Another very popular request I get is to recommend the best method to improve one’s flexibility. As usual my first question back is “Why do you want to improve your flexibility?” You see most people don’t really have a good answer other than because they think they should have some arbitrary measure of flexibility. Again as usual I call Shenannigans! Most people don’t understand the difference between flexibility, which I define as the ability to achieve a certain range of motion or position, and mobility which I consider the capacity to control your joints in those same positions. Simply put in layman’s terms, yeah you can touch your nose to your knees, but if you have to get your buddy Big Tony to sit on your neck to do so what’s the point?!
I fail to see the positive benefits of simply passively forcing a limb into a position (typical of most stretching modalities) when you can’t demonstrate solid control over your joints in that same position. I see this approach as flawed, why compromise future mobility and joint stability for hyper-flexibility now? If you are a gymnast or circus performer of some kind then this might be required and/or desired, but for most of us this simply isn’t the case as we likely don’t want to be dependant on canes and crutches to get around at the age of 40.
Consider carefully what your goals are and act accordingly