Is flexibility training limited by lack of exercise in youth?

Question

In my youth, I walked to school where I mostly sat, and walked home, where I mostly sat. I never practiced sports or other physically strenuous activity, except some weight training as a teenager, and I never stretched. And that's true of my entire life thus far.

My question is: what evidence is there that I can or cannot increase my flexibility beyond a certain threshold determined by my past sedentariness, assuming "unlimited" flexibility training from now on?

Obviously, this is not a question about motivating myself by telling myself optimistic white lies about science, so please do not answer in that way. I just want to know what evidence there is for and against my past body treatment affecting my future body potential, given a lot of training

Answer 1

I will tell you several things which I believe will add up to the answer of your question.

1. Gymnasts start working on flexibility first thing in their career. Since the age of 4-5-6, the earlier they start working flexibility the better. After that coaches make them maintain their flexibility level.
2. The older you get, the less flexible you will be. It goes away just like strength(hence why gymnasts start developing that first).
3. It's all about genes. I have learnt from gymnastics coaches that flexibility is not something anybody can develop well. You either have the potential for it or you don't. Just how some kids can go down into a split without ever working on it. I on the other hand couldn't do it both when I was little and later in my teenage years even after spending hours on flexibility every day I made somewhat of an average progress. Thus if you were given flexible joints at birth even if you are older now it should not be much of a problem.

and 4. which is a littler irrelevant but I would like to share it with you for I feel you might need to know that. Every joint has different flexibility. For example I have seen gymnasts that could do splits but were inflexible in their shoulders. Thus they had to focus more on shoulder flexibility in order to catch up. Thus don't get discouraged right away and see how your overall flexibility develops!

Answer 2

Yes, there are sensitive ages to develop flexibility. See Tom Kurz, Science of Sports Training, pages 303-305, which in turn reference Drabik 1996. You cannot be in this lifetime as flexible as you would be if you had trained gymnastics or ballet or whatever when you were young. Too bad. However, those limits are pretty far along the path to elite flexibility. Some are related to permanently altering tendons in your hip, for example. It shouldn't be much of a concern except to realize that in addition to never being an astronaut, you will probably never be an Olympic gold medal figure skater.

You cannot assume "unlimited" flexibility, but then again you couldn't assume that before. Everyone has a genetic potential. By not training when young, you have merely squandered less than a tiny half percentage point (warning: number pulled out of thin air) of your lifetime flexibility potential.

Answer 3

Flexibility can be had. There is little cap on your flexibility based on past non-flexibility. The two basics of flexibility is how often your muscles are stretched (in a variety of ways) and genetics. Gains are very small and incremental. However the good news is that you have done little weight training in your life and you don't have to worry about muscles getting in the way.