My Story: A Flexibility Failure
“I hate this f**king test” I mumbled under my breath as Mr. Brown, my Grade 10 gym teacher, pulled out the sit-and-reach box.
I crushed the rest of our monthly fitness testing — push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, and weights were no problem — but when it came time for the flexibility assessment, I was useless.
Our all-boys weight room class crowded around that horrid box, jeering each lad for his surprising flexibility or lack thereof (high school boys have the unique talent of always being able to poke fun at someone).
I felt a pit in my stomach as I neared the front of the line.
I knew I wouldn’t even be able to reach the start of the box, let alone touch a finger to the metal slider. I may have done well on every other fitness test but I failed this one miserably.
I walked away, head down, reassuring myself that flexibility doesn’t even matter.
Boy was I wrong.
Table of Contents (Condensed)
My Story: A Flexibility Failure
Flipping the Script: From Stiff to Supple
Bend, Don't Break
10 Reasons Why You Should Want to Be Flexible
3 Rules for Becoming Flexible
Static Stretching 101
3 Critical Guidelines for Static Stretching
7 Extra Pointers for Static Stretching
The Essential Movements
18 yoga positions + 10 static stretches with pictures featuring yours truly
Huberman Lab Static Stretching Protocol
The Hard Part: Consistency with New Habits
Consistency Tip #1: Change your identity first
Consistency Tip #2: Make it small and sustainable
Consistency Tip #3: Master the art of showing up
Consistency Tip #4: Hack the habit loop
Consistency Tip #5: Scale up in small ways
Habit Resources
Stay safe, have fun, and enjoy the journey!
Stay in touch!
EBOOK PDF DOWNLOAD
Members, download your PDF copy of the ebook below.
Not a member but want access to this ebook?
Sign up today then click this link to grab your copy.
(+ you’ll get access to last month’s ebook: The Complete Breathwork Manual)
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Jack Dixon to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.