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The book calls it The Sticky Wetsuit

I feel stiff and locked up

Nothing really hurts. Everything is just stuck. Three steady stretches unlock your hips, shoulders and sides.

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Sounds like you?

“My main issue is a feeling of deep, all-over stiffness. My hips, hamstrings, and shoulders just feel “locked up”.”

In the book’s words, profile C. Not you? Take the 30-second body check

The free reset

Sitting for too long can make your hips, legs, and shoulders feel as stiff as a sticky wetsuit. To loosen up deep muscle stiffness, incorporate quick stretching breaks.

The video comes from YouTube when you press play. Watch it on YouTube

3 minutes Full-Body Loosening Routine

  1. Knee to chest

    1:00

    Seated, hug one knee toward your chest, 20 to 30 seconds each side. Loosens the lower back and hip.

  2. Cross-body shoulder

    1:00

    Bring one arm across your chest at shoulder height and gently pull it toward you. 15 to 30 seconds each side.

  3. Desk side-bend

    1:00

    Stand sideways to the desk, inside hand on its edge, outside arm overhead, bend toward the desk. 20 to 30 seconds each side. Slow, no bouncing.

1 minute Seated Hamstring Stretch

Only have a minute? Do this one.

  1. Right leg

    0:30

    A chair without wheels, backed against a wall or desk: sit on its front edge. Right leg straight, heel down, toes up. Back straight, hinge forward until you feel the back of the thigh. Hold 30 seconds. Wheels? Sit well back instead, not on the edge, and hinge forward the same way.

  2. Left leg

    0:30

    Switch legs. Breathe normally. Tingling down the leg? Ease off. Hold 30 seconds.

How often

This combo is restorative, so you can safely do it two or three times a day: mid-morning, after lunch and before you finish work.

Stretching helps from 2 to 3 days a week, and most when done daily. The book’s rule of thumb: consistency beats intensity. Aim for a two-minute Movement Snack every half hour.

Never into pain. Dizzy or numb? Stop. Chest pain? Stop and get emergency help.

Why sitting does this

In the book’s own words, from chapter 1.4, The Fascia Factor.

Break the Stillness TrapChapter 1.4, The Fascia Factor

Have you ever felt a deep, unyielding stiffness that isn’t quite muscle soreness? A “locked-up” sensation that even a good workout or a hot shower can’t seem to shake? You are not feeling your muscles; you are feeling your fascia. Imagine your entire inner body—every muscle, bone, and organ—is wrapped in a finely woven, full-body wetsuit made of connective tissue. This is your fascia.

When you are active, this suit is supple and slick, and its layers glide smoothly over one another, allowing you to move with fluid grace. But when you are still, that wetsuit begins to change. The fluid between its layers can become thick and sticky, causing them to lose their slide.

What the studies found

What to expect: Often looser right after a stretch; joints move more freely after about 3 to 4 weeks of regular stretching. Not a promise: every body is different.

  • USA · 2011 · ACSM position stand

    Hold 10 to 30 seconds

    The ACSM guide: stretch at least 2 to 3 days a week, hold 10 to 30 seconds, 2 to 4 times. Joints move more freely after about 3 to 4 weeks of it.

    Read the study

  • Malaysia · 2018 · 142 office workers with aches

    Three times a week

    Office workers who stretched 10 to 15 minutes, 3 times a week, had less neck, shoulder and low-back discomfort at 6 months.

    Read the study

When to see a doctor

Stiffness with a fever, or severe pain that is getting worse fast? See a doctor today.

  • Get emergency help now: chest pain, sudden breathlessness, fainting, a sudden severe headache, a face that droops, an arm that suddenly goes weak, slurred speech, or pain after a serious accident.
  • Back pain plus any of these? Get emergency help too: numbness around your genitals or bottom, new trouble peeing, wetting or soiling yourself, or numbness or weakness in both legs.
  • See a doctor today: one leg swollen, painful, warm, red or darker; a fever with the pain; or severe pain that is getting worse fast.
  • Book a doctor or physio: pain, tingling or weakness down one arm or leg, pain that wakes you, weight loss you can’t explain, pain after a fall, or no easing in 4 weeks.

General guidance, not medical advice. New injury or surgery, pregnant, or a heart condition? Ask your doctor before new exercise.

Break the Stillness Trap

The whole system is in the book

This page is one reset. The book gives you the full Movement Combo for The Sticky Wetsuit, the Mind Resets and Fuel Resets that work with it, and a 4-week plan that makes it a habit.

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Every diagram and checklist is also in the free companion workbook.

Other desk problems

All seven

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