As a personal trainer I have learned that the feeling of “tightness” is a completely subjective experience. Some people, who have very restricted range of motion do not feel tight at all, while others, such as dancers, have tremendous range of motion and feel tight all the time. This fact is not trivial, because it shows how important it is to establish parameters when you are working on your fitness.
Feeling Tight
Why do some people feel tight and others not? I think one reason is awareness. The people who most consistently complain of feeling tight, in my experience, are those who do a lot of yoga, dance, and to some extent pilates. All three of these put a particular emphasis on flexibility and range of motion.
Conversly, some people have very stiff muscles and are totally unaware. This comes from the fact that the body is very resourceful when it comes to movement. If the goal is to get your hand over your head, or touch your toes, the body will find a way to do it, no matter what restrictions are there.
Dancers are a great example of why this matters. Dancers very often complain of feeling tight, especially if they haven’t trained for a day or two. Ironically, by profession, they often have so much range of motion that they are at risk for injuries and even degenerative conditions due to the lack of stability in their joints. For a dancer, this might be a necessary evil. For the average person, this is not something to aspire to.
Set Parameters About Tightness
Since tightness is subjective, it is important to learn what normal range of motion should look like and then test and evaluate that range. These evaluations give you guidelines that can:
A) Show You Where You Really Are Tight
B) Prevent You From Overstretching And Becoming Too Mobile
Both of those things will keep you healthier and prevent you from wasting time. As always, I highly recommend letting a movement specialist help you – it is worth investing a couple of hours with a good physical therapist or personal trainer to learn how your body is moving and formulate a plan to improve it.