An 80-Day Experiment In Stretching For Better Health

April 5 2021, Published 4:30 a.m. ET

When most of us think of exercise needs, we think of cardiovascular exercise and weight training. An important part of our physical exercise that gets overlooked, but really shouldn’t, is mobility and flexibility.

Stretching – the primary developer of flexibility and mobility – should be a part of everyone’s daily regimen.

The Experiment In Daily Stretching

Recently, Fitness YouTuber, Geek Climber, did an experiment to help show this need. He, an “average guy” realized how tight his muscles were after long periods of other physical training, so he decided to try out stretching daily for 80 days.

He said, “I came to the very logical conclusion I needed to start dedicating myself to training my mobility in order to progress in calisthenics. I was only able to get my fingertips to touch the ground. I tried to push further, but I thought I was going to get a cramp! I also tested myself in the ‘side fold’ position, and I was extremely stiff… like an old man!”

His 80 days of consecutive stretching changed everything for him. On day one, he could only just touch his fingertips to the floor. By day 78, he could safely and accurately execute a full bridge. He also noted that his muscles ached less every day and stretching was the perfect active recovery practice for his rest days.

Watch Geek Climber’s journey in his video, then try your own stretching routine.

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My Personal Testimony On Mobility Training

I became a full-time writer in 2017 when I was in my mid-thirties. Prior to this, I worked consistently active jobs as a childcare worker, biking dog walker, etc. When the desk became my workspace, my mobility dropped significantly.

After just two years of being a desk jockey, I discovered I was in a similar situation as Geek Climber: I could touch my fingertips to the floor and that was it. Just a year before that, I could flatten my hands to the floor, do bridges, and had excellent posture.

My hips hurt all the time. My neck was in nearly constant pain for several weeks at a time – with no relief in sight. I added mobility training (yoga, post-workout stretching, and dynamic stretching pre-workout) again and within weeks my neck stopped hurting, my hips weren’t as tight, and my job didn’t suck anymore.

Best Yoga And Stretching Resources For Improved Mobility And Life

Because this mobility training is so vital for our physical well-being, both now and in the years to come, finding some good stretching programs are important. Here are just a few to get you started.