Are thin people more flexible?

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misti777
misti777 Posts: 217 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I've always thought that thin people were automatically more flexible because they don't have flab blocking their range of motion.
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Replies

  • Alisontheice
    Alisontheice Posts: 9,624 Member
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    I would say no. I think flexibility is more genetic related.

    I used to be very flexible and lost it because I didn't work on it but I know many skinny people who can barely touch their toes. I mean I am sure that maybe the extra flesh in the way impedes flexibility but for the most part I'd say it is genetic.
  • misti777
    misti777 Posts: 217 Member
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    Oh okay. I can barely touch my toes right now, maybe if I work on it I can become more flexible. Actually a while back I used to be able to bow my head down and get kind of close to my leg as I sat and did a toe touch.
  • RunnerElizabeth
    RunnerElizabeth Posts: 1,091 Member
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    I was one of the skinny people who couldn't touch her toes. Now I'm one of the average weight people who can't touch their toes. I've worked on it in the past, but never with any noticeable improvement.
  • Blitz_40
    Blitz_40 Posts: 110 Member
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    I was one of the skinny people who couldn't touch her toes. Now I'm one of the average weight people who can't touch their toes. I've worked on it in the past, but never with any noticeable improvement.

    Same here!
  • CycleFlow
    CycleFlow Posts: 55
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    Has nothing to do with being skinny. As Alisontheice said - extra fat or skin may impepde range of motion, but it does not mean you arent flexible. I have read yoga website for large bodies, and some even suggest to shift extra weight around to get deeper into a stretch... even when I teach, I suggest moving bum cheeks out of the way to connect sit bones better to the mat - and everyone has a little booty they can move..

    Ways to improve stretching...

    - MUST DO IT DAILY... commitment is key (20 - 30 minutes depending on how many muscle groups)
    - Breathe into each stretch.... deep inhale, exhale to lengthen
    - repeat each stretch 2 - 4 times, holding for 20- 30 seconds - longer if you can comforatably manage it. By the 3 or 4th time you will already notice a difference. Muscles take coaxing and time to lengthen.
    - if you can, try different stretches for each muscle - some work better depending on the person

    Even with genetics.. time, effort and commitment will increase anyones flexibility.
    ;)

    -
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    flexible people are more flexible
  • KayteeBear
    KayteeBear Posts: 1,040 Member
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    Obviously, the question is already answered. I'm a little bit bigger and I'm SUPER flexible. Way more so than most of the super skinny people I know. Sometimes my belly fat does get in the way but that doesn't have anything to do with my actual flexibility.
  • RainHoward
    RainHoward Posts: 1,599 Member
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    Oh no. I've been with some bigger girls that could do things........ Anyway, it has more to do with muscle and joint structure than weight. And if you work them or not. Anyone can become flexible given enough time and practice.
  • BeachIron
    BeachIron Posts: 6,490 Member
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    I'm not bendy.
  • caribear1984
    caribear1984 Posts: 203
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    Obviously, the question is already answered. I'm a little bit bigger and I'm SUPER flexible. Way more so than most of the super skinny people I know. Sometimes my belly fat does get in the way but that doesn't have anything to do with my actual flexibility.

    ^This. I could bend over and put my hands flat on the floor at about 325. Many of my much-skinnier friends can't do that. If you keep working at it like another previous poster said, you will get more flexible.
  • mrdexter1
    mrdexter1 Posts: 356 Member
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    i doubt it...

    but thin women are less "tight" --- which probably explains why "small " men like larger women and "large" men avoid them if sober !!!
  • Candi_land
    Candi_land Posts: 1,311 Member
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    I'm a bigger chick and pretty bendy. I practice yoga (of course some of the moves modified to accommodate my body) regularly. Belly fat does get in the way when I'm touching my head to my knees while sitting down, but I manage to work around it. I look forward to the moves I'll be able to accomplish once I slim down some more. :drinker:
  • lulz14
    lulz14 Posts: 36 Member
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    Each person is different, thin people are not necessarily flexible, but becoming thinner does make you more flexible.

    I could always touch my toes etc., since I've lost weight can very easily press palms flat to the floor, I'm sure I've always been flexible but being thinner makes it easier to bend :_
  • hookilau
    hookilau Posts: 3,134 Member
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    Dunno...but in my case, yes.
    When I was overweight, I couldn't get deep enough into asanas & so my practice could only go so far. Now that I'm thinner, it's much easier to me and I enjoy the 'bendiness' of my new-ish state. Makes me feel like a little kid again :blushing:

    edited for duh typos.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,503 Member
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    Nope. I've had many overweight/obese people with better flexibility than their thin counterparts (see it in kickboxing all the time). Like anything else, flexibility is normally something someone has to work at. Abandon it and like anything else, it degrades over time.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • cwsikes
    cwsikes Posts: 86
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    I've always been average size and cannot touch my toes even after 2 years of yoga. My husband is quite muscular and has always been able to put his palms on the ground but then again can't do other poses due to his body being so thick. I would think it has very little to do with thinness/fatness but the sheer size of a body can get in the way for some stretches.
  • smantha32
    smantha32 Posts: 6,990 Member
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    Like anything else, flexibility is normally something someone has to work at. Abandon it and like anything else, it degrades over time.



    I was way more flexible when I was younger. I was heavier then too.
  • CollieFit
    CollieFit Posts: 1,683 Member
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    I've done Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga at 125lb and at 165lb and oh yes there is a big difference.

    However, the difference is not really in terms of flexibility per se but the fact that there is too much gut in the way in forward bends etc.
  • Warchortle
    Warchortle Posts: 2,197 Member
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    If you become more flexible it's one of the sign you're losing muscle if you're not doing any mobility training.
  • bokchoybaby
    bokchoybaby Posts: 62 Member
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    I've become more flexible as I age because I started to work at it. I was not a very flexible kid but I didn't do anything to become more so. When talking about specific yoga moves, there are some I know I do better if I am a little thinner but for most positions it hasn't made a difference. My biggest leap in flexibility wasn't related to weight loss as such. When I started weightlifting in addition to doing yoga I started making real progress in my flexibility and I didn't lose any weight the first few months of moderate lifting because of unrelated reasons.

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