25 measurable flexibility goals, from touching your toes to the splits

Flexibility goals for beginners

Beginner goals are simple positions you can test in a minute, with no equipment.

• Stretch 10 minutes a day for 2 weeks.
• Touch your toes with straight legs.
• Sit cross-legged on the floor for 5 minutes.
• Hold a deep squat with your heels down for 60 seconds.
• Touch your fingers behind your back, one arm over and one under, on both sides.

Measurable flexibility goals

Measured goals use a tape, a wall or a clock, so you can see change that is too slow to feel.

• Gain 5 cm on a sit and reach test in 8 weeks.
• Lay your palms flat on the floor in a forward fold.
• Bring your chest to your thighs in a seated forward fold.
• Raise your arms overhead with your back, head and hands all touching a wall.
• Test the same 3 stretches on the first of each month for 6 months.

Splits and advanced flexibility goals

Advanced goals are positions that take patience. High kicks depend on the same range, which is why they show up in martial arts goals.

• Get within 10 cm of the floor in the front splits.
• Do the front splits on both sides.
• Bring your chest to the floor with your legs wide apart.
• Push up into a full bridge from the floor.
• Lift a straight leg to hip height and hold it for 10 seconds.

Daily stretching goals and 30 day challenges

Daily goals are the ones that do the work, and they are a pure day count. A short daily flow is also what many yoga goals are built on.

• Stretch on 25 days out of 30.
• Stretch for 5 minutes every morning for 30 days.
• Stretch for 15 minutes after every workout for a month.
• Give each major muscle group 60 seconds of stretching, 3 days a week, for 8 weeks.
• Do a 30 day splits challenge of 10 minutes a day.

Mobility goals for everyday movement

Mobility goals are about moving through a range under control, not just reaching it. Pilates goals train that control directly.

• Get up from the floor without using your hands.
• Sit on your heels for 2 minutes.
• Squat with a stick held overhead without tipping forward.
• Spend 10 minutes a day in a deep squat, in short spells, for 30 days.
• Look over each shoulder far enough to see directly behind you.

What is a good flexibility goal?

A good flexibility goal has a measurement in it. A review of 35 years of goal research found that specific, hard goals lead to higher performance than being told to do your best. "Be more flexible" has no finish. "Palms flat on the floor" does.

How much stretching is enough? The American College of Sports Medicine recommends flexibility exercises for each major muscle group on at least 2 days a week, for a total of 60 seconds per exercise. Two holds of 30 seconds do it. That is a small daily job, which is why a day count works so well here.

Write it the way SMART goals are written: "Gain 5 cm on the sit and reach by 1 June, stretching 10 minutes a day." The test tells you if it worked. The daily part is what you actually do.

How to track flexibility goals

Tick off each day you stretch, and re-test once a month. A review of 138 studies found that people who monitored their progress reached their goals more often, and that recording it beat keeping it in your head.

Stretching days are a day count, the same shape as most 30 day challenge ideas. Do not test every day. A monthly test is enough to see the trend, and it keeps one stiff morning from looking like a setback.

Between tests there is nothing to see in the mirror. A picture that fills up one stretching day at a time is the proof that the work is being done.

Frequently asked questions

What are examples of measurable flexibility goals?

Gain 5 cm on a sit and reach test. Lay your palms flat on the floor in a forward fold. Hold a deep squat for 60 seconds. Get within 10 cm of the floor in the splits. Each one has a number or a clear pass mark.

How often should I stretch to reach a flexibility goal?

The American College of Sports Medicine recommends at least 2 days a week, with a total of 60 seconds per exercise for each major muscle group. A short daily routine meets that too.

What is a realistic flexibility goal?

One step past where you are now. If your fingers reach your shins, aim for your toes. If they reach your toes, aim for palms flat. Set the next goal when you pass the test, not before.