Sit on the floor with legs straight, place a ruler so its 26 cm mark aligns with your heels, then reach toward your toes and hold. Where your fingertips settle is your sit-and-reach score, with anything past the heels counting as positive.
That single number is one of the oldest and best-validated measures of hamstring and lower-back flexibility. The American College of Sports Medicine publishes reference values by age and sex in its Health-Related Physical Fitness Assessment Manual.
The norms matter because flexibility declines steadily from the twenties onward, and because women outperform men at every age.
Where a healthy score sits
Using the standard box with the 26 cm mark at the feet, the ACSM-cited ranges look like this. All numbers are centimeters reached.
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Age | Men: average | Men: excellent | Women: average Also read: A common menopause treatment may cut your Alzheimer's risk by nearly 40% | Women: excellent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
20-29 | 28-35 | above 40 Also read: Your sleep tracker may be making your sleep worse - and here is why | 30-38 | above 41 |
30-39 | 25-33 Also read: Every plant-based meat tested contained a fungal toxin - here's what the levels mean | above 38 | 29-36 | above 41 |
40-49 Also read: Intermittent fasting vs. calorie restriction: which actually works better? | 22-29 | above 35 | 27-34 | above 38 |
50-59 | 18-26 | above 32 | 25-33 | above 36 |
60+ | 15-23 | above 28 | 22-30 | above 33 |
Landing in the poor category (below about 21 cm for men in their twenties, or below 30 cm for women) is worth paying attention to. Low flexibility is not just a nuisance in the yoga studio.
The link to your arteries
In a 2009 study of 526 Japanese adults, researchers led by Kenta Yamamoto found that poor trunk flexibility was associated with stiffer arteries in people aged 40 and older, even after adjusting for cardiorespiratory fitness, strength, and age. Arterial stiffness was measured by brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity, a standard vascular marker.
A larger 2014 follow-up in PLOS ONE looked at 1,150 adults aged 18 to 89 and found the same pattern in men of all ages and in older women. Sit-and-reach scores below 33.2 cm in men and 39.2 cm in women flagged stiffened arteries, and blood pressure did not explain the association. Arterial stiffness in the 2014 paper was measured with the cardio-ankle vascular index.
The likely mechanism is shared connective-tissue biology. Arteries and the fascia around muscles both rely on collagen and elastin, and both tend to stiffen with age. Trunk flexibility may serve as a low-cost window into that process.
The falls angle after 60
Losing flexibility is not cosmetic later in life. According to the CDC, more than one in four Americans aged 65 and older falls each year, resulting in roughly 3 million emergency department visits and 1 million hospitalizations annually.
Tight hamstrings and hip flexors make it harder to clear a curb, step over a threshold, or recover balance when a foot catches.
The stretching prescription that moves the needle
ACSM's flexibility guidance is specific and modest. Stretch the major muscle groups at least two to three days per week and hold each stretch to the point of mild tightness for 10 to 30 seconds.
Repeat two to four times so each muscle group accumulates around 60 seconds of total stretching. Adults over 65 benefit from longer holds of 30 to 60 seconds.
Static holds, dynamic movements before activity, and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (a contract-relax method usually done with a partner) all count.
Anyone with a recent back injury, a hip or knee replacement, or persistent joint pain should check with a physician before starting a new stretching routine.
This article is made and published by Jesper Bengtson, who may have used AI in the preparation.