Stop Ignoring Your Stretching Routine: How to Actually Move Better
By Tessa — Lifting heavy and lifting you up. Strength is the whole personality. ·
Let’s Be Real: We All Hate Stretching
If you’re reading this while sitting at your desk, rounded over like a cooked shrimp, I see you. I’ve been there. You finish a heavy squat session, you’re feeling like a total badass, and then you see the foam roller in the corner and think, “Nah, I’ll just do it at home.” Spoiler alert: You never do it at home.
I’m Tessa—your resident powerlifting enthusiast, part-time Denver mountain chaser, and human who has definitely pulled a hip flexor because I thought I was invincible. I get it. Stretching feels like the “boring” part of fitness. It’s not a PR, it’s not a sweat-drenched HIIT circuit, and it doesn't give you that immediate endorphin high. But here’s the thing: if you want to keep hitting those heavy lifts well into your 30s, 40s, and beyond, your stretching routine isn't optional. It’s the glue holding your performance together.
Why Static Stretching Before a Lift is Probably a Mistake
I see people walk into the gym, head straight to the mat, and start holding a deep, passive hamstring stretch for 60 seconds before touching a barbell. Unless you’re a gymnast or a dancer, stop doing that.
Static stretching (the kind where you hold a position until you feel the burn) temporarily reduces muscle stiffness and can actually decrease your explosive power output if you do it right before a heavy session. You want your muscles to be like a rubber band, not a piece of warm taffy. Before you lift, focus on dynamic mobility—movement that takes your joints through their full range of motion. Think leg swings, cat-cow flows, and world’s greatest stretches. Save the deep, long-hold static stretching for your post-workout cooldown or your “rest day” Netflix marathons.
The “Golden Retriever” Approach: Simple and Consistent
My dog, Barbell, is the king of mobility. Have you ever watched a dog wake up? They don’t overthink it. They do a massive downward dog, stretch out their hips, and shake off the tension. They move when they need to, and they rest when they need to. We could learn a lot from that.
You don’t need an hour-long yoga flow to see results. You need ten minutes of intentional movement. Here is my go-to “I’m stiff from sitting all day” routine that I use with my online clients:
1. 90/90 Hip Switches: Sit on the floor with both knees bent at 90-degree angles. Rotate your hips to switch sides without using your hands. This is life-changing for anyone who squats or deadlifts. 2. Thoracic Spine Rotations: Get on all fours, put one hand behind your head, and rotate your elbow toward the opposite wrist, then open up toward the ceiling. If you work at a computer, your upper back is screaming for this. 3. Couch Stretch: Use a bench or a wall. Get your back knee as close to the wall as possible while keeping your torso upright. This targets the psoas—the muscle that gets tightest when you spend your day hunched over.
How to Actually Make it Stick
I used to be the person who said, “I’ll stretch when I have time.” Guess what? You never have time. You have to make it.
I started doing my mobility work while Barbell is waiting for his dinner. It’s a habit stack. If you’re a coffee drinker, do your stretches while the pot brews. If you’re a fan of podcasts, designate the first ten minutes of your drive home or the first ten minutes of your evening chill session as your “stretch time.”
Consistency beats intensity every single time. Doing five minutes of mobility work four times a week is infinitely better than doing one massive, painful 45-minute stretching session once a month when you finally feel like your back is going to snap. Don’t aim for perfection; aim for presence. Feel where you’re tight, breathe into it, and treat your body with a little bit of grace. It’s the only one you’ve got, and it’s doing a lot of work for you under those heavy plates.
Listen to Your Body (Really)
I’m the first to admit that my ego has gotten in the way of my recovery more times than I can count. I’ve tried to “push through” tightness and ended up sidelined with an injury that cost me months of progress. Stretching isn’t just about flexibility; it’s about body awareness. When you’re in a stretch, pay attention to the feedback your body is giving you. Is it a good, productive stretch, or is it a sharp, “this is a bad idea” pain? If it’s the latter, back off.
Strength is a whole personality, but that personality needs a foundation. You can’t build a skyscraper on a cracked foundation, and you can’t build a strong, capable body if you’re constantly fighting against your own limited range of motion.
So, what’s your biggest mobility bottleneck? Is it your tight hips from desk life, or is your upper back feeling like it’s made of concrete? Drop a comment below—I’d love to hear how you’re incorporating movement into your day, or if you need a modification for one of these moves. Let’s get moving, friends!