It’s never too late to enjoy the benefits of flexible muscles — and in fact, the older you get, the more important those benefits become. So not only can you gain flexibility after 40, it’s imperative that you do so in order to lay the groundwork for a healthy, independent and longlived life with reduced risk of injury. But there’s no need to jump straight into master-level full split or a bridge bend; the key is to start a program that suits your knowledge and flexibility levels.
Tip
With a regular full-body stretching regimen, you can definitely gain flexibility after 40.
Stretching at Any Age
The benefits of stretching may even be enhanced as you age — if only because you get stiff enough to really feel the edge a little extra flexibility gives you. For example, in a 2017 study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, the author found that older men (around age 70) reported greater relief from stretching than the group of younger test subjects (around 25 years of age), although both groups did experience relief.
Other benefits of taking the time to develop your flexibility include reduced risk of injury, better balance, better range of motion and better performance in your favorite sports or hobbies. You might even feel stronger once you gain a bit of flexibility, simply because that flexibility gives you the range of motion to let your muscles work more efficiently
