CrossFit Athletic Group

Is it even possible to be too flexible? I think the answer is yes.

There are two main groups of people that struggle with full range-of-motion (ROM) movements. The first group is where most of us live, the inflexible people who are missing mobility. For example, I cannot perform a muscle-up because I don't have enough internal rotation/extension in my shoulders to reach the bottom position of the ring dip (among other reasons). The moms and dads usually suffer the most from inflexibility, but even the freaks have to deal with this problem.

But then there is the second group, a different breed of "freaks:" the hypermobile population. These people can be seen contorting into crazy body shapes and include young children, dancers, or gymnasts. Our new kid Mia used to be a dancer and has extra flexibility in her hips, so much so that she told me "the splits don't do anything for her." 

How can Shannon smile at the bottom of the splits???

While there aren't a lot of people like Mia in the gym, hypermobility is much more common than you might think. The true definition of hypermobility means that these athletes can move their limbs too far, which makes them more susceptible to dislocation or other injuries. But when it comes to movement, this definition can include any athlete who has more ROM than they know what to do with.

Here are a couple of things to keep in mind: range-of-motion is important for movement purposes. If you can perform all of the functional movements in the gym, you have enough range-of-motion to get by. For an expression of healthy full ranges of motion, we perform flexibility shapes each week (bridge-ups, german hangs, and the splits). If you can hold those positions, you have full range-of-motion in our book. Anything beyond that might compromise your joint position and affect your ability to create tension when you're closer to midrange.

If you don't feel anything when you're holding the splits, then you should 1) check with a coach to make sure your position is right, and 2) if your position is right, then you don't need to hold the splits that day. You should use mashing instead, because your tissues are constantly changing and becoming tight. But don't forget to keep checking that split to make sure you're still able to hit full range!