Why You Feel Tight — And Why Stretching Isn’t Solving It

Athletes chase tightness like it’s a flexibility problem, but the truth is far more interesting — and way more useful. In this episode, Andrew breaks down why chronic “tight” muscles are almost never caused by short tissue, and why stretching only gives temporary relief. Tightness is a signal, not a diagnosis. It shows up when the body doesn’t trust the joint position, doesn’t have enough strength or stability in key ranges, or is getting noisy sensory input that forces the nervous system to lock things down. Instead of fighting the tension, you need to understand what it’s protecting you from.

Andrew explains the deeper drivers of tightness through the lens of biomechanics, stability, and somatosensory control. Weakness, poor joint mechanics, and compensatory patterns can all create a loop where certain muscles grip to stabilize things they shouldn’t be stabilizing. Add in inaccurate proprioception or poor movement variability, and the nervous system only tightens its guard. When the brain doesn’t feel safe, tension goes up — regardless of how much stretching you do.

This episode shows you what actually works: restoring joint position, improving local strength and force control, and training the nervous system to better sense and coordinate movement. When you upgrade position, stability, and sensory accuracy, tightness stops being a daily battle and starts becoming a rare signal you actually understand. Whether you’re an athlete tired of feeling tight or a coach looking to clean up movement quality, this will help you solve tightness at the root — not chase symptoms at the surface.