Roger Frampton is on a mission to get men moving more freely, to rid them of the inflexibility that predisposes them to poor posture, back pain and injuries. It’s no easy task. Most men, he says, are not great at stretching. “It’s not that they are any less flexible and mobile than women. But a lot of men just shy away from stretching; they work on it less than other aspects of fitness.”
A personal trainer who specialises in functional movement, Frampton is also a former model who has appeared in advertising campaigns for Ralph Lauren, Orlebar Brown and Aquascutum. His feats of flexibility are a regular feature on his Instagram posts, where his 77,700 followers must marvel at his physical prowess. But it wasn’t always that way. “In my late teens I was hitting the gym just trying to get toned pecs and a six-pack,” he says. “Like many men, I neglected flexibility.”
That changed when he took up gymnastics in his mid-twenties and realised that strength and stretching went hand in hand. “When you stretch, you are not just making muscles more flexible, but joints and tendons too,” he says. “Your body strength improves as you are able to hold positions for longer, and mobility, the ability to move freely and easily, gets better every time you do it.”
Frampton, whose Ted talk Why Sitting Down Destroys You has been viewed more than four million times, is now an authority on stretching and has worked with the Olympic champion diver Tom Daley to help him to hone his flexibility. “I trained with Tom a couple of years ago to try and identify the shapes and flexibility required for him to move through the air,” Frampton says. “A diver like Tom performs gymnastics in the air and wouldn’t be able to do that without immense flexibility, which is why it is such a key component of his training.”
Even for the rest of us it is important. And Frampton’s message is that we need to stretch daily. “You can’t treat stretching like a regular gym workout and do it once or twice a week — you need to do it every single day,” he says. “Seven minutes of daily stretching is better than an hour-long yoga class once a week.”
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In his new book, Stretch, he outlines seven movement patterns that should be the focus of a flexibility programme, including spine extension, rotation and flexion, lateral or side stretches, shoulder flexion, hip opening and balance. But the important thing is that we do something, he says. “Any stretching is better than none. Tissues around joints are thick and we need to move and flex these as often as we can to make progress.”
How we stretch is less important than how often. “There is a lot of debate about whether dynamic or moving stretches are better than static stretches in which you hold a position for a long time,” Frampton says. “But there is plenty of scientific evidence for both and, for the average person, doing either or a combination of these is better than not.”
He says any stretch movement should be slow. “I suggest starting off by staying in a stretch for about 60 seconds if you can, using either slow movement or staying still so that you give your body the full attention it deserves. Just listen to your body, relax and react accordingly.”
He rejects the idea that we can’t get more flexible as we get older. He knows men and women in their seventies and eighties who can out-flex him. And at 37 he is now more bendy and mobile than he was at 22. “I’m certainly not someone who you would call naturally flexible, but I work on it a little every day and the transformation has been dramatic,” he says.
Stick at it and the payoff could be huge. Better flexibility is associated with lower incidence of back and shoulder tension and fewer falls. A recent study from the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation and Social Integration at Laval University in Canada found that stretching offered an immediate increase in pain-sensitivity threshold — in other words, it acted as a natural painkiller. Researchers had to apply greater pressure to produce muscular pain in participants after they had stretched than before.
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Frampton likes to stretch in the evenings, when his body is more warm and pliable. “It doesn’t really matter when you do it — in the mornings you may need to stretch just to feel normal, whereas the afternoon and evenings is when you feel real progress being made,” he says. “Often I recommend people split their stretching into three mini sessions of two to three minutes each throughout the day.” Ultimately, he says, we just need to get it done. “Stretching more will be the best fitness decision of a lifetime.”
Stretch: Seven Daily Movements to Set Your Body Free by Roger Frampton, Pavilion Books, £14.99
Broomstick twist
Why do it?
Rotation is one of the fundamental movements of the body and yet also one of the most neglected. Our sedentary culture means that our upper backs, where most of our rotation should come from, are often fixed in a position for too long.
How to do it
For this exercise you will need a broomstick, but if you don’t have one, holding a book or yoga block in your hands will work just as well. Sit cross-legged on the floor; this will help move the spine better than standing. Pick up the stick and hold it horizontally at shoulder height. Keeping your body upright and hips glued to the floor, rotate the stick slowly from the centre to the left, allowing your shoulders, spine and head to follow. Pause for a few seconds at the maximum point of rotation and return slowly to the centre. Repeat to the right. Continue for 60 to 90 seconds.
Cross-body stretch
Why do it?
Too much sitting and desk work puts our backs in a flexed position for too long. Extension of the spine, the focus of this move, is the opposite of flexion. Working on spine extension will slowly bring relief from lower-back pain as movement range increases. This is a great stretch that increases spine extension with a bit of added rotation. You will also feel a stretch in your thighs, hip flexors and even your stomach — all good.
How to do it
Start in a lunge position with the right foot forward and left knee behind your torso on the floor. Place your left hand behind your head for support and put your right arm on your right hip. If you feel a decent enough stretch, hold it here. For a deeper stretch, reach back and put your right hand on your right heel (or on a sofa behind you) and push your hips forward. Aim to hold for 60 to 90 seconds.
Wall slides
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Why do it?
This works lateral flexion: stretching your sides, an area that we tend to ignore but one that really helps to improve flexibility in the hamstrings, hips and shoulders if you do it regularly. Doing the exercise against a wall helps to stop your body from rotating out of the stretch you should be doing.
How to do it
Sit on the floor, back against a wall, cross-legged or with the soles of your feet together. Your upper and lower back should be in contact with the wall throughout. Place your right hand behind your head and slide your left hand along the floor. As you go into the stretch, leaning over towards your left hand, make sure your right buttock stays in contact with the ground — if it raises, you have gone too far. For a deeper stretch, raise and straighten your right arm. Hold for as long as is comfortable, aiming for 60 seconds.
Ankle grab
Why do it?
This exercise works on spine flexion, helping to lengthen the body and separate the vertebrae to stop them compressing into each other. It is an exercise that works mobility, and the ultimate objective is for your chest to touch your thighs. It will take time, but the good news is that you can bend your knees as much as you want. You’ll get better at it each time you do it.
How to do it
Stand with your feet hip-width apart and fold forwards from your hips, bending the knees as much as you need to to place your chest firmly on your thighs or as close as possible. Relax your head and grab your ankles or any point at the backs of your legs. Bend your arms to pull your upper body towards your lower body, focusing on pushing your bottom upwards. Hold for as long as is comfortable.
Reverse shoulder stretch
Why do it?
Slouching and lots of push-ups, planks and arm exercises can cause tight and immobile shoulders. This reverse shoulder stretch exercise helps to open the shoulders so that you regain a full range of motion.
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How to do it
Sit on the floor, knees bent and feet flat. Place your hands on the floor behind you, hands facing outwards to prevent your elbows from collapsing. Spread your fingers and push your elbows backwards so they are stacked over your hands. You should feel a stretch in the front of your shoulders. Hold this position for as long as is comfortable, aiming for 60 seconds.
Lazy wall stretch
Why do it?
Tightness and restrictions in the hips can affect walking or even just picking things up off the ground. As a result you start to recruit other parts of the body, putting strain on the lower back and knees. This exercise is a step towards unlocking the hips to new levels of movement.
How to do it
Sit on the floor in a slouched position against a wall, legs out in front of you. Bend your right knee so that your right foot is flat on the floor. Raise your left foot and place it on your right thigh. First, try to bring your left foot closer towards your body for a deeper stretch. Once that is comfortable, inch yourself up the wall to sit straighter. It can take weeks, but the aim is eventually to sit with your back close to the wall. Hold for as long as is comfortable, aiming for 60 to 90 seconds.
Walk the line
Why do it?
Balance is essential, but it diminishes rapidly as we age unless we work to maintain it. Ultimately, the goal is to have the mobility, balance and flexibility to stand and move on one leg. But you need to start slowly. You will notice the payoffs in so many areas once you start adding this simple exercise to your daily moves.
How to do it
You need a straight line on the floor — this can be the edge of a mat, some tape or a piece of fabric. Take your shoes and socks off and place one foot on the line with the whole foot facing forwards. Next, place the other foot directly in front of it and keep going. Lift the hands out to the sides to help you to balance. Move slowly, aiming for the fewest number of steps possible within 60 to 90 seconds. Then do the same walking backwards.
