Training with Hypermobility & hEDS: Why “Being Flexible” Isn’t the Problem
Hypermobility and training the pelvic floor
If you’re hypermobile, or you’ve been told you have hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS) — you’ve probably collected a strange mix of messages over the years.
That you’re lucky.
That you’re fragile.
That you should stretch.
That you should stop moving so much.
Often all from different professionals.
And none of it quite explains why your body can feel both incredibly flexible and strangely unreliable and sometimes tight all at the same time.
The truth is this:
hypermobility isn’t a flexibility issue — it’s a coordination and trust issue.
And once you understand that, training stops feeling confusing… and starts feeling kind.
First things first: a necessary safety distinction
Before we go any further, one important clarification.
There are different types of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, and they are not interchangeable when it comes to exercise guidance.
Vascular EDS involves fragility of blood vessels and tissues. Breath-holding techniques such as apnoea are contraindicated here.
Hypermobile EDS (hEDS) does not involve the same vascular risk. Apnoea is not automatically contraindicated, but it does need to be taught with thought, modification, and respect for the nervous system.
Everything in this article refers specifically to hEDS and hypermobility spectrum disorders, not vascular EDS.
What’s actually happening in a hypermobile body?
In a body without hypermobility, connective tissue offers a kind of quiet background support.
Ligaments and fascia don’t do the work — but they do set the boundaries.
In hEDS, those boundaries are softer.
That means the body has to rely much more heavily on:
Muscle timing rather than muscle strength
Proprioception — your sense of where you are in space
Nervous system responsiveness to keep joints organised
Imagine trying to pitch a tent in very loose sand.
You can still make it stable — but you can’t just hammer the pegs harder.
You need better placement, better angles, and more feedback.
That’s what hypermobile bodies are doing all the time.
This is why many people with hEDS feel:
Unstable or “floaty”
Easily fatigued
Or paradoxically very tight and braced
That tightness isn’t strength.
It’s the nervous system saying, “I don’t trust what’s holding me here.”
Why “stretch more” so often backfires
Stretching is usually offered as the solution because it’s visible. You can see the range. You can feel the pull. But for hypermobile bodies, range is rarely the missing piece.
When you push further into an already generous joint range, a few things tend to happen:
Proprioceptive feedback drops off
The nervous system loses clarity about joint position
Muscles switch on after the movement rather than with it
It’s a bit like turning the volume down on the body’s internal GPS.
So instead of feeling freer, many people feel more unstable afterwards, or find their body gripping even harder later in the day.
What hypermobile systems usually need isn’t more space.
They need:
Clear mid-range organisation
Predictable pressure
Repetition that builds confidence
A sense of safety before demand
Where Hypopressives can help — when taught well
This is why breath-led work, and Hypopressives in particular, can be so useful for people with hEDS.
Not because they’re dramatic. But because, when taught gently, they:
Help to manage downward pressure through the system
Improve timing between diaphragm, rib cage, and pelvic floor
Encourage reflexive support rather than forced contraction
However, and this matters, how Hypopressives are taught makes all the difference.
Adapting apnoea for hypermobility
In a hypermobile system, long or aggressive breath holds can feel like someone suddenly pulled the floor away.
So early on, I avoid:
Long apnoeas
Big rib flares
Dramatic thoracic lifts
Fast transitions that spike sensation
Instead, I treat apnoea like an introduction, not a performance.
Short holds. Often just 3–6 seconds.
Entered from a calm, unforced exhale.
Exited before the body feels the need to grip.
I’m far more interested in the shape the body finds than how deep the vacuum looks.
I often cue it like this:
“Let the ribs gently widen — as if you’re making space for breath, as if a balloon is gently being blown up, not pulling it up.”
When the nervous system feels safe, the reflexive pelvic floor response still happens. It just happens without the backlash.
Why position choice matters so much
Early in training, I choose positions that give the body information.
Hypermobility isn’t helped by floating in space.
It’s helped by reference points.
This is why I often start with:
Supine or semi-supine positions
Supported sitting
Standing with the wall as a quiet guide
These positions reduce joint demand and give the nervous system something to organise around.
Later, once coordination is reliable, we can explore more complex shapes.
But starting with long levers, wide stances, or unsupported arm loading is like asking the tent to withstand a storm before the pegs are secure.
Why I cue “pushing back into a joint” rather than away
This is something I’m often asked about, especially by people who’ve been taught traditional stretching.
When someone pushes away into a stretch, a hypermobile joint can drift past its point of control.
The sensation might feel strong — but the information is poor.
When someone gently pushes back into the joint, something different happens:
Joint compression improves proprioceptive feedback
Muscles switch on in a coordinated way
The nervous system registers containment rather than threat
It’s the difference between hanging off a door hinge… and feeling the door settle back into its frame.
The body doesn’t feel forced.
It feels held.
Strength training with hEDS: less dramatic, more effective
Strength is essential for hypermobile bodies, but not the way it’s often prescribed.
What tends to overload the system early on:
Heavy compound lifts
Fatigue-driven training
Long eccentrics into end-range
Stretching under load
What tends to work far better is quieter and less flashy:
Isometrics
Slow, controlled concentric work
Short ranges around mid-joint
Repetition that builds trust
For example, rather than chasing a deep squat, I might use a simple sit-to-stand from a consistent height.
Same movement.
Better information.
Less chaos.
Breath stays steady.
Exhale on effort.
No bracing competitions.
The pelvic floor piece (often misunderstood)
In hEDS, the pelvic floor is rarely just “weak”.
More often, it’s:
Working too hard to stabilise
Or arriving late when pressure changes
This is why maximal contractions and long holds often don’t translate into real-life function.
What tends to help instead is improving timing — how quickly and reflexively the pelvic floor responds to changes in pressure.
Hypopressives, taught with restraint and awareness, can support this beautifully.
Not by forcing lift, but by restoring coordination.
Stretching, stability & hEDS – common questions
With hypermobility and hEDS, the goal isn’t more stretch — it’s more trust, control, and stability.
-
Often, yes.
With hypermobility and hEDS, the joints usually already move beyond what’s needed for daily life. Pushing further into range doesn’t create stability — it can actually make joints feel more unpredictable and increase symptoms later.
In these bodies, the issue isn’t lack of movement.
It’s lack of reliable control. -
Not never — but it needs to be very intentional.
Stretching can be useful when it targets muscle tension that’s compensating for instability (for example calves, hamstrings, or the rib cage). What we avoid is passive, end-range stretching of already lax joints.
The question isn’t “Can they stretch?”
It’s “What are we stretching, and why?” -
Because it gives the nervous system information and safety.
When someone pushes away into a stretch, a hypermobile joint can drift past its point of control.
When they gently push back into the joint, they create:Joint compression
Proprioceptive feedback
A sense of containment rather than strain
This helps the body organise itself instead of floating or gripping.
-
The most helpful options tend to be:
Active, muscle-supported stretches
Dynamic movement through a comfortable range
Gentle positioning that prioritises alignment over depth
The aim is relief and awareness — not increasing flexibility.
-
Strength, coordination, and timing.
Most hypermobile bodies respond far better to:
Controlled strength work
Mid-range joint positioning
Repetition and predictability
Breath-led organisation
When the body feels stable, it often stops asking for constant stretching.
-
They can be very supportive when taught with control rather than range as the goal.
For hypermobile bodies, this means:
Avoiding end-range pushing
Keeping joints softly organised
Using breath and alignment as the guide — not depth
It’s not the practice that’s the problem.
It’s how it’s practised. -
With hypermobility and hEDS, we’re not trying to make the body more flexible.
We’re helping it feel:
Safer
More predictable
More supported from the inside out
That’s when strength sticks — and symptoms often soften.
How you know you’ve done enough
With hypermobility, feedback is often delayed.
A good session doesn’t necessarily feel dramatic.
It feels settling.
Red flags that tell me we’ve gone too far include:
Dizziness
Sudden fatigue crashes
Jaw, neck, or rib gripping
Symptoms that flare later that day
Feeling wired instead of grounded
The comments I listen for instead are quieter:
“I feel more together.”
“My body feels clearer.”
“I feel calmer.”
The principle I always return to
With hEDS, we build trust in the system before we build capacity.
When the body feels safe, strength becomes meaningful.
When the nervous system is supported, coordination improves.
And when we stop chasing extremes, the body often gives us far more than we expect.
This isn’t about doing less.
It’s about doing things in the right order.
