I’m an avid reader. I juggle 3–4 books at once and I’m always working through something related to my field. I call these the “hafta reads”—books I have to tackle to stay sharp and up to date in my profession (here are some of my favorites). These are often the kinds of books that can take a long time to finish, which isn’t surprising. Topics like humeral anterior glide syndrome or the pathokinesiologic model of movement aren’t light reading.
I also read a good amount of non-fiction, especially self-improvement and behavioral economics. As you can imagine, I’m always the life of the party!
I have a 40-minute commute to and from work each day, so I’ll also work through an Audible book, unless I’m listening to ESPN or EW Radio. And like any true nerd, I’m always up for a good piece of fiction, especially science fiction.
I started reading The Martian by Andy Weir two days ago, and I cannot put it down. It’s about astronaut Mark Watney, who uses his humor and resilience to survive after his crew evacuates thinking he’s dead. He’s not dead—he’s stranded on Mars with no way to signal Earth that he’s alive. It’s gripping. It’s also being made into a movie directed by Ridley Scott, with Matt Damon and Jessica Chastain.
As is the case with any book, I look for parallels between what I’m reading and how I can apply ideas to my work as a coach. The Martian’s theme of being alone and navigating a harsh environment mirrors the challenges I see when questioning common fitness myths and fallacies.
Take stretching, for example. It’s easy to assume that tight hamstrings or hip flexors are the root problem behind many pains. The truth is more nuanced. There are plenty of people who have genuinely short or stiff muscles, and they can benefit from stretching. But static stretching, while useful, doesn’t lengthen a muscle in the sense of adding real length. To increase a muscle’s length, you’d either lengthen bone (ouch) or, for someone who is truly short or stiff, add sarcomeres in series—which requires a lot of stretching.
Ask physical therapist Bill Hartman how long someone needs to stretch to make a meaningful change, and he’ll say the starting point is two to three sessions of 10-minute holds per day, working up to 20-minute holds. That quick 30-second stretch isn’t doing much.
With that in mind, the common advice to “just go stretch” isn’t always the best for every person or every situation. Here are some common stretching mistakes and misconceptions.
1. ARE YOU “TIGHT” OR JUST OUT OF WHACK?
You’d be surprised how often it’s the latter. Many people aren’t truly tight as much as misaligned. This idea shows up in conversations about stability vs mobility. Mike Reinold has noted that.
– Which is more important to address first: stability or mobility?
Trainers who focus on stability often have clients balancing on unstable surfaces, while those who focus on mobility adore their favorite range-of-motion drills. Neither approach is wrong, but using one as a universal fix for everyone is flawed.
If you stabilize in misalignment, you create imbalances. If you mobilize in misalignment, you create instability.
For someone with excessive anterior pelvic tilt, their hamstrings may feel perpetually tight, but simply stretching them won’t solve the problem. The pelvis position is the key. If you don’t address pelvic tilt, you won’t see real improvement. This ties into the idea of Lower Cross Syndrome, though it isn’t a guaranteed fix for everyone.
For many people, most of their effort should go toward movements that promote a posterior pelvic tilt, such as:
– Posterior pelvic tilt hip thrusts
– Cueing PPT when squatting and deadlifting
– Reverse crunches
– Deep squat breathing with lat stretch (the breathing drill helps turn off the lats and cue PPT)
Video reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SndY5ctyU8U
2. YOU’RE DOING IT WRONG
While stretching hip flexors can help, doing it incorrectly can cause more issues. Many people tilt their pelvis forward and overload the lumbar spine, which isn’t a true hip flexor stretch and can do more harm than good.
A proper way to stretch the hip flexors:
– Start in a half-kneeling position with your chest up
– Press the trailing leg’s toes into the ground
– Squeeze the glute of the trailing leg hard to posteriorly tilt the pelvis
– Gently shift weight forward a little to deepen the stretch through the hip joint, not the low back
– If you want extra challenge, you can steady yourself with a wall and grab the trailing ankle with the opposite hand, but many will feel a good stretch without it
3. ARE YOU “TIGHT” OR JUST UNSTABLE?
Some athletes—especially baseball players—feel very tight even though they pass standard range-of-motion tests (Beighton laxity score). This is often protective tension: the body senses instability and tightens up to protect itself. Stretching without improving stability won’t fix it, because muscle tone will stay high in the face of perceived instability.
A practical test: hold a 5–10 lb plate out in front. You’ll often see improvements in squat form and depth, because the weight acts as a counterbalance and forces the core to engage, improving stability.
Dean Somerset has noted that “muscles do not have origins or insertions, merely anchors to bone.” The body is one continuous system connected by fascia. For deeper dives, see Thomas Myers’ Anatomy Trains, or watch Dean’s demonstrations on improving hip ROM through correct planks and breathing.
So, are you tight or just unstable? Is stretching always the answer? Are you even stretching the right way?
If you’re interested, we’ll be in LA in two weeks for a workshop.
