4 Fab Podcasts for Learning About Flexibility Science
4 Fab Podcasts for Learning About Flexibility Science
It’s back-to-school season here in the US, so I thought it would be fun to share some more resources for my fellow flexy nerds who love forever learning more about the why behind effective flexibility training.
I’ve already written about several flexibility & anatomy YouTube channels I follow, as well as other Instagram accounts I love because they post amazing educational content. So today we’ll look at something different and check out four solid podcasts that share an incredible amount of knowledge and training tips (for free!).
I’m a big fan of listening to podcasts while I’m driving, walking my dog, or going for a long run - especially early in the morning to get me all jazzed up about teaching or training.
Here are 4 great ones to learn more about the exercise science, biomechanics, and myth busting of stretching and flexibility work.
My Favorite Flexibility Podcasts:
1. Flexibility Focus
Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Spotify
If you are looking for a great “crash course” in science-based stretching, this is the podcast for you. It’s a limited series, so there’s only a fixed number of episodes (8 “core” episodes and a handful of other “minisodes,” interviews and tangential topics), making it very reasonable to work through!
Episodes are typically 30-60 min long, and Dan Van Zandt does an amazing job breaking down complex topics into solid “need to know” components, including regularly reviewing the scientific research in this field.
Recommended episode to see if you’ll like this podcast:
(Episode 1) What is Flexibility? - Every episode in this podcast series follows the same format, so the best one to geta feel for the level of detail and vibe for the show is the first episode. As someone who also dislikes the overuse of the term “mobility” willy-nilly as a “superior” term to “flexibility,” I really like Dan’s logical breakdown of his definition of flexibility, and the different sub-categories of types of flexibility training.
Other places you can learn from Dan:
Dan has an active Instagram where he regularly shares research and training tips, as well as a paid $10/month Flexibility Research community membership
2. Yoga Meets Movement Science
Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Spotify
Man, I freaking love Jenni Rawlings so much, she was one of the first “anatomy”-y people I discovered on my flexibility training journey and all here explanations just clicked because they were so LOGICAL. While she technically has a more yoga-focused background, her and her collaborator Travis Pollen (PhD) cover a whole swath of flexibility and fitness topics that apply to flexibility beyond “just” yoga.
Episodes tend to be on the longer side (1-1.5 hrs), but all the content is worth it - they’re longer because of the back-and-forth discussion about the topic, not just shooting the shit and talking about what’s going on in their lives.
There are about 50 episodes, with no new episodes being published. So if you end up really liking it, you’ll have a good amount of content to keep you busy for a while!
Recommended episode to see if you’ll like this podcast:
(Episode 13) The Glutes: Peachy Keen or Not All They Seem? - This is a good one because it’s got a lot of anatomy and biomechanics goodness, and it’s just about an hour long. They cover common questions like “what should we do with our glutes in backbends” as well as some questions/concerns around pelvic tilt.
Other places you can learn from Jenni:
Jenni has a very active Instagram and Youtube channel, as well as a sweet blog (<3!). She also has a slew of online classes and courses available for purchase on her website.
Other places you can learn from Travis:
Most of Travis’s content skews more towards traditional strength training. He has an Instagram account, as well as an older blog and YouTube channel. Along with Jenni he’s also co-created an online Strength for Yoga program
3. Yogaland Podcast
Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Spotify
The upside: there are over 400 episodes to listen to (and counting! This one’s still being regularly produced).
The downside: there are over 400 episodes…
Similar to Yoga Meets Movement Science, Yogaland is a mostly yoga-focused podcast that has episodes that lean heavily into the anatomy and biomechanics of moving/stretching effectively. The episodes tend to be a bit shorter (20-60 minutes), which can make them more “digestible” for folks looking for something easier to listen to in just one sitting. Episodes are often done interview-style between Andrea Ferretti and husband Jason Crandell, although sometimes episodes are covered by just one presenter. While there are a lot of non-flexibility-focused episodes (since flexibility is just a very small piece of yoga!), it’s easy to skim through the episode titles to find the ones that are more focused on specific pose/skill breakdowns. While this is obviously extremely relevant to yoga teachers (Jason does a great job offering sequencing advice), the vast majority of the content covered in pose-specific episodes is still very relevant to non-yogi flexy practitioners and instructors.
Heads up to non-yogis, both presenters do have a tendency to use the Sanskrit names for poses, and don’t always give the English translation (so if you’re less familiar with these names, you might find yourself googling them on the fly).
Recommended episode to see if you’ll like this podcast:
(Yogaland Teacher’s Companion #2) How should you tilt your pelvis in backbends? - This is part of a recurring mini-series called the “Yoga Teacher’s Companion” which delve into super common questions that often come up in yoga (and flexibility) classes, often about particular poses and/or how to teach them. Note: while this content is great to listen to, for folks who find “just” listening a challenge, these episodes are also available with video tutorials on Jason’s YouTube channel.
Other places you can learn from Jason and Andrea:
Jason is super active on Instagram and YouTube. Both Jason and Andrea publish content on their shared blog, and have various online teacher trainings available on the Jason Crandell Yoga Method website.
4. Off Stage: The Crosstraining for Performing Arts Podcast
Apple Podcasts | Pocket Casts | Spotify
Britta Paulin is my go-to for all things “cross training” - aka making sure the other strength work you’re doing (or should be doing) outside of your flexibility training is also supporting your flexy goals. Britta’s a wonderful educator and cues things so creatively differently that I do, I always learn fun new ideas from her.
Similar to the Yogaland Podcast, not every episode is stretching/flexibility-focused, many cover other aspects of training (specifically strength training and structuring programming). So if you’re only looking to learn about flexibility you’ll have to skim through the catalogue of ~50 episodes to pick out the flexibility-specific ones.
Episodes tend to be 20-30 min long (and some of that is Britta talking about her own training and client work updates at the beginning), although some are on the longer side (40-50 min). So the shorter ones are very easy to work through on a short walk and learn some good, actionable training nuggets!
Recommended episode to see if you’ll like this podcast:
(Episode #27) Shoulders down and back? Biomechanics and cues - This is a great episode for folks who want to understand a bit more about what the shoulders are supposed to be doing in different arm positions (mainly overhead), but with the extra nuance of how this also applies differently to pole and aerial artists who need to be able to do this under load. Britta’s a great resource when it comes to nuance of flexibility training - but how it specifically applies to pole and aerialists who sometimes have different constraints of how they’re using it vs. folks who are working on flexibility “on the floor.”
Other places you can learn from Britta:
Britta regularly posts flexibility and crosstraining content on Instagram. She also has several ways to train with her online on her website.
BONUS: The Artist Athlete Podcast
Pocket Casts | Spotify | YouTube
While not really focused on “flexibility education,” this is a SUPER fun podcast for pole and circus folk, especially if you have aspirations to perform. In each episode Shannon McKenna interviews a circus-y or circus-adjacent expert (ex. famous performers, physical therapists, rigging pros, etc) about their live/training/advice. Topics run the gamut from sharing their life/training stories, to specific tips on manageing social media, finding a circus-friendly PT, etc.
There’s a backlog of about 150 episodes (this show is no longer in production), mostly between 40-60 minutes long.
While my favorite episodes were the ones from the contortion artists (no surprise!), I find it super interesting to listen to any successful professional who’s passionate about their craft talk. So I would find myself captivated even when listening to artists who specialize in disciplines I would never train (ex. juggling).
Recommended episode to see if you’ll like this podcast:
(Episode 98) Get Fit and Bendy with Kristina "Nekyia" Canizares - while there are several episodes with “bendy” people, this was a real fun one because Kristina, like me, discovered contortion and flexibility training late in life. I had “known” her from having followed her Instagram and taken a handful of classes through Fit&Bendy, so it was super cool to hear her whole story.
Other places you can learn from Shannon:
Shannon has an Insta account with some great content for aerialists (although hasn’t posted anything recently in the last couple of years). She also sells a variety of videos/workshops on her website.
Am I Missing Any?
Do YOU have any podcasts that you listen to that talk about flexibility training? Let me know in the comments!
Looking for Other Content Recommendations?
Check out my other blog posts listing other content creators I love!
