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Category: Past Your Prime Podcast

Explanation of muscle tightness and why stretching may not solve stiffness

The Myth of “Muscle Tightness” And What Actually Is

Past Your Prime Podcast – Episode 53 Listen on:Spotify | Apple | Youtube “Tightness” is one of the most common complaints people describe after pain or injury. But tightness is a description, not a diagnosis. When someone is thinking about tightness vs stretching, there is an assumption that symptoms of tightness mean you need to stretch. In this episode of Past Your Prime, Craig and Alex discuss why the term “tightness” often causes confusion and why stretching is not always the solution people think it is. Using examples like hamstring tightness, the conversation breaks down what may actually be happening in the body. Instead of assuming muscles are simply short or inflexible, this episode explores the different systems that influence mobility and movement. Topics include: If you have ever felt stiff, tight, or restricted and wondered what your body is actually telling you, this episode explains why stretching alone often misses the real problem.

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Craig Smith discussing how the body must handle peak stress for returning to sports as an adult on the Past Your Prime podcast episode 52.

Returning to Sports as an Adult: Why It Keeps Falling Apart

Past Your Prime Podcast – Episode 52 Listen on:Spotify | Apple | Youtube Returning to sports as an adult often feels harder than it should. You finally get back into basketball, volleyball, running, or lifting. Things go well for a few weeks or months. Then something breaks down. A knee flares up. The calf tightens. The shoulder starts barking. Eventually you stop again. Then the cycle repeats. Most people assume this happens because they are getting older or because their body is fragile. But the reality is usually much simpler. Most people restart their sport without adjusting the standard they use for returning. They return using the same assumptions they had when they were 21. This episode of Past Your Prime breaks down why this happens and how to approach sports in a way that allows you to keep playing long-term instead of constantly restarting. The “Big Three” Problems With Returning To Sports As

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why rehab feels like chasing injuries podcast episode 51

Why Rehab Feels Like Chasing Injuries

Why does one thing finally start to feel better… and then something else decides to hurt?

It can feel like you’re chasing injuries. Like you calm one fire down and another pops up.

Is that bad rehab? Or is that actually how complex systems work?

In this episode of Past Your Prime, Craig introduces the concept of Layered Pathology, the idea that injuries build in layers, and when one layer improves, the next one becomes visible.

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Hamstring tightness explained on Past Your Prime podcast episode 32

Hamstring Tightness Explained | Past Your Prime Podcast Episode 32

In this episode, Craig and Alex break down why the “tight hamstrings” story is rarely about short muscles—and almost never fixed by stretching. They reveal 15 distinct causes behind hamstring tightness, ranging from neural tension and movement patterning to fatigue, instability, and misfiring glutes.

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