Why You Can't Touch Your Toes (And the Benefits You're Missing)

Wondering why you can't touch your toes? Want to avoid the dangers involved with forward folding? Find out why the forward fold is hard, whether you can improve your forward fold, and the benefits you're missing if you can't touch your toes!

CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
00:43 Why You Can't Forward Fold
03:33 How to Improve Your Forward Fold
07:35 Benefits of Improving Forward Fold
10:29 What Will Happen If You Try
12:05 Resources and Closing

HELPFUL LINKS

---

---
At Upright Health we give you strategies and research to get your life back.

With principled functional training, we believe everyone can beat chronic pain and get strong, mobile, and resilient.

Our home training programs help you troubleshoot and train your body safely. We help you tear down fear and build up muscle. We help you think right, move right, and feel right.

Matt Hsu's own battle with chronic pain from the age of 16 in his feet, knees, hips, back, shoulders, elbows, forearms, wrists, hands, and head gives him a uniquely thorough understanding of musculoskeletal pain, the ways in which it can undermine an entire life, and the mental and physical hurdles that keep people from getting out of it.

When not filming videos, he's working out in the living room, surfing, learning dance or gymnastics moves, or riding a bike with his son in tow.

CREDITS
Yoga Video by ROMAN ODINTSOV from Pexels

ABOUT THIS VIDEO
If you can't touch your toes, is it genetic? Is the reason you can't touch your toes because of your bones? Do X-rays prove that you don't have the right body shape to be able to touch your toes? In this video you'll learn myths about stretching to touch your toes, you'll discover why you can't forward fold to touch your toes right now, and you'll learn what will happen when you start stretching to improve your forward fold.

#TouchToes #ForwardFold #UprightHealth

[Uprighthealth]

Why do you want to be able to touch your toes? Drop me a comment!👇

[Espoboogie]

Thank you for taking the time to educate, inform and clearing out the fog of misinformation. For a while now, I have focused more on mobility than actual exercising. It has served me right. Thank you again.

[michelenichele]

I’m 78 years old, female, and just had to try it after watching you. I DID IT!!! 🤸🏼 Although I must admit my calves were burning a little. (I ‘ll practice, thanks!🙏)

[irenebuchan]

I found your channel while looking for exercises to rehabilitate my knee after fracturing my kneecap. I've never been able to Asian squat since I was aware there was such a thing, but kept attempting it as part of my exercise routine. Yesterday I had an OMG!! moment. I was squatting down to get at something in the kitchen when I realized I was able to let go and remain there. Getting back up is not yet pretty but I can now squat down without overbalancing! I've been working on improving my toe-touching too, and finding at 66yrs old you CAN regain some of your lost mobility. Thanks so much!

[norabeaulieu]

Hi Matt, just found your channel. I love this information and I'm making it my summer goal to work on the squat. That said, it's kind of a pain to have to scroll through multiple videos to work on strengthening/stretching the various parts of the body that I need to work on. Have you considered doing a "beginner" video that includes knee, hip, ankle (and whatever else) in one video? Then, those of us that need strength training can simply watch the entire video instead of the first few minutes of several.

[mscherri]

Matt I love your videos and humor... so informative and funny! 🤸‍♀️😊

[GrammyAmanda]

My husband can touch his toes but I can’t. My excuse is my back, but I’m determined to work on those muscles. BTW, I love your injections of humor in the video. 😂

[claires]

Love your practical, common sense outlook!

[weebrahim]

Unfortunate that this video hasn't picked up more views yet, here's to hoping the algorithm picks it up! 🥂

[Neeko_Z]

Agreed. Now I’m not one to touch my toes “naturally” and very far off. But I can after training.

[justins]

I have been working on deep squat the past few weeks, followed with downward dog to cobra as a balance. I have been working hip hinge over a year or two as well, but not much progress. Would you say that deep squat work will also help with hip hinge? What about bridge and other hamstring strengthening exercises?

Thanks for all you do, your recent neck videos helped me FINALLY rid myself of a kinked neck and shoulder pain that went on for months.

[donnabanks]

I appreciate this video, you spent a lot of explaining why a person can't touch their toes. I wish you could spent time explaining how to start doing it please.

[fitwithdiana]

The best way to learn is through laughter and fun. Thank you, I really enjoy your videos!

[tinasyoga]

Never an issue, yoga Down dog and forward fold and added deadlifts for strength

[matttcameron_]

I love using my kids to see if I should be able to get into a certain position. Should I be able to get my head to my knee during a 90 90? Well my kid can so I guess I should be able to too. Touching my toes has been my main mobility struggle, but even my kids who are 6 and 8 can't do it, which I attribute to sitting in chairs all day at school.

[DarrellGrainger]

I'm a 57 year old man. I have always been able to touch my toes. I find it amazing that there are people who can't tie their own shoes without sitting. I have 19 inch calves. My legs are freaking huge. I used to race bicycles as a kid. For the last 24 years I have been a scuba diver. Less upper body strength because I'm always using my legs (your strength as a diver is in my legs/fins; don't use your hands/arms). I've always found if I'm using my legs a lot and forgetting to do my stretches, it gets a little harder to touch my toes. With practice, you should be able to put your hands, palms down, flat on the ground.

[geraldinegregory.]

This guy is BRILLIANT! Useful information, funny, and very entertaining.
Of course I hate him really because of all the pain I'm going through trying to get myself loosened up!!!
😁😂🤣😂😩🥵🤕 - ❤

[NoxCattus]

This isn't just an issue for office workers/those who sit lol.

I spend at least 8-9 hours a day on my feet and being able to do this has been an on/off goal of mine for over three decades 🙃 Not giving up, though. Adding this to my list of goals after I can do the Asian squat.

[Species]

That's interesting. I was once yelled at, at work, for lifting without bending my knees and so when I complied to the yeller, it hurt my back to lift with my knees bent.
Also that physical something fallacy is a very interesting term. I see too many people in the medical profession say things like, your suppose to ache, or "fill in the blank", because you are old. No. Just so much no.

[patriciavarga]

Ur hilarious. I always enjoy your videos.