“But if you have a full range, you have extra momentum and room to work.” “But a lot of people don’t know that prioritizing the extra 10 to 15 minutes is going to let you get more out of your workout.” When you’re tight, you have a limited range of motion, so you can only use your muscles so efficiently. “People say it hurts or it’s boring or if they go for a run right before work, for example, they’re just trying to get something in and that time crunch is there,” she explains. Others who do a good job of being active don’t take the time to focus on flexibility and mobility. “Their hamstrings and hip flexors are super tight from sitting all day,” she says. Angela Salvetti, NSCA-certified personal trainer and area fitness manager at New York Sports Clubs for East Manhattan, tells SELF that almost everyone that comes into her gym is tight. The problem is that most of us are too busy to squeeze in a workout, let alone a leisurely stretching session. Except the reality is that, while some people are definitely naturally more flexible than others, if we all just took a few minutes each day to do some stretching, we’d notice improvements.
Like, being flexible would be nice, but sigh, it’s just a pipe dream. Flexibility is one of those things that many people talk about dreamily.
