Full-Body Flexibility Programme

Lie on your back. Loop a strap, belt, or towel around one foot and extend that leg toward the ceiling as straight as possible. Keep the opposite leg flat on the floor. Find the position where you feel a clear but manageable stretch — typically between 45° and 80° depending on your current range. Hold for 60–90 seconds, breathing slowly and consciously relaxing the hamstring with each exhale. The sensation should gradually reduce over the hold as the nervous system desensitises to the stretch — this neurological adaptation is the mechanism for lasting length improvement.

💡 Do not round your lower back to get the leg higher. Keep the lumbar spine flat and adjust the leg angle instead. A bent knee is acceptable if hamstring tightness is preventing a straight leg — straighten progressively over sessions.

In the same supine position with the strap. Once at your end range, push your heel gently into the strap for 6 seconds — about 30% of your maximum effort, not full contraction. Then release the contraction completely and gently pull the leg a little further into the stretch for 15 seconds. Repeat three times. This proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation technique uses the post-contraction inhibition of the Golgi tendon organ to gain range that passive stretching alone cannot access. Research consistently shows PNF produces 20–35% greater range of motion gains than static stretching in the same time period.

💡 The contraction should be gentle — this is not a strength test. Excessive force prevents the relaxation response from occurring properly.

Stand facing a wall with one foot 60–90 cm behind the other. Keep the back leg straight and press the heel firmly into the floor. Lean forward into the wall until you feel a stretch in the back of the lower leg, just below the knee. Hold 60 seconds. The gastrocnemius crosses the knee joint, so a straight leg is essential to stretch it effectively. Restricted calf mobility — specifically reduced ankle dorsiflexion — limits squat depth, running mechanics, and safe landing patterns and is consistently underaddressed.

💡 If the heel rises immediately, you are probably too far from the wall. Start closer and increase the distance as range improves.

Sit on the floor with legs extended together, feet flexed, back as upright as possible. Rather than rounding the spine to reach your toes, hinge from the hips while keeping the spine long. Reach toward your feet without the lower back rounding. Hold at your maximum comfortable hip hinge position for 90 seconds. Active engagement of the hip flexors to pull the torso toward the legs — rather than passive slumping — builds active flexibility that transfers to sport and daily movement, not just the passive range that exists when you collapse into position.

💡 Use a strap around your feet if you cannot reach them with a straight spine. The quality of the position is far more important than reaching your feet.

Sit with both legs bent to 90 degrees — front leg externally rotated so the shin is roughly parallel to the front of your mat, back leg internally rotated behind you. Sit upright with a neutral pelvis. To target external rotation of the front hip, hinge your torso forward over the front shin, trying to bring your chest toward your foot. This is the most direct stretch for the posterior capsule and the external rotators of the hip joint — the tissue that limits the pigeon pose and the deep squat.

💡 If one hip lifts significantly off the floor, place a folded blanket under it. The goal is an even stretch on both sides — compensating with a tilted pelvis reduces the effectiveness of the stretch.

From the same 90/90 setup, rotate your torso toward the back leg and hinge forward over it. This targets internal rotation of the back hip — the most commonly restricted plane in the hip joint and the one most associated with impingement-type symptoms. Many people find this side significantly more restricted than external rotation. Work within a comfortable range and allow the restriction to gradually reduce over multiple sessions rather than forcing depth.

💡 Internal rotation restriction often has a 'hard end range' feeling — a bony stop rather than a muscular stretch. If this is your experience, do not force the range. Work up to your comfortable end range and hold there.

Stand with feet wider than shoulder-width. Shift your weight to one side, bending that knee while keeping the opposite leg straight. Keep your torso upright and the straight-leg foot pointing forward or slightly outward. Feel the stretch along the inner thigh of the straight leg. To increase the stretch, push the straight-leg hip away from you. This targets the adductors — the inner thigh muscles that are frequently restricted in people who sit frequently, contributing to reduced hip abduction and inefficient lateral movement patterns.

💡 Keep the bent knee tracking over the toes — do not allow it to collapse inward. Start with a narrower stance and work toward a wider position as flexibility improves.

On hands and knees, walk your knees as wide as is comfortable with feet in line with knees, shins parallel. Lower your hips backward and down toward the floor. The stretch is felt along the inner thighs and the hips. For many people this is an advanced position — begin with a narrower knee width and decrease the bend to make it accessible. The frog stretch is particularly effective for people who struggle with wide-stance squatting and any activity requiring hip abduction under load.

💡 Use a folded mat under your knees for cushioning. Breathe deeply into the stretch and use each exhale to allow the hips to drop slightly lower.

Place a foam roller vertically along your spine. Lie back on the roller so it supports your entire spine from head to tailbone. Open both arms to the side, palms up, and allow gravity to pull your arms toward the floor. The stretch is felt across the chest. For a more specific stretch on one side, raise one arm to 90° (perpendicular to the torso) and allow the other to drop to 120° — this differentially loads the lower and upper pectoral fibres. Breathe deeply into the chest and allow the stretch to deepen on each exhale.

💡 This position also provides gentle thoracic extension over the roller — two benefits in one. Spend a full minute here rather than rushing.

Position the roller perpendicular to your spine at mid-thoracic level (around the level of your shoulder blades). Interlace your fingers behind your head to support the neck. Gently extend back over the roller, opening the chest to the ceiling. Move the roller 3–4 cm up the spine and repeat at three levels: lower thoracic, mid-thoracic, and upper thoracic. Do not roll the lumbar spine. Breathe slowly and allow the weight of your upper body to create the extension — do not force it.

💡 Many people find this produces an audible crack from the thoracic joints — this is normal, harmless, and often followed by a sense of immediate relief. If it is painful rather than relieving, reduce the extension range.

Stand in a doorway. Place one forearm against the door frame with the elbow at 90°. Step through the doorway until you feel a stretch across the chest and anterior shoulder. For the mid-pectoral: arm at 90° to the torso. For the upper pectoral: arm at 110–120°. For the lower pectoral: arm at 70–80°. Hold the position that produces the clearest stretch for 60 seconds. Avoid twisting the torso away from the door frame — this reduces the specificity of the stretch.

💡 The step through the door, not the arm height, controls stretch intensity. Move the foot through gradually rather than committing to maximum intensity immediately.

Lie on your side with the arm at 90° to the torso and elbow bent to 90°. Using your top hand, gently press the bottom wrist toward the floor, internally rotating the shoulder. The stretch is felt in the posterior shoulder capsule and posterior rotator cuff. Stop if you feel pain in the joint itself (rather than a muscular stretch). This stretch is essential for overhead athletes and anyone who experiences shoulder clicking, pinching, or limited internal rotation range.

💡 Progress by trying to keep your elbow on the floor while your wrist is pressed down — this ensures the rotation is occurring at the shoulder joint rather than being compensated by the spine.

Descend into the deepest squat you can hold with heels flat. Use a doorframe or TRX for support if needed. Once in position, place one hand on the floor inside your foot for support. Reach the opposite arm to the ceiling, rotating through the thoracic spine as far as possible. Follow the hand with your eyes. Return and repeat on the other side. This exercise simultaneously loads ankle dorsiflexion, hip flexion, hip external rotation, and thoracic rotation — making it one of the most comprehensive single mobility exercises available.

💡 Do not rush the rotational component. The depth of the rotation should be driven by thoracic movement, not by swinging the arm.

Start in a push-up position. Step your right foot outside your right hand into a low lunge. Lower the back knee to the floor. Place your left hand on the floor under your shoulder. Rotate your right arm toward the ceiling, opening the chest and following with your eyes. Return the hand to the floor. Straighten the front leg briefly for a hamstring stretch. Return to the lunge. Step back and repeat on the left side. This sequence takes the hip, thoracic spine, hamstrings, and shoulder through full range in a continuous flow — hence the name. It is an excellent daily warmup as well as a standalone mobility exercise.

💡 Move slowly and deliberately through each transition. The quality of the movement at each stage is more valuable than the speed of completion.

Stand tall. Step one foot forward into a long stride. Lower into a lunge position, feeling the hip flexor stretch on the rear leg. From here, shift your weight back until the front leg is straight and your hips are back over the rear foot, feeling the hamstring stretch in the front leg. Flow back and forth between these two positions, pausing 2 seconds in each end range. This dynamic flexibility exercise builds active control of the hip flexor and hamstring range simultaneously — a functional pattern that directly transfers to running, lunging, and stepping movements.

💡 Keep the torso upright throughout both positions. A common error is rounding forward in the hamstring position — maintain the hip hinge and keep the spine long.

From a pigeon pose position, rather than resting passively in the stretch, use your hip muscles to actively lift the front shin slightly off the floor, hold 3 seconds, then lower. Repeat 5 times per side. This active version of pigeon trains end-range hip external rotation strength — the ability to control and use the range you have built passively. It is the final step in the progression from passive to active flexibility and represents the kind of hip mobility that actually transfers to athletic performance.

💡 The lift will be very small initially — even 1–2 cm is valuable. Focus on feeling the activation in the deep external rotators of the hip, not the glute or hamstring.