How To Stretch Hamstrings To Up Flexibility and Prevent Injury

Sure, your legs could possibly be the responsible social gathering. To learn how to inform if so, and easy methods to stretch hamstrings successfully whether it is, we spoke with Katya Campbell, an authorized motion and mobility specialist, yoga instructor, CrossFit coach, and the health director at Mountain Trek Health Reset Retreat in British Columbia.

How are you aware in case your hamstrings are tight sufficient to trigger again ache?

Low again ache can crop up when your hamstrings are so tight that they pull your pelvis out of alignment, which may pressure the deep again muscle tissue. However earlier than blaming your hammies outright, it is useful to find out in the event that they’re tight sufficient to be the wrongdoer. There are just a few fundamental checks you are able to do to check your vary of movement, says Campbell.

The only might be the passive ahead fold. To do that, stand upright together with your ft collectively (ideally with no sneakers on) then hinge out of your hips and attain down to the touch your toes or as near your toes as potential.

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In case you are inside two inches from reaching the ground, Campbell says that you’ve got “reasonable flexibility,” however something increased up may point out extreme tightness in your hamstrings.

Nevertheless, this evaluation has some limitations. Particularly, when you’ve got lengthy arms, it’ll naturally make it simpler to succeed in the bottom (and people with shorter arms could have a tougher time). Additionally, Campbell factors out that this doesn’t take a look at every leg individually. That’s why she additionally recommends the lively straight leg elevate take a look at.

To do that one, lie on the ground with each legs straight out on the bottom. Preserve one leg flat on the ground and lift the other leg into the air, retaining each knees as straight as potential. As you raise your leg, take a look at how far the heel is developing in direction of the ceiling. Campbell says that ideally, your heel ought to have the ability to come in keeping with or past the other knee. “It is a nice indicator of hamstring flexibility, and we are able to see if one leg has larger limitations than the opposite, which is pretty frequent,” she says.

What causes very tight hamstrings?

Generally, chronically tight hamstrings are merely one thing you’re born with. “Genetics do play a job in hamstring size and we won’t argue our manner out of that one, however there are different elements as properly,” suggests Campbell. “Extended sitting, inadequate stretching after train, harm, and restricted motion can all contribute to shortened hamstrings.”

Campbell factors out that there’s a distinction between quick, stiff, and tight muscle tissue, regardless that we are inclined to colloquially describe all of those as feeling “tight.” The nuanced distinctions between every of those conditions can have an effect on what’s happening in your physique to create this sensation.

In case your hamstrings are quick

“Brief muscle tissue (the least frequent) are sometimes as a result of an harm that has brought about a major lack of motion at finish vary for a protracted time frame,” says Campbell. “For instance, an individual is in a solid or a brace. This has brought about the muscle to progressively adapt to this new shortened place.”

In case your hamstrings are stiff

Campbell says {that a} stiff muscle outcomes from lack of motion, usually from sitting in a automotive or at a desk, or from overuse as a result of exhausting exercises with eccentric exercises or repetitive actions.

In case your hamstrings are tight

“A good muscle can usually really feel extra like bone than muscle. They’re these thick, ropey muscle tissue you could stretch repeatedly however are regularly tight,” describes Campbell. “These usually accompany an harm or a poor recruitment sample the place the physique has basically overused the muscle (inflicting it to be extra hypertonic and thus ropey and bony feeling) fairly than utilizing a extra practical motion sample.”

What are the dangers of not stretching your hamstrings?

Finally, whether or not your hamstrings are stiff, quick, or tight, Campbell says that one of many greatest issues is potential harm. In spite of everything, we now have preferrred ranges of movement for the hamstrings, which we now have developed over time for secure actions. When one thing compromises this vary of movement, accidents can happen.

“If our muscle tissue lack these skills, it will probably take one thing small, like tripping over our youngsters’ Lego, to doubtlessly tear a muscle as a result of its lack of ability to increase and contract,” warns Campbell.

Nevertheless it does not essentially take a Lego incident to trigger issues. Overly tight hamstrings “may add undue pressure on different components of our physique that have to compensate for this lack of motion,” she says. “An ideal instance of that is decrease again ache, which is commonly seen on account of tight hamstrings.”

Learn how to stretch hamstrings successfully

The important thing to releasing tight hamstrings is to include quite a lot of stretching workout routines into your common routine, says Campbell. Even a devoted 10-minute stretch session could make a serious distinction should you select the correct mix of strikes and know easy methods to stretch hamstrings the correct manner.

“I wish to mix lively (dynamic) and passive stretching, in order that the muscle has the flexibility to be in a lengthened place in all situations,” says Campbell. “Usually, we’d have reasonable passive flexibility (such because the standing ahead fold), however after we make it extra lively, we see larger limitations.”

Campbell shares just a few of the most effective hamstring stretches:

Reclined single-leg hamstring stretch

1. Lie in your again with a strap or belt beside you.
2. Bend each knees and plant your ft on the ground hip-width aside.
3. Prolong one leg up above the hip and hook the strap/belt over your midfoot. Attempt to preserve a impartial backbone.
4. Gently straighten the leg.
5. On an exhale, slowly straighten the other leg onto the ground. If that is an excessive amount of, preserve it bent.
6. Breath deeply and preserve this for 5 deep breaths.
7. Repeat on the opposite facet.

Swinging leg touches

1. Stand upright with one hand on a chair for stability, if wanted.
2. Shift your weight onto one leg and permit the other leg to swing as if it is a pendulum, forwards and backwards from in entrance of you, to behind you. Make sure that to maintain your chest tall as you do that.
3. Because the leg loosens up, slowly enhance the vary of movement of your swing.
4. If potential and you’ve got the stability, as you swing the leg out in entrance, take the hand on the other facet and attain it to the touch in direction of your toes of the leg that’s swinging because it comes up in entrance of your physique. Keep away from rounding your again to make the contact.
5. Preserve swinging and kicking to the hand 10 instances, then change sides.

Field hold

1. Step up onto a secure field or stair.
2. Place your toes on the entrance edge together with your ft hip-width aside.
3. Hinge at your hips (not rounding your again) and permit your physique to hold in order that your arms drape all the way down to the toes. In case you are versatile or need to problem your flexibility extra, maintain mild dumbbells in your arms to deepen the stretch.
4. Maintain for 20 to 30 seconds.
5. Have interaction your core and glutes to slowly stand again up.

Counteracting tight hamstrings isn’t nearly doing leg stretches, nevertheless. When your hamstrings are chronically tight, other muscles—like these deep again muscle tissue—can tighten up as properly.

“Usually, the decrease again turns into tight, because the hamstrings pull the pelvis again,” explains Campbell. “Engaged on lengthening the erectors (the lengthy muscle tissue alongside the spinal column) might be actually useful, as can foam rolling this space.”

Right here’s easy methods to stretch hamstrings for again ache and hit these spinal muscle tissue within the course of with this seated hamstring stretch:

Seated supported ahead folds

1. Sit on a folded blanket or agency pillow with the legs stretched out in entrance.
2. Place a agency pillow below the knees.
3. Hinge from the hips, pondering of rolling ahead onto the sting of the sitting bones as you attain the arms alongside the legs in direction of the ft.
4. Maintain for one minute, respiratory deeply. Then launch.

On the lookout for extra leg stretches? Do that decrease physique mobility routine: 

Is there something you are able to do apart from stretching to assist loosen up tight hamstrings?

Stretching isn’t the end-all-be-all on the subject of loosening up tight hamstrings. You may marvel, Will therapeutic massage loosen hamstrings? Definitely. “Therapeutic massage is a superb technique to enhance blood move, soften connective tissue, and restore wholesome vary of movement,” says Campbell, who significantly recommends Thai massage for this goal.

Self-myofascial launch strategies like foam rolling and ball rolling can be extremely efficient, she provides. Campbell says she loves an train she calls the “hammy smash roll” with a lacrosse ball or related small, agency ball:

1. Sit on a agency floor with legs overhanging, like a chair.
2. Place the ball behind one thigh, nestled into the tissue of the hamstrings.
3. Relaxation the load of the leg onto the ball should you can deal with it.
4. Slowly lengthen the leg out, mashing the ball into the tissue as you elongate the muscle alongside that strain level.
5. Do this a number of instances, and preserve relocating the ball to completely different areas to seek out out the place the gnarly spots are. Make sure that to breathe all through all the course of to assist loosen up your tissues.
6. Swap legs.

How lengthy does it take to loosen tight hamstrings?

Finally, the reason for your tight hamstrings will have an effect on how a lot time it takes to resolve the problem.

“If it is because of harm, the secret is gradual and regular, and it will probably take a number of months to revive full vary of movement,” says Campbell. “If the tissue is stiff as a result of train (post-workout soreness and rigidity), often a day or two and getting blood move will loosen issues up. If the muscle tissue are tight and inflexible, it may be one thing that may require common upkeep to maintain issues agile.”

So, be affected person. With constant follow, you’ll be able to work your technique to feeling limber and agile—and pain-free—once more.