Should I do mobility & flexibility?

Our read is that mobility and flexibility are crucial for maintaining physical function and can significantly decline with age, according to Paul Saladino. Practices like dynamic and static stretching, yoga, and Pilates are highlighted for their benefits.

These activities can improve performance, restore range of motion, and alleviate issues like back pain, though some experts note potential risks if adaptations are forced or if certain body types engage in high-volume practices.

Andrew Huberman suggests dynamic stretching drills like leg swings, butt kicks, and walking lunges. For long-term limb range of motion, Andrew Huberman indicates static stretching, including PNF, is more effective. Paul Saladino recommends ATG style seated good mornings with load and good posture, combined with full range of motion split squats, to restore childlike mobility. Bryan Johnson notes that holding a deep split squat stretch for 30 seconds can loosen hip flexors for those with back problems. Andrew Huberman describes flexibility training as reaching the edge of pain, holding it to reset the muscle spindle, and incorporating contraction-relaxation techniques. Paul Saladino also describes a mobility exercise involving placing one knee on the floor, then the other, sitting, performing a twist, and working towards a deep squat if unable to maintain a straight back. Andrew Huberman mentioned chiropractor-provided exercises similar to the yoga 'up dog' movement for disc bulges.

• 01Dynamic stretching drills like leg swings, butt kicks, and walking lunges improve performance by increasing nervous system excitation, warming the body, increasing blood flow, and exploring range of motion (Andrew Huberman, 2x).
• 02The ATG style seated good morning with load and good posture, combined with the full range of motion split squat, can restore childlike mobility (Paul Saladino, 2x).
• 03For individuals with back problems, holding a deep split squat stretch for 30 seconds is an alternative to slow reps for loosening hip flexors (Bryan Johnson, 1x).
• 04Static stretching, including PNF, is more effective than dynamic and ballistic stretching for increasing long-term limb range of motion (Andrew Huberman, 4x).
• 05Static stretching before weight training can be beneficial if it improves form by overcoming tightness or limitations, even if it reduces the maximum weight lifted (Andrew Huberman, 2x).
• 06Light activities such as yoga or slow walks performed within two hours before bed have a minimal negative effect on sleep compared to strenuous activity (Peter Attia, Bryan Johnson, 2x).
• 07Stretching between sets can reduce power and strength output but is included to improve movement quality and reduce muscle tightness (Bryan Johnson, 1x).
• 08Flexibility training involves reaching the edge of pain, holding it to reset the muscle spindle, and incorporating contraction-relaxation techniques (Andrew Huberman, 1x).
• 09Exercise, including tango, boxing, tai chi, yoga, and golf, can help restore automaticity of movement lost in Parkinson's disease by exploiting frontal striatal neuroplasticity (Rhonda Patrick, 1x).
• 10A mobility exercise involves placing one knee on the floor, then the other, sitting in that position, performing a twist, and working towards a deep squat if unable to maintain a straight back (Paul Saladino, 1x).
• 11A chiropractor provided exercises similar to the yoga 'up dog' movement, which helped a disc bulge work its way back into the spinal column, resolving back pain without medication or surgery (Andrew Huberman, 1x).
• 12Mobility is the most significant physical attribute that declines with age (Paul Saladino, 1x).
• 13Pilates, yoga, and walking are beneficial for back pain (Andrew Huberman, 1x).
• 14Contractile muscle tissue can grow in length, promoting flexibility (Andrew Huberman, 1x).

Andrew Huberman suggests that individuals with an ectomorphic body type may benefit from avoiding high-volume yoga if they are not naturally flexible. Andrew Huberman also warns that forcing adaptations in training can lead to injury. Peter Attia notes that orthopedic surgeons frequently perform hip replacements on 50-year-old female yoga practitioners and 50-year-old male deadlifters, and that individuals adapted to yoga may develop anterior disc bulges when bending backward due to increased spinal flexibility.

The data on whether static or dynamic stretching before exercise impacts performance is inconclusive (Andrew Huberman, 1x). More conclusive data on this specific aspect could refine recommendations.