Limits to Flexibility and How to Address Them

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You want to be more flexible, but despite all your stretching, you still feel stiff.

Why is that? Because the range of motion is about more than just the length of the muscles.

Traditionally, it’s been thought that 4 factors can limit your flexibility.

Remember muscle length is only 1 of those 4.

The 4 Factors That Limit Range of Motion (Plus a Bonus Factor)

According to Michael Alter, the author of one of the most definitive books on flexibility, The Science of Flexibility, there are 4 limitations to range of motion, and they all contribute different amounts:

1. The muscle (together with the fascia that surrounds it). It contributes 41% of the limitation to the range of motion.
2. The tendon. It contributes 10%
3. The skin. It contributes 2%
4. The joint capsule. It contributes 47%.

So isn’t it interesting that the factor that we focus on the most only contributes 41%, and yet a factor that is mostly neglected contributes 47%?

Oh, by the way, why did I also say there’s a “bonus factor” that limits the range of motion? Because it’s the nervous system. After all, what controls muscles…