fell and your limbs overextended, you could tear something. Training flexibility teaches your body those ranges are safe, which actually makes you less likely to get injured.

Mental vs. Physical Limitation

Sometimes the barrier is physical tightness; other times it’s your brain saying “danger.” That’s the mind–body connection.

Stretching Methods

Static stretching → best for building flexibility (hold 30–60s).
Dynamic stretching → best for warm-up.
Ballistic stretching → not recommended.
PNF stretching → advanced method (contract, resist, then relax to go deeper). Effective but more complicated than necessary for most people.

Efficient Stretching

If you stretch every muscle separately, it can take forever. Instead, look for compound stretches that hit multiple areas at once. For example, systems like “Living Leggings” break flexibility down to a few big stretches rather than 20 isolated ones.

The Big 5 flexibility goals are: