On a typical work day, I'll find myself hunched over my desk, in full brat mode, with rounded shoulders and oddly angled elbows. If I decide to take a break and go out, people might find me walking around the city in my worst posture. Yes, hi there, it’s me – your friendly neighborhood slacker.
It turns out there are thousands of people like me, which is probably why the Bend app is so popular. With over 25 million views on TikTok and nearly 90,000 positive reviews in the app store, Bend promises to address poor posture and other issues such as a lack of flexibility and joint mobility throughout the body.
Once you sign up, the app will guide you through a personalized stretching program based on your needs and goals. The more you use the app, the more flexible you'll become, and you may notice other positive side effects, such as reduced stress, improved balance, and even better sleep.
Here's what it's like to try the Bend app and all it has to offer.
quick overview
- Price: Free to download, $13.99/month, $39.99/year
- Best for: Improving flexibility, posture, mobility, tech neck
- My rating: 4/5
- What I like : Ease of use, sleek design, personalized stretches
- What I don’t like : Most apps require payment
What to know about the Bend app
Bend is all about making stretching a simple part of your daily routine. The app provides quick, convenient actions to fit into your schedule, such as the brief moments after you wake up or before going to bed.
The app has hundreds of physical therapy-inspired stretches and yoga poses to try for topical treatments such as neck stiffness, as well as stretch challenges and other routines to follow for days or weeks. There are simple moves for true beginners, like the 30-second quadriceps and hamstring stretch, as well as more complex moves for intermediate and advanced stretchers.
According to this app and fitness experts everywhere, stretching regularly is one of the best things you can do for your overall health and quality of life. Stretching can not only increase the mobility of muscles and joints, but also help relieve pain such as lower back pain and shoulder tightness.
Stretching is the go-to method for reducing injuries from high-intensity workouts, sports, and other activities because improved range of motion means fewer sprains and tears. If you feel like your thighs are stretching every time you run, that's a sign that you need to stretch more often.
There are many other benefits. According to Bender, regular stretching can help improve sleep quality, build core strength, reduce back pain, improve blood flow and circulation, and even speed up recovery time after a workout.
How to use bend
This app is very stylish and user-friendly. Under the Home tab, you'll find a five-minute "Wake Up" routine that walks you through eight static stretches lasting 30 seconds each, such as wide-leg bends and touches. This stretch comes free with the app and is a great place to start when you're jumping out of bed as a way to relax.
Once you pay the subscription fee ($13.99 per month), you unlock a 15-minute full-body stretch with more than 20 moves. This move covers all the major muscles and joints in your body, including chest openers, upward dog, side lunges, child's pose, seated twists, and more. Click on it and you'll see a pop-up timer counting down each move, as well as a small image demonstrating the correct position to enter. When you reach the end of a stretch, it beeps and then gives you a second to move on to the next stretch.
If you're feeling stiff or sore at your desk, hit the four-minute posture reset. This combination provides zero movement in areas where you tend to get strained while working at your desk, such as your shoulders, back, and neck. You'll do helpful poses like cactus arms, neck rolls, and diving poses while seated.
There's also a 10-minute sleep routine designed to help you relax and reduce stress before bed. It includes rag doll, child's pose, knees to chest, happy baby, and other classic yoga moves you can do in your pajamas.
Last but not least are 30 minutes of expert stretches covering every major muscle group. It offers more complex moves like squat extensions, reverse lunges, toe squats, pigeon pose, folded butterfly pose, and seated straddles.
If you don't want to try one of these pre-planned routines, you can browse the app by body part (e.g. hips, lower back, hamstrings, etc.) or scroll through recommended stretches based on your needs and goals. The app curated a lot of neck and shoulder stretches for me.
There's also a "Quick and Easy" section with some simple moves to try when you're pressed for time or feeling low on energy, as well as various series you can click through if you need more guidance. Think beginner's routines, Neck Stretching 101, and more. If you like, you can go to the Customize tab to create your own unique routine.
When you complete a stretch, the routine will move to the My Library tab so you can review what you've completed and return to your favorite content. Want to track your progress? Check out the dashboard tab to see your "flexometer," which will show you how consistent you are. Bend recommends coming back every day to keep the flexometer above 90% for best results.
The dashboard also shows your streak count, or how many days in a row you've stretched. If you don't mind notifications on your lock screen, you can also set reminders to pop up on your phone.
my experience
When I first downloaded the app, I had to scroll through a series of questions about what I wanted to do, my level of experience with stretching, and my fitness or limitations. This way, the app knows which moves to avoid and which moves to suggest to target my tightest muscles while correcting posture I hate.
Since it had been a few months since my last yoga session, I decided to start from the beginning, starting with beginner's moves. I also made sure the app knew I wanted to work on my technical neck, sore upper back, tight glutes, and rocky hamstrings.
To start my journey and beef up my flexometer, I hit the five-minute Tech Neck routine, designed to fix rounded shoulders, forward head tilt, and a curved upper spine. It combines stretches that stretch the chest, shoulder, and neck muscles, such as chin tucks, doorway pec stretches, and one-arm hugs.
Five minutes passed, my shoulders relaxed, my neck became less stiff, and it became easier for me to sit upright at my desk. I decided right then and there that I would do regular “tech neck” exercises.
The next day around 3 p.m., I continued trying Bender's four-minute desk reset stretches. This combo is meant to improve your posture, so I know it works for me. It uses seated stretches to correct "habitual postural problems" by increasing flexibility in the shoulders, neck and back.
In this quick four-minute session, I did 30 seconds of shoulder rolls, overhead stretches, side bends, cactus arms, neck bends, neck rolls, lateral neck movements, and more dives, including Stretch forward and leap out of your office chair like a swan. I didn't realize how hunched I was until I started bending and moving in new ways. It felt like my muscles were waking up after being dormant for months.
I also love a simple get-out-of-bed stretch. While I'll always be a fan of morning yoga flows on YouTube, this one only takes five minutes and it really seems to loosen up my stiff muscles. It makes a huge difference in how I feel when I start my day, and it also makes me look forward to doing more stretches in the future, like desk stretches.
takeout
Even though Bender's stretches are short and sweet, I've noticed a difference in my posture and overall flexibility. Now, every time I walk across a reflective surface or catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror, I notice that my neck is less round. I can also see that my shoulders and upper back are more flexible and stronger, which makes it easier for me to maintain good posture throughout the day.
Next, I plan on doing hamstring stretches - I'm hoping to be able to easily do splits or at least touch my toes - and more glute-mobilizing moves, as these are so important for anyone sitting in a chair. table. (Seriously, try some hip-opening poses after get off work and thank me later.)
This app is a handy guide for anyone who wants to become more flexible. I absolutely love its sleek design and its ease of use, as well as the flexometer, which encourages me to come back every day.
The simple routine on the Bend makes it well worth the money, although I don't think you'll ever need to pay for it. I recommend doing it for a few months so you can figure out which stretches you need and then you can develop a habit on your own. Cheers to being as flexible as possible.
Research reference:
Hota, K. (2018). Daily muscle stretching enhances blood flow, endothelial function, capillary action, vascular volume, and connectivity in older skeletal muscles. J Physiol. doi:10.1113/JP275459.
Kim, B. (2020.) Core stability and hip exercises improve physical function and activity in patients with non-specific low back pain: a randomized controlled trial. Northeast Journal of Experimental Medicine. doi:10.1620/tjem.251.193.
Tumel, D. (2022). Tailored personal yoga practice improves sleep quality, fatigue, anxiety and depression in chronic insomnia. BMC Psychiatry. doi:10.1186/s12888-022-03936-w.
