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When tight hamstrings become a problem it’s important to know how to loosen them
When it comes to hamstring stretches, things can feel a little obvious – people usually go for one stretch and use that time and time again. While there’s nothing necessarily wrong with that, variation can target different aspects of your hamstring and help with tight muscles in different ways.
Sometimes pain and strain can be so unbearable it’s difficult to know what to do. Thankfully, with the right advice, you don’t necessarily need to visit any physical therapist or physio. From range of motion to muscle tension relief all around there’s always the right thing to learn and the right thing to practice.
So, if you’re here to learn a little more about the hamstring stretch, what it could really be doing and different aspects of it, then read on now.
Stretch 1 – Lying Hamstring Stretch
Hamstring muscles are super important. They’re prominent muscles that allow us to do a lot, so it’s no surprise there are multiple ways to approach stretching them. The first one is the lying hamstring stretches.
Healthline outlines the following routine –
”Lie down on the ground with your back flat and your feet on the ground, knees bent.
- Slowly bring your right knee to your chest.
- Extend the leg while keeping the knee slightly bent. You may use a yoga strap or rope to deepen your stretch, but don’t tug on it too hard.
- Hold for 10 seconds and work up to 30 seconds.
Repeat with your other leg. Then repeat this stretch with each leg two to three times total.”
Sitting Hamstring Stretch
A second way to approach hamstring muscle problems, the seated hamstring stretch is simple – extend your leg and lean forward. But as ever there are a few nuances here.
Medical News Today puts it that you should…
- sit on the ground with one leg bent and positioned as though you have crossed your legs.
- With the other leg, extend it out so you can feel the stretch.
- Now, bend forward at the waist and keep your back straight.
- Hold the stretch for up to 30 seconds and then repeat.
Standing Hamstring Stretch
The next classic and most probably familiar technique, the standing hamstring stretch helps with hamstring flexibility, hamstring tightness, tight hip flexors and knee pain.
Medical News Today states –
- ”Stand upright with the spine in a neutral position.
- Place the right leg in front of the body with the foot flexed, the heel pushed into the ground, and the toe pointing toward the ceiling.
- Slightly bend the left knee.
- Gently lean forward and place the hands on the straight right leg.
- Keep a neutral spine.
- Hold the stretch for 10–30 seconds.
- Repeat two to four times.”
Conclusion
And there you have it, some simple steps to bettering your hamstring stretches. Hamstring exercises are super important to maintain these pivotal muscles, so be aware of any strain you may be putting on them and keep up to date with stretching properly.
FAQs
Do I have to have a completely straight leg?
It’s better that you do this in order to get the maximum range of motion down, but this may take a little time and work. Working on flexibility is definitely a good thing to do.
