Wanna Know Why We Love Hamstring Stretches?
Because they feel so darn good...
The hamstring stretches that we're going to teach
you on this page will make you feel amazing. We promise. They literally
make you feel 10 years younger...heck, 20 or 30 years younger.
Once you've sat
down for a good half hour and stretched your hamstrings you will feel
better in your legs, back, neck and glutes. That is what real freedom
feels like. You can't possibly feel free when all of those muscles are
being dominated by your tight hamstrings.
Quick Tip |
You don't have to sit down for half an hour
at a time. 5 minutes every
day will get you there. But in the beginning it could be good to have a
crack at a great big stretch. It will let you know what it feels like
to be free. |
Now, let's get into some basics...
First of all, you must realise that your
hamstrings are very large muscles. They often need a long time to
stretch out to their fullest. It can take months of stretching to get
to a reasonably flexible level. So don't expect any super-quick results.
A very important, but often overlooked, part of
these stretches is the breathing. Proper breathing can make them work amazingly well. The proper technique
goes like this...
Breathe in = Stretch and increase the tension in your hamstrings.
Breathe out = Consciously relax the muscle.
Keep doing this... You
should feel your body relax and get into a rhythm. This is when your
muscles start to release their tension.
Speaking of relaxing...
Rather than trying to stretch your
hamstring, sometimes it is better to think of it more as relaxing
your
hamstring. What we're trying to say is not to
stretch it too hard. It can make you tense up and it will be very hard
to make any progress with the stretch. Get to know your own
body and you will feel what is the right amount. If you put too much
pressure you will feel your body resisting. If you
then release some of that
pressure you will feel your body relax a little. Try it out
and see
what happens.
Now, let's say you're doing the basic hammie stretch...
A common mistake made by a lot of people is that
they try to get their head down to their knee's. With this goal in mind
you will tend to stretch the muscles of your neck and back more than you do
for your hamstrings. What you ideally want to do is imagine your body
bending right at the hips. Do not
worry about getting your head down further or your arms out further.
Just worry about getting your abdomen flat with your thighs first of
all. Then, after your flexibility increases, you can begin to move your
head down until you are lying flat on your legs.
Just a quick piece of advice before we
start... |
Most of these hamstring stretches can be
intensified by a simple pelvic tilt.
This moves the stretch from lower in your leg to right up in the
hamstring. It's like a "poking your bum out" movement. Give it a try, it's not hard. |
And away we go...
These are
the hamstring stretches that you will learn from this article:
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If you do them every day they will boost your flexibility beyond your wildest dreams.
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Your
hamstrings can be some of the most restrictive muscles if they are
tight. These hamstring stretches loosen your hammies and free your body up.
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They
will help to keep your body strong and pain free. Hamstring stretches combined with glute stretches are especially good for lower back pain.
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These
hamstring stretches are very relaxing when done properly. Great for relieving stress.
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You'll
be able to touch your toes. :)
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These
hamstring stretches help tremendously when practicing to
do
the splits.
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Basic Hamstring
Stretch
The basic hamstring stretch is one of the
easiest and best ways of stretching your hamstrings. If you learn how
to do one stretch properly on this page, make it this one.
This stretch has three stages to it. The
three stages are in order of the way that you should progress.
Stage one
- Sit on the ground with your legs straight
out in front of you.
- Try to sit a little forward of your
tailbone. If you are finding this hard, sit on a cushion, and wriggle
forward.
- Sit up straight and breathe in.
- Breathe out and bend at the hips.
- Reach forward and touch your toes.
- Make sure your feet are vertical.
Stage two
- Keep bending at the hips.
- If you can, move your hands down to your
heels.
- Keep moving your abdomen closer to your
thighs.
- Concentrate on feeling that stretch in
your hamstrings.
Stage three
- Keep bending at the hips and flattening
your abdominals towards your thighs.
- See if you can lie flat on your legs.
- Extend your hands along the ground.
Please bear in mind that it can take a long
time to get from one stage to another. Obviously the more you practice
the more benefits you will get. If you can stretch every single day
your flexibility will improve in leaps and bounds.
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One Leg In One
Leg out
This method of stretching your hamstrings is
good for isolating just one of your legs. If you are very tight you
will probably be able to stretch one leg a lot easier than doing both
at once. It's a good idea to start with this way until you build up
your flexibility a bit.
- Sit up straight and a little forward of your tail
bone. (Use a cushion if you're having trouble doing this).
- Put your left leg out straight in front
of you.
- Bend your right leg and put your foot
against your other leg.
- Breathe in
- Bend forward at the hip and breathe out.
- Hold this stretch for 30 seconds.
- Swap sides.
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Doorway Hamstring
Stretch
This is a great hamstring stretch. It is
easy to do and it's really good if you're feeling very tight. It's
great for just chilling out listening to music or whatever it is you
like to do down on the floor. ;) You can just have one leg resting up
on the wall, you don't even have to think about stretching it. It just
does it by itself. How's that for a great hamstring stretch.
- Find a doorway in your house.
- Put one leg through the doorway and the
other leg up the wall next to the door.
- Try to get your buttocks as close to the
wall as possible.
- Make sure your "floor leg" is straight
out along the floor.
- Hold this stretch for 30 seconds.
- Swap sides.
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Bent Over Hammie
Stretch
This is a very nice stretch. It's easy to
get a nice strong stretch with this one.
- Get into the position shown.
- Rest your hands on your shins.
- Bend forward at the hips and breathe out.
- Tilt your pelvis until the stretch is
nice and strong in your hamstring.
- Hold for 30 seconds
- Repeat on the opposite side.
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Lying Hamstring
Stretch
This stretch can be done in two ways. If
you're not very flexible yet you can use a towel like we've shown in
the second picture.
- Lie on your back and lift one leg up as
high as you can.
- Grab onto it with your hands (or a towel)
and pull it back towards you.
- Work towards having your "floor leg"
straight out along the floor and your "air leg" straight and
flat against your body.
- Hold for 30 seconds.
- Repeat with the opposite side.
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Leg on a Ledge
This can be a powerful stretch. It is good
because you can control how much stretch you are getting by how far
forward you are leaning and the height of the ledge that you are using.
- Find a ledge that you think will be the
right height.
- Put one of your legs up onto it.
- Keep both your legs straight.
- Bend forward at the hips and stretch that
hammie.
- Hold for 30 seconds.
- Repeat with the other leg.
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Touch Your Toes
This is a good one for doing first thing in
the morning as soon as you get out of bed. It makes you feel more
alive.
- Stand up straight.
- Bend at the hips and let your body relax
down.
- Keep your legs straight.
- Just hang loose man!
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We hope you've enjoyed these hamstring stretches.
If you do them regularly you'll find that your flexibility just gets
better and better. It really does feel very good to have a supple body
that doesn't restrict your movements.
Summary of all the other articles that we have
linked to from this page:
Keep us up to date with how you're going with your hamstring stretches! If you
want personal advice, just drop us an email. 
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