How does the stretching routine builder work?
- Choose the areas that feel tight: neck and shoulders, chest and upper back, lower back and sides, hips, or legs.
- Pick how long you have: 5, 10 or 15 minutes.
- Skip the floor if you need to. Tick "Standing and chair stretches only" for a routine you can do at a desk or without getting down.
- Follow along. Press Start and the timer counts each 30-second hold, with a soft tone when it is time to switch sides or move on. You can also print the routine.
The builder covers every area you chose before it adds a second stretch for any of them. Nothing you choose is stored.
How long should you hold a stretch?
For everyday flexibility, about a minute per stretch in total. The American College of Sports Medicine's 2011 position stand on exercise recommends "a series of flexibility exercises for each the major muscle-tendon groups (a total of 60 s per exercise) on ≥2 d·wk". The builder splits that minute into two 30-second holds, which is easier to keep steady than one long hold.
If you want bigger gains in range of motion, more stretching helps. A 2025 consensus of international stretching researchers advises to "perform 2–3 sets daily, each held for 30–120 s per muscle/soft tissue, to reach the highest possible weekly volume." Doing the routine daily rather than twice a week gets you closer to that.
| Goal | How often | How much per stretch |
|---|---|---|
| Keep everyday flexibility | At least 2 to 3 days a week | About 60 seconds in total |
| Improve range of motion | Daily | 2 to 3 holds of 30 to 120 seconds |
How far should a stretch go?
To a gentle pull, not pain. Move into each position slowly, stop where you feel the stretch, and breathe normally while you hold it. Do not bounce. If you feel sharp pain, numbness or tingling, ease off or stop.
Stretching works best when your muscles are warm, so after a walk, a workout or a warm shower is a good time.
Should you stretch before exercise?
Long static holds just before hard, explosive effort are best avoided. The 2025 consensus "does not recommend prolonged (>60 s per muscle) static stretching prior to maximal or explosive contractions", but adds that "short-duration static stretching incorporated into a dynamic warm-up and dynamic stretching do not cause such impairments." For sprinting, jumping or heavy lifting, warm up with movement and save longer stretching for afterwards or another time of day.
What can stretching do, and what can it not do?
The same expert panel agreed that regular and one-off stretching "improves range of motion" and "reduces muscle stiffness", and that long-term stretching "may promote vascular health, but more research is warranted."
They also agreed on its limits. Stretch training does not "contribute substantively to muscle growth", does not "serve as an all-encompassing injury prevention strategy", does not "improve posture", and does not "acutely enhance post-exercise recovery." For strength and muscle, the workout plan builder and the exercise library are the better tools.
Which stretches are in the builder?
- Neck and shoulders: neck side stretch, cross-body shoulder stretch, overhead arm stretch.
- Chest and upper back: doorway chest stretch, upper back stretch.
- Lower back and sides: standing side bend, seated twist, knee to chest, kneeling back stretch.
- Hips and glutes: seated figure-four stretch, kneeling hip flexor stretch, seated butterfly stretch.
- Legs and calves: calf stretch at a wall, seated hamstring stretch, standing thigh stretch.
The neck stretch, side bend and calf stretch follow the NHS flexibility exercises, which it suggests doing "at least twice a week". The others are standard static stretches.
Who should check with a professional first?
Talk to a doctor or physiotherapist before stretching if you have had recent surgery, such as a hip or back operation, a recent injury, or ongoing joint or back pain. If you sit for long stretches of the day, the movement snacks article has ideas for breaking it up, and the full guide to movement covers the rest.
