Get back on the floor: mobility and flexibility as you age
Kelly Starrett, Vonda Wright, Ido Portal and Huberman's stretching episode all prescribe regular floor sitting, squatting and short static stretches to preserve range of motion. Mobility keeps independence and reduces injuries in later decades.
What do all four sources agree causes loss of range of motion with age? Show answer
Disuse. Range of motion is kept by regularly using it and lost when the positions are no longer visited.
What is Kelly Starrett's simplest mobility prescription? Show answer
Sit on the floor for 20 to 30 minutes each evening in varied positions, shifting and fidgeting as you like.
What floor self-test does Starrett describe? Show answer
Cross your feet, lower yourself to sitting and stand back up without using hands or knees, with either foot in front.
What level of flexibility does Starrett aim for? Show answer
Basic, normative range of motion as taught in clinical school, not extreme flexibility; can you do what you want and be pain-free?
What is Ido Portal's squat challenge? Show answer
Accumulate 30 minutes a day resting in an unloaded deep squat, spread through the day and built up gradually.
What does FACE stand for in Vonda Wright's framework? Show answer
Flexibility and mobility, aerobics, carrying a load, and equilibrium and foot speed.
How does Wright explain frailty? Show answer
As a result of not moving, not of aging itself: people age because they get frail.
How fast does flexibility decline, according to Andrew Huberman? Show answer
About 10 percent every 10 years from around age 20, averaging about 1 percent a year, though not in a straight line.
Which type of stretching gives the biggest long-term gains in range of motion? Show answer
Static stretching, which beat dynamic and ballistic stretching across studies Huberman reviewed.
How long and how often should static stretches be held? Show answer
About 30 seconds per hold, totalling at least five minutes per muscle group per week, on at least five days.
How hard should you stretch? Show answer
Gently, at about 30 to 40 percent of the point of pain, which improved range more than stretching at 80 percent.
How do Portal and Huberman differ on discomfort and risk? Show answer
Portal sees discomfort as a sign of being in the right place and accepts small injuries; Huberman warns that pushing to extremes causes injuries.