When NOT to stretch

IT is almost impossible to think about dance without conjuring the notion of stretching. Those who are super-flexible or hyper-mobile often love the sensation of a good, long, stretch. Those who struggle with flexibility might either avoid stretching or overdo it in an attempt to improve. The good news is that you can improve your flexibility. The bad news is that each body has its own natural range which places limits on how far we can push it without doing damage.

I talked to Liz Hewett and Donna Oliver, both experienced exercise physiologists and former dancers, to get to the bottom of why and how we stretch.