How to Measure Flexibility & Build a More Functional Body

Flexibility plays a significant role in how our bodies move and function. When we have adequate flexibility, our muscles, tendons, and ligaments can easily lengthen and stretch, allowing efficient movement. Poor flexibility, on the other hand, can impede performance, make everyday activities more difficult, and increase the risk of injury. How to Measure Flexibility will show you how to assess your flexibility to improve it for better movement, reduced pain, and enhanced athletic performance or daily function.

One of the best ways to measure flexibility is with Pliability's mobility app. This valuable resource helps users track their progress, set goals, and complete effective routines to improve their flexibility and mobility.

Why Should We Test Flexibility?

Flexibility may be a key predictor of longevity. In a landmark study tracking over 3,100 adults aged 46–65 for more than a decade, researchers found that individuals with the stiffest joints, particularly women, faced a significantly higher risk of premature death. 

According to lead author Dr. Claudio Gil S. Araujo of Clinimex, flexibility reflects genetics and lifestyle, and its decline accelerates with: 

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• Age
• Inactivity
• Injury 

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Beyond limiting movement, poor flexibility can signal deeper health issues like arterial stiffness and cardiovascular risk. The study highlights the urgent need to take flexibility seriously as an essential component of long-term health.

Flexibility and Aging: What You Need to Know

Starting around age 30 or 40, flexibility continuously decreases, with men losing flexibility more quickly than women. But this decline doesn’t occur uniformly throughout the body. Research shows that the shoulders and trunk lose flexibility more rapidly than the elbows and knees. 

At any age, you may be relatively flexible in one part of your body and have a limited range of motion in another. Flexibility can also vary from one side to another. 

How to Assess Flexibility and Why It Matters

Flexibility varies by genetics, gender, and health conditions, but optimal flexibility is personal, not universal. While women tend to be more flexible than men, factors like injury, arthritis, and age can limit mobility. Both too little and too much flexibility carry risks: limited range hampers daily function and raises injury risk, while hypermobility can lead to joint pain and anxiety disorders. 

The goal isn’t extreme flexibility but functional mobility tailored to your lifestyle and needs, improving: 

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• Performance in sports
• Easing daily movements
• Simply playing with your kids

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Start by assessing your current flexibility with a few simple tests done post-warmup.

Related Reading

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• Why Do I Keep Getting Injured
• Why Am I So Inflexible
• How to Prevent Soreness After Leg Day
• Why Are My Hips So Tight

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How to Measure Flexibility

Getting Flexible: The Basics of Flexibility Measurement

Flexibility measurements include flexion and extension movements. No general tests are available that provide representative values of total body flexibility. Instead, tests are specific to each joint, muscle group, and area of connective tissue. 

Because flexibility is joint-specific, determining the range of motion of a few joints does not necessarily indicate flexibility in other joints.

Sit and Reach Test: The Classic Flexibility Test 

Developed in the 1950s, this classic test of flexibility in the hamstrings and lower back has several variations. Sit-and-reach test results compare your flexibility over time and your score to norms, or averages, for your gender and age. Adequate flexibility is reaching your toes while keeping your legs straight.

Here’s a DIY version from the YMCA that requires only a yardstick and masking tape. 

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• Put the yardstick on the ground with a strip of tape across the 15-inch mark.
• With your shoes off, sit on the floor with the yardstick between your legs and the 0-inch end closest to you.
• Keep your legs straight and your feet about 12 inches apart. Sitting up straight, position your heels at the 14-inch mark.
• Place one hand directly on the other and slowly reach forward as far as possible without bouncing. Drop your head if it helps, and exhale as you stretch.
• Note where the ends of your fingers reach on the yardstick. Repeat two more times and record the farthest distance.

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Sit and Reach Test Scores

Adult Men

Result

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• 34cm or above
  Excellent
• 28 to 33cm
  Above average
• 23 to 27cm
  Average
• 16 to 22cm
  Below average
• Below 16cm
  Poor

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Adult Women

Result

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• 37cm or above
  Excellent
• 33 to 36cm
  Above average
• 29 to 32cm
  Average
• 23 to 28cm
  Below average
• Below 23cm
  Poor

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Modified Sit and Reach Test

The sit and reach test is the most common flexibility test. It measures the flexibility of the lower back and hamstrings. 

It requires a box about 30cm (12 inches) high and a meter rule:

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• Sit on the floor with your back and head against a wall. Legs should be out straight ahead and knees flat against the floor.
• Have someone place the box flat against your feet (no shoes). Stretching your arms towards the box keeps your back and head against the wall.
• Have someone place the ruler on the box and move the zero end towards your fingertips. When the ruler touches your fingertips, you have the zero point, and the test can begin.
• Lean forward slowly as far as possible, keeping the fingertips level with each other and the legs flat. Your head and shoulders can come away from the wall now. Do NOT jerk or bounce to reach further.
• Slowly reach along the length of the ruler 3 times. On the third attempt, go as far as possible and hold for 2 seconds. Have your training partner read the score. Repeat twice and compare your best score with the table below.
  
  

The following table is data from the American College of Sports Medicine (1995) for performance in the sit and reach test: 

Zipper Test for Shoulder Flexibility 

This test of shoulder flexibility measures how closely you can bring your hands together behind your back. You need a tape measure or ruler and an assistant. 

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• Stand and raise your right arm above your head. Bending your right elbow, reach behind your head with your palm touching your body. Reach as far down the middle of your back as you can, with your fingers pointed down. 
• Place your left arm behind your back, palm facing out, and your fingers upward. Reach up as far as possible and try to touch your other hand. 
• Have someone measure the distance between the ends of your middle fingers. Record the gap length as a negative number if they don't meet. If they touch, score that as a zero. If they overlap, record the overlap length as a positive number. 
• Do the test two more times and record your best reading. Then switch arms, putting your left hand behind your head, and repeat. 

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The Sitting-Rising Test

This test, developed by a Brazilian doctor, has received attention as a tool to predict mortality risk in middle-aged and older people. It can also indicate flexibility (strength and balance) in people of all ages. 

No equipment is required, but you need sufficient space and a surface that’s not slippery.

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• Standing barefoot, try to sit on the floor with as little support as possible from your hands, legs, arms, or other body parts. Crossing your legs is fine.
• Try to stand up again from the seated position with as little support as possible.
• Give yourself a score of 5 if you sat without support, and five if you got up without support. For each support required, such as a hand, forearm, knee, side of a leg or hand on a knee, subtract 1 point. Subtract a half-point if you were wobbly sitting or standing.
• Do the test twice and combine your best scores sitting and standing. 

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Shoulder Flexibility Test

This test assesses the flexibility of the shoulder joint. 

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• From a standing or sitting position, one hand reaches over the shoulder and down the back while the other reaches up from behind and attempts to touch or interlock fingers with the first hand. 
• The qualitative test assesses whether the fingers can touch or interlock. The degree of ease or difficulty in achieving this can also be noted. 

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Trunk Lift Test 

This test measures the flexibility and strength of the lower back and hamstring muscles. 

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• Lying face down on the floor, the individual slowly lifts the upper body off the ground using the lower back muscles, keeping the hips on the floor. 
• The height the chest lifts off the ground is measured, with higher lifts indicating better flexibility and lower back strength. 

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Thomas Test 

Used to evaluate the flexibility of the hip flexors. 

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• The individual lies on their back on a table or bench, bringing one knee to the chest to flatten the lower back against the surface, while allowing the other leg to hang freely off the edge. 
• The test looks at the position of the hanging leg; if the thigh cannot remain horizontal or the knee cannot bend to 90 degrees without the lower back lifting, it indicates tight hip flexors. 

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Trunk Rotation Test

This flexibility test measures trunk and shoulder flexibility. The only equipment required is a wall and a piece of chalk or a pencil. 

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• Mark a vertical line on the wall. Stand with your back to the wall directly in front of the line. You should be about arm's length away from the wall with your feet shoulder-width apart.
• Extend your arms out directly in front of you to parallel the floor. Twist your trunk to your right and touch the wall behind you with your fingertips. Your arms should stay extended and parallel to the floor. You can turn your shoulders, hips, and knees if your feet don’t move.
• Mark the position where your fingertips touched the wall. Measure the distance from the line. A point before the line is a negative score, and a point after the line is a positive score.
• Repeat for the left side, take the two scores' average, and compare with this table.

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Groin Flexibility Test 

This flexibility test measures flexibility in the adductors. The only piece of equipment you require is a ruler or tape measure: 

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• Sit on the floor with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor, and legs together. 
• Let your knees drop sideways as far as possible, keeping your feet together. The soles of your feet should be together. 
• Clasp your feet with both hands and pull your ankles as close to your body as possible. Measure the distance from your heels to your groin. 

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Ankle Flexibility Test 

This test measures the flexibility of the ankle joint, particularly the calf muscles and the Achilles tendon. 

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• The individual stands facing a wall with the toe of one foot touching the wall while keeping the heel on the ground. The other foot is placed behind for stability. The individual then leans forward without lifting the heel.
• The distance of the toe from the wall is increased until the heel lifts off the ground, and this distance is measured. Greater distances indicate better ankle flexibility.
  
  

Note: There’s no need to get perfect scores on these tests, though if you do, that’s great. Instead, use the results to track improvements in flexibility over time. That way, you can tell whether all those shoulder stretches or Cobra poses are paying off.

Related Reading

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• Why Does My Leg Shake When I Stretch
• Fitness Assessment
• Why Can't I Straighten My Arm After Working Out
• How Flexible Are You
• Why Are My Hamstrings So Tight
• Sit and Reach Flexibility Test

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Tips to Improve Your Flexibility

Tight joints frequently discourage people from being physically active. They can also affect everyday life. “It becomes hard just to lean over and tie your shoes if your back is stiff,” Araujo said. If your results seem low or you suspect, even without checking, that your body is too stiff, improving your flexibility is possible, although it requires diligence. 

Get Started With Stretching

Araujo suggests regularly stretching and working various joints and muscles, even or especially while at your desk. 

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• While seated, cross one foot over the top of your opposite knee, for instance, which focuses on your knee joint. Roll your elevated ankle through its full range of motion. Continue for a minute or so. 
• Reach behind your head with one arm as far as possible toward your opposite shoulder, as if trying to scratch an inaccessible itch. 
• Hold for another minute. 
• Reach straight toward the ceiling with your arm, stretching your shoulder and elbow. 
• Get out of the chair, turn back toward it, and step onto the seat with one foot, which helps work your knees, lower back, and ankle. 

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Repeating these moves a few times throughout the day may help reduce stiffness. 

Discover Activities That Improve Flexibility

Studies show that yoga, tai chi, swimming, and even walking increase flexibility in people of various ages. Visiting the gym might make us more supple, too, since strong, healthy muscles stabilize and protect joints. In a study published in June, researchers found that eight weeks of weight training improved people’s joint range of motion as much as eight weeks of regular, sustained stretching, while also amplifying their hip and lower-back strength. 

But almost any regular activity should help make and keep us relatively flexible, said David Behm, a Memorial University of Newfoundland professor and co-author of the weight-training study. (He was not involved in the study of mortality.)

Stability and Mobility Exercises to Improve Flexibility and Strength

How it works: 

Do 1 set of each stability and mobility exercise for the number of reps indicated. Use this routine as a pre-workout warm-up or do it daily to improve your movement. 

You'll need: no equipment required. 

Wrist Stretch and Knuckle Push-Up

How it works: 

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•  Start in a tabletop position with wrists under shoulders, knees under hips, and spine neutral. 
• Shift shoulders an inch forward, feeling the stretch at the back of the wrists. 
• Shift back to the starting position, then lift palms while keeping fingers on the floor. Lower back to starting position. That's one rep. Do 8 to 10 reps. 

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Open Hip Lunge with Arm Circle

How it works:

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• Start in a lunge with the right foot forward and the left leg back. Drop the left knee to the floor to move into a low lunge, with the top of the left foot resting. 
• Press your left palm into the floor at the side and extend your right arm in front of your body. Turn your right foot slightly so your toes point out, then open your hip by gently pressing your front knee to the starting position. 
• Slowly circle the right arm overhead, then backward, down, and around to return to the starting position, keeping the gaze focused at the tip of the right hand throughout the movement. That's one rep. Do five reps. Switch sides; repeat. 

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Arch and Curl

How it works:

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• Start in a tabletop position with wrists under shoulders, knees under hips, and spine neutral. Slowly arch the spine, lifting the chest and tailbone while lowering the belly button toward the floor. 
• Draw belly button toward spine to round back toward the ceiling, dropping tailbone toward the floor, and curling chin into chest. That’s one rep. Do 8 to 10 reps. 

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Dynamic Frog Stretch

How it works:

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• Start in a tabletop position with wrists under shoulders, knees under hips, and spine neutral. 
• Drop onto your forearms and slowly slide your knees out to the sides as far as possible, with your knees bent at about 90 degrees. (Wearing knee pads helps.) 
• Slowly rock hips forward and back. That’s one rep. Do 8 to 10 reps. 

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Scapulae Push-Up

How it works:

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• Start in a high plank position with hands directly underneath shoulders and legs extended, feet hip-width apart. Pull shoulder blades together, keeping spine neutral and elbows straight. 
• Actively press hands into the floor to open shoulder blades as wide as possible. That’s one rep. Do 8 to 10 reps. 

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Hollow Body Compression Breaths

How it works:

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• Lie face-up on the floor with your head and shoulder blades lifted, your lower back touching the floor, and your arms hovering at your sides. Lift your legs so your knees are stacked over your hips, bent at a 45-degree angle, and your shins parallel to the floor. 
• Inhale, then exhale to engage the core and draw the belly button toward the spine. Work to keep the low back neutral (pressing into the floor). That’s one rep. Do 8 to 10 reps. 

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Low Lunge with Integrated Push Back 

How it works:

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• Start in a lunge with the right foot forward and the left leg back, the left knee hovering off the floor, and both palms pressing into the floor, about shoulder-width apart, on the inside of the right foot. 
• Bring your right foot back to meet your left, send your hips high, and press your chest back, coming into a bent-knee downward dog. That’s one rep.
• Shift forward, stepping left foot forward to outside of left hand, coming into a low lunge on the other side. Then, step left foot back and return to downward dog. Continue alternating, straightening knees further with each downward dog. Do 8 to 10 reps per side.

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Improve Your Flexibility with Our Mobility App Today | Get 7 Days for Free on Any Platform

Pliability offers a fresh take on yoga, tailored for performance-oriented individuals and athletes. Our app features a vast library of high-quality videos designed to: 

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• Improve flexibility
• Aid recovery
• Reduce pain
• Enhance range of motion

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Pliability provides daily-updated custom mobility programs for those interested in optimizing their health and fitness. It also includes a unique body-scanning feature to pinpoint mobility issues. If you're feeling limited by pain or ability to move, Pliability aims to complement your fitness routine and help you move better. 

Sign up today for 7 days absolutely for free, on iPhone, iPad, Android, or on our website to improve flexibility, aid recovery, reduce pain, and enhance range of motion with our mobility app.

Related Reading

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• How to Test Hip Mobility
• Ankle Mobility Test
• Shoulder Flexibility Test
• Mobility Test for Adults
• Why Are Dynamic Flexibility Tests Not Used as Often as Static Flexibility Tests?
• Why Should You Measure Your Level of Flexibility?

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