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August 7, 2019

On Flexibility and Pain

One of the most rewarding life projects I've taken on in recent years has been the development of my overall flexibility and spinal health. Good health is essentially a complex system of feedback loops, and flexibility affects everything, not least the propensity to get injured, and the trajectory of recovery. Here are some high-level recommendations.

Update, 2026: My thinking on this has evolved. These days I'm far more focused on stability than on raw flexibility, especially for back pain. The framework that changed things for me is Stuart McGill's work: building a stiff, stable core rather than chasing end-range mobility. His “Big 3”, the curl-up, side bridge, and bird-dog, are now the backbone of my routine for lumbar health, alongside a separate stability set for my hips. I'm writing a proper follow-up on this; in the meantime, read what's below as the 2019 version of me. The strength and consistency advice still holds; the “stretch your way out of pain” emphasis is the part I'd revise.

1. Listen to your body

First and foremost, like with most things, pay attention, in this case, to your body. If, while warming up or stretching, anything feels wrong or painful, stop and regroup. Use pain as a resource.

2. Ask for help, if you need it

At various points I've gone back to physical therapy to rehabilitate pain or re-injury, or seen a doctor for a few days of pain medication for back or knee pain. When things get bad, don't put off asking for help. That said, avoid opioids if you can, but sometimes you can't.

3. Set a goal

I've found that having a specific goal is highly motivating. Something like “I want to be able to perform middle splits” or “I wanna be able to axe-kick some mo fos.” This helps me maintain consistency, in some ways even more than the prospect of not being in pain.

4. Use a lumbar pillow

Any time I'm sitting, I try to use good posture, but if possible I use a lumbar pillow. These help tremendously for long drives and flights. If you can, punctuate sitting with standing and stretching.

5. Sneeze and cough correctly

That's right, there's a correct way to sneeze. It may sound silly, but sneezing with poor posture is an excellent way to damage your back.

6. Strengthen your core, back, and legs (and everything else)

This may seem paradoxical, but if done correctly, with solid technique, lifting for strength really helps stabilize and support your entire body. For example, you should be doing:

If you aren't experienced with these, start SLOW and LIGHT (in terms of weight), and focus on the form. Nail the technique, then start getting stronger.

7. Practice good posture when bending and lifting

In general, lift with a straight back and bent knees. This means that when you take a fork, wash it, and go to put it in the dishwasher, you should look extremely awkward as you bend with your knees to place it in the utensil slot.

8. Consider a standing desk

The harsh reality for folks with lower-back problems is that sitting for long periods generally leads to pain and tightness. One thing that's helped me immensely is a standing workstation. Better yet, find a desk that's easily adjustable, and swap between sitting and standing as necessary. Just be aware that if you aren't used to it, standing for long periods may cause foot pain. For me that went away after a while, though I try to stand on a mat when possible.

9. Stretch regularly

Smaller, more regular habits trump less frequent, longer sessions. Some of the most flexible people I know stretch throughout the day and focus on a particular weakness. Stretch the whole body, time permitting. Chronic back pain (especially low back) can be due to tight muscles and tendons adjacent to the back.

When I stretch, I'll typically do each movement for 20–30 seconds on both sides (this takes 20–30 minutes on average); if I'm busy, I'll do 10 seconds each (around 10 minutes total). Whenever I'm stretching every day, usually right before bed, or before training, I feel really good and don't have any back pain. When I put it off, within a few days I really start to feel it.

Here's my personal protocol:

Wrists & Forearms

Calves

  • Wall stretch (stretches your calf and Achilles tendon; you do not want a ruptured tendon)

Neck

My favorites:

  • Neck release
  • Clasping neck release
  • Behind-the-back neck stretch

Arms, Shoulders, & Chest

Legs

Hips (and Psoas)

I've found that many of my lower-back issues drastically improved by working on hip flexibility, specifically butterflies (where my wife stands on my knees) and low lunges (Anjaneyasana).

Glutes

Back & Abs

10. Other resources

For other starting points, you can find a ton of beginner routines on YouTube!