Can't ignore this anymore-- any help appreciated.
Hi everyone,
I’m a 26F and I’ve been very inflexible for as long as I can remember. I’ve never been able to touch my toes, and I have a hard time sitting upright with my legs extended in front of me. My hamstrings, hips, shoulders, and neck all feel very restricted.
I’ve tried yoga, Pilates, stretching, and general mobility work, but I haven’t been able to make consistent progress. I feel like I may be missing something in terms of how to train flexibility effectively.
One thing that makes me wonder if strength or active mobility is part of the issue is that I took a modern dance class in college, and by the end of the semester I was actually closer to touching my toes and felt like I moved more easily overall. So I’m wondering if I may respond better to active mobility, strength through range, or a more structured flexibility program rather than mostly passive stretching.
For people who started out very inflexible, what helped you make real progress? Did you follow a specific routine, program, class style, or strength-based approach?
I’m especially interested in beginner-friendly ways to improve hamstring/hip flexibility and shoulder/thoracic mobility.