CrossFit Bodmin

Mobility Training

An evidence-based guide to range you can use, in six sessions you can test for yourself.

Most people think mobility means stretching.

You get into a position, you hold it, you wait.

It does add some range. But under a bar, you only get the range you can control.

Range you can use, not range you can be pushed into.

This guide is the six mobility sessions we built for our members. The approach combines the best of five sources: Functional Range Conditioning (Dr Andreo Spina), Range of Strength (Lucas Hardie), G Money Movement (Dr Garrett Kuljian), neurodynamics (David Butler and Michael Shacklock) and Kelly Starrett’s seven positions.

To get results, we’ve broken it down by the parts of the body CrossFit asks the most of: the back of the legs, the front rack, the hips, the arms, overhead, and the ankles and wrists.

The bar we set ourselves: you walk in expecting some easy stretching, and you walk out saying it was the hardest part of the session.

How to use this guide

Part 1 is the six sessions. Start with the position that holds you back most, or work through them in order. Every session starts with a test and ends with the same test, so you’ll see for yourself what changed.

Part 2 is what the science says, in short, for anyone who wants the why. Nearly every finding there is numbered to its source, and the original studies are listed at the back.

Part 1

The six sessions

Test it, train it, retest it

The six sessions and their tests

  1. Session 1Hamstrings and the sciatic nerveSeated on a box, how high the straight leg lifts
  2. Session 2Front rack and shouldersIn the rack, how high the elbows get
  3. Session 3Hip rotationSeated, how far the shin swings out
  4. Session 4Arms and shouldersArm out, where the pull starts as the head tips away
  5. Session 5OverheadBack to the wall, the gap from your hands to the wall
  6. Session 6Ankles and wristsKnee to wall, in centimetres

The words on the sheets

CARs (controlled articular rotations). Slow, controlled circles of one joint through the biggest range you own, with everything else still. Dr Andreo Spina explains them.

PAILs (progressive angular isometric loading). Hold the stretch, then push into it without moving, so the body learns to own that range. A one-minute demo from [P]rehab.

RAILs (regressive angular isometric loading). After 20 more seconds relaxed in the stretch, pull deeper into the stretch with the muscles on the other side, still without moving. Dewey Nielsen, FRC instructor, explains them.

Nerve slider. The nerve glides through its path as one end lengthens and the other shortens. Gentle, never held, and you stop at the first tingle.

The timing is ours, set to fit a class; FRC teaches its own on its course. The names CARs, PAILs and RAILs belong to Functional Range Systems, the company behind FRC, and Jack, who runs the gym, holds the FRC certificate.

Session 1: hamstrings and the sciatic nerve

About 2 minutes to read

Getting the back of the leg to let go, so the hips can fold for toes-to-bar, the deadlift and every hinge.

The test. Sit tall on a box, one leg straight out in front, toes up. Lift the heel as high as it goes and note where it stops.

Sciatic nerve floss, seated60 seconds each leg

Sit tall on a box, one leg out in front, heel on the floor. Look down and round your back as the toes point and the knee bends. Look up and sit tall as the knee straightens and the toes pull back.

  • One end loosens as the other tightens.
  • About 20 slow reps a minute, never held, never into pain.

Common fault. Pulling the toes back while the chin tucks, so both ends tighten at once. That’s a tensioner, and we don’t do those.

Easier. Bend the knee more, or sit on a higher box.

Watch it (Physiotutors). The video shows sliders and tensioners: copy the slider only.

Femoral nerve slider, face down30 seconds each leg

Lie face down, forehead on the backs of your hands. Bend one knee towards your bottom while you look up at the ceiling. Straighten the knee as your head comes back down.

  • The head goes up as the knee bends.
  • The pelvis stays on the floor.

Common fault. The low back arching and the hips lifting to find more knee bend.

Easier. A rolled towel under the front of the knee, and a smaller bend.

Watch it (Pursuit Physical Therapy)

Jefferson curl3 × 5, light dumbbell, 3 seconds down

Stand on a box, knees locked, a light dumbbell hanging in both hands. Roll down one bone at a time, let the weight hang at the bottom, then stack back up the same way.

  • Three seconds down, one vertebra at a time.
  • Knees stay locked.
  • Light enough to control every inch.

Common fault. Too much weight. Start with none, or a very light one.

Watch it (Flow Motion Fitness)

Half-kneeling hip flexor PAILs and RAILs2 rounds each side

Half-kneeling, sink your hips forward to the end of the stretch. Each round: 20 seconds relaxed at the end of the range, 10 seconds pressing the down knee into the floor (PAILs), 20 seconds relaxed, then 10 seconds squeezing the glute and trying to lift that knee (RAILs). Count each down from ten, at about 8 out of 10 effort.

  • Tuck the pelvis and squeeze the back glute.
  • Build the push over the first few seconds; never snap into it.

Common fault. The ribs flaring and the low back arching, so you feel it in your back instead of the front of the hip.

Watch it (Ian Markow, FRC)

The retest. The same test. Note the change.

If you were tight on the test, this is where you’ll feel it move. If you weren’t, expect a smaller change.

Where it comes from. The two nerve drills are neurodynamics (David Butler and Michael Shacklock). The Jefferson curl is weighted stretching, as Range of Strength (Lucas Hardie) teaches it. The hip flexor drill is FRC’s PAILs and RAILs in Kelly Starrett’s lunge position.

Session 2: front rack and shoulders

About 2 minutes to read

How well the shoulder rotates, and the front rack: the position the clean and the jerk are caught in.

The test. Put an empty bar in the rack at shoulder height. Take the front rack, fingers on the bar, elbows driven up. Note how high the elbows get and whether your fingers stay on.

Loaded shoulder CARs2 slow circles each way, each arm, 2.5 kg plate

Stand tall, ribs down, a light plate in one hand. Draw the biggest slow circle that shoulder can make on its own, one way and then the other. Nothing else moves.

  • Body braced.
  • Slow enough that you could stop anywhere in the circle.

Common fault. Shrugging, or leaning back to finish the top of the circle.

Easier. No plate.

Watch it (Amir Zandinejad, FRC). The video is empty-handed; we hold a plate.

Shoulder external rotation PAILs and RAILs2 rounds each side

Lie on your back, upper arm out at 90 degrees, elbow bent, the back of your hand towards the floor. Each round: 20 seconds relaxed at the end of the range, 10 seconds pressing the back of the hand down (PAILs), 20 seconds relaxed, then 10 seconds trying to lift it (RAILs). Count each down from ten, at about 8 out of 10 effort.

  • The shoulder blade stays flat to the floor.

Common fault. The ribs flaring and the back arching to get the hand lower.

Watch it (Perfect Stride Physical Therapy)

Shoulder internal rotation PAILs and RAILs, on your side2 rounds each side

Lie on your side, on the working arm. That arm is out in front at shoulder height, elbow bent, palm towards the floor. Each round: 20 seconds relaxed at the end of the range, 10 seconds pressing the hand down (PAILs), 20 seconds relaxed, then 10 seconds trying to lift it (RAILs). Count each down from ten, at about 8 out of 10 effort.

  • The shoulder must not roll forward.
  • The lift comes from the shoulder, not the helping hand.

Common fault. Rolling back onto the shoulder blade, which fakes the range.

Watch it (Ian Markow, FRC)

Kettlebell arm bar30 seconds each side, 8 to 12 kg

On your back, the bell locked out over your shoulder. Roll onto your side and settle. Eyes on the bell, elbow straight, breathe.

  • Elbow locked. If it bends, the bell is too heavy.
  • Settle into it; don’t force the roll.

Watch it (Cat & Chau Kettlebells)

Front rack contract-relax, into a loaded hold3 rounds

Empty bar in the rack at shoulder height, hands in the front rack. Sink under until the elbows are as high as they go. Drive the elbows down into the bar for 5 seconds, relax, then take up the new slack. Three times. On the last one, step under and let the bar sit on your shoulders for 20 seconds with the elbows driving up.

  • Push into the bar, breathe out, then take the slack.
  • Keep as many fingers on the bar as you can.

Easier. Fingertips only, a wider grip, or the last round without the bar’s weight.

Watch it (Squat University). The video is front rack mobility in general; ours is the three rounds above.

The retest. The same test. Note the elbows.

Where it comes from. The CARs and the PAILs and RAILs are FRC. The plate in the hand is Garrett Kuljian’s rule that range needs load.1 The arm bar is kettlebell tradition (StrongFirst). The front rack drill is contract-relax, a physio technique, in Kelly Starrett’s front rack position.

Session 3: hip rotation

About 2 minutes to read

The hip rotation that lets you sit down between your feet, at the bottom of a squat and in the catch of a clean.

The test. Sit on a box, feet wide, knees at 90 degrees. Let one shin swing out to the side without the hip lifting, and note where the foot gets to.

Loaded 90/90 switches10 slow switches, 5 to 10 kg plate

Sit in 90/90: front shin across, back shin out behind, a plate held at your chest. Lift both knees and turn them over to the other side.

  • No hands on the floor.
  • Chest tall, plate off the thighs.

Easier. No plate, or one fingertip down for balance.

Watch it (Alejandro Matias). The video is without a plate.

90/90 front-leg PAILs and RAILs2 rounds each side

Fold over the front shin to the end of the range. Each round: 20 seconds relaxed, 10 seconds pressing the shin into the floor (PAILs), 20 seconds relaxed, then 10 seconds trying to lift it (RAILs). Count each down from ten, at about 8 out of 10 effort.

  • Fold to the end first, then contract.

Common fault. The back hip lifting off the floor.

Easier. The front shin on a box.

Watch it (Ian Markow, FRC). The external rotation part starts at 7:00.

90/90 back-leg PAILs and RAILs2 rounds each side

Turn and sit tall over the back leg. This is the internal rotation half. Each round: 20 seconds relaxed, 10 seconds pressing the back shin down (PAILs), 20 seconds relaxed, then 10 seconds trying to lift it (RAILs). Count each down from ten, at about 8 out of 10 effort.

  • Sit tall over the back leg; don’t lean away from it.

Common fault. The hip on that side lifting to fake the turn.

Easier. Sit on a plate or a low box.

Watch it (Joe Gambino). The video covers the 90/90 in general: take the back-leg part.

Goblet Cossack squat10 slow reps, 5 each side, the same plate

Wide stance, toes turned out, the plate at your chest. Shift across onto one leg and sink to the bottom over 3 seconds, the other leg straight with the toes up. Then travel across to the other side.

  • Chest tall.
  • Heel down, knee over the little toe.

Easier. Heel on a plate, or hold the rig.

Watch it (FitnessFAQs)

The retest. The same test. Note the change.

Where it comes from. The 90/90 work is FRC, loaded on Garrett Kuljian’s rule. The front leg is Kelly Starrett’s squat position, the back leg his lunge. The Cossack squat is loaded stretching, from Range of Strength and Kuljian.

Session 4: arms and shoulders

About 2 minutes to read

The nerves that run down the arm, and the shoulder behind you: the position you press out of.

The test. Arm out to the side at shoulder height, palm up, wrist pulled back. Tip your head away and note where the pull starts.

Median nerve slider60 seconds each arm

Arm out at shoulder height, palm up. Tip your head towards the arm as the wrist and fingers pull back. Tip it away as the wrist drops.

  • One end loosens as the other tightens.
  • About 20 slow reps a minute, never held, never into pain.

Common fault. Head away and wrist back at the same time. That’s a tensioner.

Easier. The arm below shoulder height, and a smaller head tilt.

Watch it (Physiotutors). Copy the slider only.

Ulnar nerve slider45 seconds each arm

Hand up by the side of your face, fingers pointing down, elbow bent, palm towards you. Tip your head away as the elbow straightens, and towards the hand as it bends further.

  • Stop at the first tingle, not after it.
  • Slow and continuous, never held.

Watch it (Physiotutors). The same video: take the ulnar part, slider only.

Shoulder extension PAILs and RAILs on a box3 rounds

Sit on the floor with your hands on a box behind you, fingers forward. Lift your hips until your shoulders take the weight. Each round: 20 seconds relaxed at the end of the range, 10 seconds pressing the hands down into the box (PAILs), 20 seconds relaxed, then 10 seconds trying to lift them off (RAILs). Count each down from ten, at about 8 out of 10 effort.

  • Hips up, so the shoulders really take weight.
  • Ribs down.

Easier. A higher box, or hips on the floor.

Watch it (B4 Fitness). Ours takes the weight on a box.

Bar hang with an active shrug-down3 × 20 seconds

Hang long and relaxed for 15 seconds. Then pull your shoulders down, away from your ears, and hold that for the last 5.

  • Elbows stay straight.

Easier. Feet on a box, taking some of the weight.

Watch it (The Strength Institute)

Wrist rocks on all fours8 forward, 8 back, 3 seconds at the end of each

On all fours, palms down, fingers forward. Rock forward over your hands until the wrists are fully bent back, and hold 3 seconds. Rock back and hold 3 seconds. Then turn your hands to face you and repeat.

  • Palms stay flat the whole time.
  • Stop at a stretch, not a pinch.

Watch it (Whole Body Health Physical Therapy)

The retest. The same test. Note the change.

Where it comes from. The sliders are neurodynamics (Butler and Shacklock). The box drill is FRC, in Kelly Starrett’s press position. The hang is his hang position. The wrist rocks are handstand practice from gymnastics.

Session 5: overhead

About 2 minutes to read

Arms behind the ears without the ribs flaring, for the snatch, the jerk and the handstand.

The test. Stand with your head, upper back and hips on a wall, feet a foot out, low back flat. Raise straight arms overhead and note the gap between the backs of your hands and the wall.

Loaded shoulder CARs2 slow circles each way, each arm, 2.5 kg plate

As in session 2. Body braced, and only the shoulder moves.

Watch it (Amir Zandinejad, FRC)

Upper back extension over a box5 × 5 seconds, a light bar or plate overhead

Sit on the floor with your upper back on the edge of a box, knees bent, a light bar or plate held in long arms overhead. Breathe out and let your upper back open over the edge for 5 seconds. Then come off and reset.

  • The box edge sits under the shoulder blades, never the low back.
  • Ribs down.

Easier. No bar, and a lower box.

Watch it (E3 Rehab). The video is empty-handed on a bench; we add the bar.

Overhead PAILs and RAILs3 rounds

Lie on your back, knees bent, low back flat, arms overhead to the end of your range. Each round: 20 seconds relaxed, 10 seconds pressing the backs of your hands into the floor (PAILs), 20 seconds relaxed, then 10 seconds trying to lift them (RAILs). Count each down from ten, at about 8 out of 10 effort.

  • Low back flat to the floor.

Common fault. The ribs flaring and the back arching as the arms go overhead.

Watch it (Dr Beau Beard)

Dumbbell pullover to the floor2 × 8, 3 seconds down, light

On your back, knees bent, low back flat. Lower one light dumbbell overhead to the floor over 3 seconds, then pull it back over your chest with straight arms.

  • Ribs stay down the whole way.
  • Arms stay straight.

Common fault. The low back lifting to let the weight travel further. Stop the rep where the back starts to lift.

Watch it (Black Lion Performance Coaching)

Open book6 each side, 2 seconds at the end

Lie on your side, knees stacked. Open the top arm across your body to the floor, and let your eyes follow the hand.

  • Knees stay stacked and down.

Watch it (Elite Performance Institute)

The retest. The same test. Note the change.

Where it comes from. The CARs and the overhead PAILs and RAILs are FRC, in Kelly Starrett’s overhead position. The light bar on the box drill follows Garrett Kuljian’s rule that range needs load. The pullover is weighted stretching (Range of Strength). The open book is a standard physio drill.

Session 6: ankles and wrists

About 2 minutes to read

How deep you squat, and how long you last upside down.

The test. Knee to wall: stand facing a wall, foot square to it. Drive your knee forward to touch the wall with your heel down, and find the furthest your toes can be from the wall. Measure that gap in centimetres, both sides.

Ankle CARs5 slow circles each way, each foot

Sit down and hold your knee still. Draw the biggest slow circle the ankle can make on its own, both ways.

  • Only the ankle moves.

Watch it (Dr Beau Beard)

Banded ankle distraction3 × 10 each side

A band around the front of the ankle, pulling back. Drive your knee forward over the little toe, heel down.

  • The heel stays down. The moment it lifts, the rep is over.
  • The knee tracks over the little toe.

Common fault. A pinch at the front of the ankle. Stop, and change the angle.

Watch it (Squat University)

ATG split squat2 × 6 each leg, bodyweight or a light dumbbell

Front heel flat, back knee down to the floor. Sit all the way down until the back of the front thigh meets the calf. Two seconds at the bottom, then stand.

  • Front heel stays flat.
  • All the way down, two seconds at the bottom.

Easier. The front heel on a plate.

Watch it (Gymless Fitness)

Wrist CARs5 slow circles each way, each wrist

Elbows bent and pinned to your ribs, so the forearm can’t move. Draw the biggest slow circle the wrist can make on its own, both ways.

  • Only the wrist moves.

Watch it (Amir Zandinejad, FRC)

Wrist PAILs and RAILs3 rounds

On all fours, palms down, fingers forward. Sit back to the end of the wrist bend. Each round: 20 seconds relaxed, 10 seconds pressing your fingertips into the floor (PAILs), 20 seconds relaxed, then 10 seconds trying to lift your palms (RAILs). Count each down from ten, at about 8 out of 10 effort.

  • Sit back to the end of the bend first.

Watch it (Northwest Spine and Sport)

The retest. The same test. Read the centimetres out loud.

Where it comes from. The CARs and the wrist PAILs and RAILs are FRC. The banded ankle drill comes from Kelly Starrett. The ATG split squat comes from Ben Patrick’s Knees Over Toes programme.

Making it work

About 2 minutes to read

What makes the six sessions pay off.

How often. As often as suits you. We run one session a week in class because that’s what fits around the training; on your own, the easier parts, the circles and the sliders, can go in most days. For plain stretching, how many days a week you spread it over mattered less than you’d think: in a small trial, three days a week did as well as five,2 and two large reviews, of 77 and 189 studies, found the number of days didn’t predict the gain, though a smaller 2018 review linked more days to more range.3,4,5 For the hard end-range work, Kuljian uses once or twice a week, with days to recover.6

Keep it going. That matters too. In one trial of men with tight hamstrings, dropping from five days a week to three held the range, and dropping to once a week gave back about 5 degrees.7 Stop altogether and it fades: in one small study everything gained was gone in four weeks, though in others part of it stayed.8,9 So work the positions that hold you back two or three times a week, keep the rest ticking over, and don’t stop.

After training, not before. Long relaxed stretches cost you a little strength straight afterwards: about 1 to 2% of your maximum strength and power when each muscle is held for a minute or less, and about 4 to 7.5% when it’s held longer.10 Doing these sessions at the end of your training keeps any dip out of your lifts.

Keep the load and the effort. The weight, the contractions and the slow counts are what build strength at the end of the range, which is the point of these sessions.11,1

Test every time. Write your number down before and after. A change on the day may be real or may just be the test; what you’re after is the number moving over weeks.

What we leave out. Tensioners, the nerve drills that pull on both ends at once: they can stir up a nerve that’s already irritated, so we leave them to a clinician.12 Cupping, scraping and tight bands wrapped round a joint. And any promise to break up scar tissue or put something back in place. If we can’t show you the retest, it doesn’t go in a session.

When to see someone

In Cornwall you can ask the NHS physiotherapy service for an appointment yourself, with its online form, without seeing a GP first (not for under-16s).16

Want a hand with any of this?

About 1 minute to read

Talk to one of our coaches. We run these sessions at the end of our classes, and a coach can watch your positions and tell you which session to start with.

Message us on 07888 865631, or email info@crossfitbodmin.com.

Test it. Train it. Retest it.

Part 2

What the science says

The evidence behind the sessions, in short

About 6 minutes to read

Range you can use

Flexibility is how far a joint goes when something puts it there: gravity, a partner, your other hand. Mobility is how far you can take it yourself, and hold it: in Functional Range Conditioning’s words, the active, usable motion you possess.22 In a trial of dance students, one group’s legs could be held up to about 130 degrees; on their own, they lifted them to about 84.17

In most of the trials that compared them head to head, strength work gained about as much range as stretching, though few were big enough to be sure.23,24 What lifting adds is strength at the end of the range: in the deadlift trial, the lifters got much stronger and the stretchers didn’t.11 That’s why every drill in Part 1 has a weight in it, a contraction or a slow count.

Figure 1Hamstring and hip range gained from strength workFour trials of loaded or slow-lowering strength work, over six to eight weeks. The blue bar is the strength group’s gain, the grey bar the comparison group’s.
  1. Leg lift, own power35 dancers · six weeks · Wyon 2013+20°gentle stretch +18°
  2. Hamstrings69 teenage boys · six weeks · Nelson 2004+12.8°stretch +12.1°
  3. Hamstrings68 men · six weeks · Luangpon 2026+8.5°stretch +5.6°
  4. Hamstrings22 adults · eight weeks · Potier 2009+6.9°nothing −1.8°

The dashed line is the strength groups’ average gain, about 12 degrees. Where the comparison group stretched, it gained nearly as much, and in Luangpon 2026 a group that stretched for an hour a day gained more, about 11 degrees. Against stretching, the only clear difference was in Wyon 2013, where the dancers’ usual hard stretching gained less than both other groups.

Group averages from each study, in degrees; Wyon’s is the average of both legs. The gains and the average are our sums. The four measure range in different ways, so compare each bar with its own grey bar. In Nelson 2004, the strength group also held the top of the range for 30 seconds a session.17,25,9,26

Your nerves move too

Sometimes the thing stopping you may be the nerve running through the muscle.18 A slider pulls on the nerve at one end while it eases off at the other, so it glides: straighten your knee and look up at the same time. A tensioner pulls on both ends at once.27,12

The trials that beat doing nothing, or a fake treatment, picked people with tight hamstrings: sliders came out ahead in all four we read, one of which may have used a tensioner.28 Against stretching the edge is smaller, about 3 to 4 degrees head to head where sliders came out ahead, and in four of the seven trials we read the difference wasn’t clear.28 For range, sliders and tensioners showed no clear difference in the three trials we read.28 We use sliders because they moved the nerve further, with less strain in cadaver studies, and in a class where nobody has been screened, we think that’s the safer choice.29,12

Figure 2Range gained with nerve slidersSix trials in young adults; four picked people with tight hamstrings. The blue bar is the slider group’s gain, the grey bar the comparison group’s.
  1. Straight-leg raise120 adults · one session · Castellote 2014+9.9°stretch +5.5°
  2. Straight-leg raise28 footballers · one week · Castellote 2013+9.3°nothing +0.2°
  3. Straight-leg raise50 men · six weeks · de Ridder 2020+12.6°stretch +9.3°
  4. Knee straightening40 footballers · four weeks · Areeudomwong 2016+11.9°fake +1.4°
  5. Straight-leg raise36 footballers · one session · Ceylan 2026+7.1°moving stretch +8.0°
  6. Straight-leg raise60 women · two weeks · Gunay 2025+5.3°dynamic warm-up +6.2°

The dashed line is the sliders’ average gain across the six, about 9 degrees. In the last two, the comparison groups did as well or better.

Group averages from each study, in degrees: how far the straight leg lifts, or how far the knee straightens. The gains and the average are our sums. Two rows, Castellote 2013 and de Ridder 2020, are taken from a 2025 review’s table, not read in the original paper.18,30,31,32,33,34,35

Test, train, retest

Stretching in any of the usual ways, holding it, moving through it or pushing against it, gives a small gain on the day, and a review of 47 studies found no clear difference between the ways.36 Two minutes of CARs did about what six minutes of stretching did in their one trial.19 We found no published trial of PAILs and RAILs themselves; their closest relative, contract-relax, gained about as much range as plain stretching over four weeks in one trial of 30 men aged 55 to 75, and less in a 30-second dose in another.37,38 So we use them for the work at the end of the range, not for extra degrees.

Repeating a test can change it a little on its own, and on the knee-to-wall test a change under about 2 cm could just be the test.39,40 What builds takes weeks: one band session on the ankle added 6.5 degrees, and by about 20 to 25 minutes it had faded to within the test’s noise.41 In people with often-sprained ankles, twelve weeks of ankle drills with CrossFit added 2.3 cm to the knee-to-wall test, against 1.4 cm for CrossFit alone.20

Why these six

Kelly Starrett, author of Becoming a Supple Leopard, argues that most of what the shoulders and hips do in training passes through seven positions, and our six sessions give each of them at least one drill.42

  1. OverheadArms straight up, by your earsThe snatch, the jerk, the handstand, the pull-up · Session 5
  2. PressElbows behind your ribsThe bottom of a dip or a push-up · Session 4
  3. HangArms by your sides, elbows behind youThe set-up of the deadlift, clean and snatch · Session 4, through the bar hang
  4. Front rackElbows up, bar on your shouldersThe clean, the front squat, the jerk · Session 2
  5. SquatHips folded and turned outSquats, wall balls, every catch · Sessions 3 and 6
  6. PistolHip, knee and ankle bent on one legPistols, step-ups, lunges · Session 6, through the ankle work and the split squat
  7. LungeHip stretched out behind youThe split jerk, the back leg of a lunge · Sessions 1 and 3

In a survey of 386 CrossFitters in the US, 75 had an injury in six months that kept them out for more than a week, cut their training for more than two weeks, or needed a health professional. Of the 84 injuries in the study’s table, one in four was to the shoulder, about one in seven to the lower back and about one in eight to the knee.43 That’s why the shoulder gets three of the six sessions.

The evidence doesn’t say these sessions will stop you getting hurt. In a large trial of army recruits, adding stretches to every warm-up made no real difference to injuries.21 Adding a hamstring strength exercise did: footballers who added Nordic hamstring curls had less than a third as many hamstring injuries.44 What these sessions aim to do is help you into the positions the lifts ask for, and make you stronger at the end of them.

Free resources

Common terms

Sources

A line with a number says only what that source says. A line without one is our own coaching. Each source says who was studied and what was measured.

  1. Kuljian G. Load it. G Money Movement. www.gmoneymvmt.com/blog/load-it · A physio’s case that range needs load and intensity to change, and that easy joint rotations on their own lack the intensity to. Expert practice, not a trial.
  2. Marques AP, Vasconcelos AA, Cabral CM, Sacco IC (2009). Effect of frequency of static stretching on flexibility, hamstring tightness and electromyographic activity. Braz J Med Biol Res 42(10):949–53. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19784479/ · 31 people with tight hamstrings, four weeks, stretching one, three or five days a week: three days gained more than one on the fingertip-to-floor reach, and five days was no better than three. Not randomised.
  3. Konrad A, Alizadeh S, Daneshjoo A, et al., Behm DG (2024). Chronic effects of stretching on range of motion with consideration of potential moderating variables: a systematic review with meta-analysis. J Sport Health Sci 13(2):186–94. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10980866/ · 77 studies: neither the volume, the intensity nor the number of days a week of stretching predicted the range gained.
  4. Ingram LA, Tomkinson GR, d’Unienville NMA, et al., Bennett H (2025). Optimising the dose of static stretching to improve flexibility: a systematic review, meta-analysis and multivariate meta-regression. Sports Med 55:597–617. link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-024-02143-9 · 189 studies, 6,654 adults: gains were not changed by the number of sessions a week, and levelled off at about 10 minutes of stretching a week.
  5. Thomas E, Bianco A, Paoli A, Palma A (2018). The relation between stretching typology and stretching duration: the effects on range of motion. Int J Sports Med 39(4):243–54. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29506306/ · 23 studies: time spent stretching each week mattered, and stretching at least five days a week for at least five minutes a week may help. Read as an abstract.
  6. Kuljian G. How to program flexibility training: frequency, volume, intensity. G Money Movement. www.gmoneymvmt.com/blog/how-to-program-flexibility-training-frequency-volume-intensity · A physio (DPT, and an FRC mobility specialist) on his own programming: holds of 15 to 30 seconds to build strength in deep ranges; hard work near your end range once or twice a week. Expert practice, not a trial.
  7. Reid DA, Kim J (2014). The frequency of hamstring stretches required to maintain knee extension range of motion following an initial six-week stretching programme. N Z J Physiother 42(1):22–7. nzjp.otago.ac.nz/nzjp/article/view/73 · 63 men with tight hamstrings: six weeks of stretching five days a week, then six weeks at three days or one day a week. Degrees short of a straight knee: three days 17.5 to 17.7 (held); one day 18.9 to 23.5 (gave back 4.6).
  8. Willy RW, Kyle BA, Moore SA, Chleboun GS (2001). Effect of cessation and resumption of static hamstring muscle stretching on joint range of motion. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 31(3):138–44. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11297019/ · 18 inactive students: six weeks of stretching took active knee extension from 143 to 152 degrees; four weeks after stopping it was 145. Read as an abstract.
  9. Luangpon N, Srijunto W, Chaovalit S, et al., Muanjai P (2026). Effects of a 6-week home-based high- or regular-volume static stretching or hamstring resistance exercise in young men with hamstring tightness. J Musculoskelet Neuronal Interact 26(2):181–91. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13223791/ · 68 young men with tight hamstrings, six weeks at home: single-leg slow-lowering deadlifts, mostly bodyweight, +8.5 degrees of knee range; 30-second stretches +5.6; an hour of stretching a day +10.9.
  10. Chaabene H, Behm DG, Negra Y, Granacher U (2019). Acute effects of static stretching on muscle strength and power: an attempt to clarify previous caveats. Front Physiol 10:1468. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6895680/ · A review drawing on earlier reviews and single studies: static stretches of a minute or less per muscle cost about 1 to 2% of maximum strength and power straight afterwards; longer ones about 4 to 7.5%.
  11. Rosenfeldt M, Stien N, Behm DG, Saeterbakken AH, Andersen V (2024). Comparison of resistance training vs static stretching on flexibility and maximal strength in healthy physically active adults. BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil 16:142. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11212372/ · 18 active adults, 6 per group, eight weeks, three times a week: straight-leg deadlifts and kettlebell Jefferson curls, 3 seconds down, against matched stretching. Sit-and-reach +6.6 cm, +6.1 cm, and +0.8 cm for nothing; only the lifters’ deadlift strength rose. Very small groups.
  12. Ellis RF, Carta G, Andrade RJ, Coppieters MW (2022). Neurodynamics: is tension contentious? J Man Manip Ther 30:3–12. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8865101/ · A review by nerve researchers: no clinical evidence that sliders work better than tensioners, and tensioning can briefly aggravate an irritated nerve.
  13. Hand Therapy, The Prince Charles Hospital and Logan Hospital, Queensland Health (reviewed 2019). Exercises to glide my median nerve. metronorth.health.qld.gov.au/tpch/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/12/ot-exercises-to-glide-my-median-nerve.pdf · A hospital patient sheet: if pain, pins and needles or numbness increase, stop and speak to your therapist. Adding burning to that list is our own caution.
  14. NHS. Sciatica. nhs.uk, read 4 Oct 2026. www.nhs.uk/conditions/sciatica/ · When to see a GP, and the signs that mean 999 or A&E.
  15. NHS. Back pain. nhs.uk, read 4 Oct 2026. www.nhs.uk/conditions/back-pain/ · The emergency signs, and that in many areas you can get physio without seeing a GP.
  16. Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. Physiotherapy. Read 4 Oct 2026. www.cornwallft.nhs.uk/physiotherapy/ · An online self-referral form for muscle and joint physiotherapy; not for under-16s.
  17. Wyon MA, Smith A, Koutedakis Y (2013). A comparison of strength and stretch interventions on active and passive ranges of movement in dancers: a randomized controlled trial. J Strength Cond Res 27(11):3053–9. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23439346/ · 35 female dance students, six weeks. Leg held up passively, then lifted on their own, averaged across both legs (our sums): strength group about 130 to 148 and 84 to 104 degrees; gentle stretching 133 to 146 and 90 to 108; hard stretching 128 to 137 and 78 to 85. Read from the authors’ proof copy.
  18. Castellote-Caballero Y, Valenza MC, Puentedura EJ, Fernández-de-las-Peñas C, Alburquerque-Sendín F (2014). Immediate effects of neurodynamic sliding versus muscle stretching on hamstring flexibility in subjects with short hamstring syndrome. J Sports Med 2014:127471. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4590905/ · 120 adults (60 women) with tight hamstrings, randomised: a 3-minute slider, 3 minutes of stretching, or a fake treatment. Passive straight-leg raise: 59.8 to 69.7, 59.9 to 65.5 and 59.4 to 59.4 degrees.
  19. Head PL, Adkins SP, Brantley R, Modrall M (2026). Comparison of controlled articular rotations and static stretching on hip internal rotation range of motion. Int J Exerc Sci 19(3):3005. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13405672/ · 28 young adults with tight hips: two minutes of hip CARs took internal rotation from 28.6 to 33.6 degrees, six minutes of stretching from 26.4 to 33.2; no difference between them, and no group that did nothing. The first trial of CARs on their own that we found.
  20. Cruz-Díaz D, Hita-Contreras F, Martínez-Amat A, Aibar-Almazán A, Kim KM (2020). Ankle-joint self-mobilization and CrossFit training in patients with chronic ankle instability: a randomized controlled trial. J Athl Train 55(2):159–68. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7017897/ · 70 active adults with repeatedly sprained ankles, 12 weeks. Knee to wall: ankle drills plus CrossFit 8.72 to 11.00 cm, CrossFit alone 8.97 to 10.36 cm, nothing 8.75 to 8.71 cm.
  21. Pope RP, Herbert RD, Kirwan JD, Graham BJ (2000). A randomized trial of preexercise stretching for prevention of lower-limb injury. Med Sci Sports Exerc 32:271–7. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10694106/ · 1,538 male army recruits over 12 weeks of training: 158 leg injuries in the group that added stretches to the warm-up, 175 in the group that didn’t. No real difference. Read as an abstract.
  22. Functional Range Systems. Functional Range Conditioning. functionalanatomyseminars.com/frs-system/functional-range-conditioning/ · The system’s own definition of mobility, from the organisation behind the system Dr Andreo Spina developed.
  23. Alizadeh S, Daneshjoo A, Zahiri A, et al., Behm DG (2023). Resistance training induces improvements in range of motion: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Med 53(3):707–22. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9935664/ · 55 trials in healthy people: strength training with external loads improved range, about as much as stretching, and stretching around it may not be needed for flexibility.
  24. Our own tally of the trials that put strength training next to stretching, read at source unless marked. Reach tests: Simão 2011 (J Strength Cond Res 25(5):1333–8, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21386731/, abstract), 80 sedentary women over 16 weeks, strength +6 cm, stretching +11 cm; Rosenfeldt 2024, +6.6 against +6.1 cm; Kaczorowski 2026 (J Clin Med 15(15):5783, pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13467512/), 48 active adults over six weekly sessions, Romanian deadlifts +1.8 cm, stretching +3.9 cm. By our sums, strength +4.8 cm and stretching +7.0 cm on average. No change in range from strength work: Leite 2015 (J Strength Cond Res 29(4):1083–8, abstract), 28 trained women, and Aquino 2010 (Man Ther 15(1):26–31, abstract), 45 people with tight hamstrings.
  25. Nelson RT, Bandy WD (2004). Eccentric training and static stretching improve hamstring flexibility of high school males. J Athl Train 39(3):254–8. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC522148/ · 69 teenage boys with tight hamstrings, six weeks. Degrees short of a straight knee: slow resisted leg lifts 29.7 to 16.9, stretching 31.0 to 18.9, nothing 28.4 to 27.3.
  26. Potier TG, Alexander CM, Seynnes OR (2009). Effects of eccentric strength training on biceps femoris muscle architecture and knee joint range of movement. Eur J Appl Physiol 105(6):939–44. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19271232/ · 22 untrained adults, eight weeks, three times a week, lowering a hamstring curl over 5 seconds: knee range 137.5 to 144.4 degrees, against 145.4 to 143.6 for the group that didn’t train; one-rep max 40.4 to 54.2 kg.
  27. Butler D (2007). Zings, zaps, sliders and tensioners. NOI blog (a repost of the 2007 post). www.noigroup.com/noijam/flashback-fridays-zings-zaps-sliders-and-tensioners/ · The definitions of a slider and a tensioner, from NOI, the group David Butler co-founded.
  28. Our own tally of the trials that compared nerve sliders with another treatment, in degrees, read at source unless marked. Against nothing or a fake treatment in tight people, sliders came out ahead in 4 of 4: Castellote 2014, Castellote 2013, Areeudomwong 2016, and Webright 1997 (J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 26(1):7–13, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9201636/, abstract). Against stretching, of the seven we read, ahead in 3 (Castellote 2014, de Ridder 2020, and Sharma 2016, Phys Ther Sport 17:30–7, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26482098/, abstract), by about 3 to 4 degrees in the two that compared them directly and about 7 when added on top of stretching (Sharma), and no clear difference in 4 (Webright 1997, whose technique may count as a tensioner; Alshammari 2019, S Afr J Physiother 75:465, pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6495003/; Ceylan 2026 and Gunay 2025). Against tensioners, no clear difference in 3 of 3, with tensioners about 5 degrees ahead in Sharma 2016 (Sharma 2016; Balcı 2020, J Exerc Rehabil 16(6):503–9; Martins 2019, Phys Ther Sport 36:101–9).
  29. Coppieters MW, et al. (2015). Excursion of the sciatic nerve during nerve mobilization exercises: an in vivo cross-sectional study using dynamic ultrasound imaging. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 45(10):731–7. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26304637/ · 15 healthy adults: the nerve in the thigh moved 17.0 mm with a slider and 3.2 mm with a tensioner. Read as an abstract.
  30. Castellote-Caballero Y, Valenza MC, Martín-Martín L, et al. (2013). Effects of a neurodynamic sliding technique on hamstring flexibility in healthy male soccer players: a pilot study. Phys Ther Sport 14(3):156–62. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23142014/ · 28 young male footballers with tight hamstrings, sliders for a week or nothing. Straight-leg raise 58.1 to 67.4 against 58.9 to 59.1 degrees, as given in the table of Núñez de Arenas-Arroyo 2025; the original was read as an abstract. The same research group as Castellote 2014; other papers quote the pilot’s gain as 9.4 to 11.3 degrees.
  31. de Ridder R, De Blaiser C, Verrelst R, et al. (2020). Neurodynamic sliders promote flexibility in tight hamstring syndrome. Eur J Sport Sci 20(7):973–80. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31578925/ · 50 active men with tight hamstrings, daily for six weeks at home: sliders 57.5 to 70.1, stretching 57.6 to 66.9 degrees, as given in the table of Núñez de Arenas-Arroyo 2025; the original was read as an abstract.
  32. Areeudomwong P, Oatyimprai K, Pathumb S (2016). A randomised, placebo-controlled trial of neurodynamic sliders on hamstring responses in footballers with hamstring tightness. Malays J Med Sci 23(6):60–9. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5181993/ · 40 male footballers, three sessions a week for four weeks, sliders or a switched-off machine. Degrees short of a straight knee: 23.6 to 11.7 against 24.8 to 23.4.
  33. Ceylan et al. (2026). Optimizing athletic performance with neural mobilization: a comparative study in soccer players. Int J Exerc Sci 19:3001. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12965798/ · 36 amateur footballers, one session. Straight-leg raise: sliders 78.4 to 85.5, static stretch 73.1 to 78.5, dynamic stretch 72.2 to 80.2 degrees; the groups did not differ.
  34. Gunay and Erturk (2025). Effects of lower limb neural mobilisation on reactive agility, balance, and physical performance: a randomised controlled trial. BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12764030/ · 60 healthy young women, six sessions over two weeks. Active straight-leg raise: sliders 79.3 to 84.5, a dynamic warm-up of leg raises, jumps and sprints 75.8 to 81.9, sliders then the warm-up 75.3 to 83.0 degrees; the groups did not differ.
  35. Núñez de Arenas-Arroyo S, et al. (2025). Immediate and short-term effects of neurodynamic techniques on hamstring flexibility: a systematic review with meta-analysis. PLoS One 20(2):e0318671. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11801537/ · 13 trials, 624 people. Its table of each trial’s before and after values is where the figures for Castellote 2013 and de Ridder 2020 come from.
  36. Behm DG, Alizadeh S, Daneshjoo A, et al., Konrad A (2023). Acute effects of various stretching techniques on range of motion: a systematic review with meta-analysis. Sports Med Open 9:107. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10645614/ · 47 studies, 1,658 people, nearly all young adults: no stretching technique, intensity or duration gave clearly more range on the day than another.
  37. Zaidi S, Ahamad A, Fatima A, et al. (2023). Immediate and long-term effectiveness of proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation and static stretching on joint range of motion, flexibility, and electromyographic activity of knee muscles in older adults. J Clin Med 12(7):2610. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10095393/ · 30 men aged 55 to 75 who couldn’t fully straighten the knee, three times a week for four weeks. Active knee extension: contract-relax 144.1 to 166.5, static stretch 146.7 to 168.6, nothing 147.1 to 148.4 degrees.
  38. Parsons H, Behm DG (2026). The effects of dynamic, static, and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation stretching on local and non-local range of motion and pain onset. PLoS One 21(9):e0358885. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13592683/ · 14 active adults, 30 seconds of each method on different days. Passive hip bend: contract-relax 105.5 to 109.5, static stretch 106.7 to 113.1, nothing 105.8 to 104.5 degrees. Only the static stretch clearly beat doing nothing.
  39. Cancela Á, Arias P, Rodríguez-Romero B, Chouza-Insua M, Cudeiro J (2023). Acute effects of a single neurodynamic mobilization session on range of motion and H-reflex in asymptomatic young subjects. Physiol Rep 11(12):e15748. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10277214/ · 60 healthy young adults in six groups of 10, with range measured in four of them, one only measured; the group’s average straight-leg raise was above 75 degrees. Range rose about 2 degrees across the four (borderline in the study’s own test), and no technique beat being measured.
  40. Powden CJ, Hoch JM, Hoch MC (2015). Reliability and minimal detectable change of the weight-bearing lunge test: a systematic review. Man Ther 20:524–32. doi.org/10.1016/j.math.2015.01.004 · 12 studies of the knee-to-wall test: a change smaller than about 1.6 to 1.9 cm can be measurement error. Read as an abstract.
  41. Yacks CA, Kacmarcik CMY, Archambeau CA, Barrios JA (2025). Effect duration of a self-applied talocrural joint mobilization on restricted dorsiflexion. J Man Manip Ther 33(1):54–62. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11770873/ · 26 young adults with stiff ankles, one band session: ankle bend 32.2 to 38.7 degrees straight after, back to 35.0 at 25 minutes. No comparison group.
  42. Starrett K, Cordoza G. Becoming a Supple Leopard (Victory Belt). The seven positions, four for the shoulders and three for the hips, as listed in The Ready State’s own course outline, thereadystate.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/TRS-Movement-Mobility-101-Course-Outline-2ndEdition-FINAL.pdf, and a reader’s summary of the book, morlandstrength.com/2015/12/23/topic-14-part-5-by-erin-blaser/. The book itself was not opened.
  43. Weisenthal BM, Beck CA, Maloney MD, DeHaven KE, Giordano BD (2014). Injury rate and patterns among CrossFit athletes. Orthop J Sports Med 2(4):2325967114531177. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4555591/ · An online survey of 386 people at US CrossFit gyms; 75 had an injury in six months that kept them out for a week, cut their training for two weeks, or needed a health professional. They reported 89 injuries; of the 84 in its table, 21 shoulder, 12 lower back, 11 knee (the fractions are our sums). Self-reported.
  44. Petersen J, Thorborg K, Nielsen MB, Budtz-Jørgensen E, Hölmich P (2011). Preventive effect of eccentric training on acute hamstring injuries in men’s soccer: a cluster-randomized controlled trial. Am J Sports Med 39:2296–303. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21825112/ · 942 Danish footballers in 50 teams over a season: 15 hamstring injuries with Nordic hamstring curls, 52 without. Read as an abstract.

Service link (not a source): Cornwall NHS physiotherapy, www.cornwallft.nhs.uk/physiotherapy/ (you can refer yourself).