How to increase flexibility in the hamstrings?

If you have these chronically tense muscles, you probably flinch all the time. You don’t have to try to stretch to touch your toes, you may also notice a tight back and a limitation in athletic performance. Luckily, this is something quite common among people. It can be caused by anything from sitting at a desk all day without making any movement, to a natural disposition towards tension, an old injury, etc.

Benefits of flexible hamstrings

Having these muscles with adequate flexibility provides numerous advantages, beyond being able to perform certain strength exercises better.

Improve posture

The flexibility and tension of the hamstrings can affect posture in a detrimental way. The ability of the lower extremities is necessary to facilitate postures that preserve the spine when lifting objects and when performing others.

Lower extremity capacity encompasses the strength and flexibility of the legs. When it comes to your back and how you move, your hamstrings play an important role. They allow you to perform a variety of activities and not compromise posture.

Risk of compression fracture is reduced

Tight hamstrings are especially troublesome for people with osteoporosis. When the hamstrings are not flexible, they pull the pelvis down. The downward pull causes a posterior tilt of the pelvis which, in turn, causes our lower back to lose its natural internal arch.

Loss of arch leads to rounding of the middle back. Along with weak core muscles, tight hamstrings predispose us to bend from the spine rather than through the knees and hips. When we bend from the spine, a greater “kyphosis” or hump is created in the back.

If this round back posture appears in people with osteoporosis, a lot of pressure is put on the front of the vertebrae, as well as on our discs. When you have low bone density in the spine, the repeated forward tilt of the spine creates microtrauma to the vertebrae. Over time, these repeated microtraumas can evolve into more serious trauma.

Help prevent injuries

The hamstring stretches below are themselves with safe movement patterns and professionally prescribed exercises. But more importantly, they provide the flexibility we need so that you can incorporate safe functional movements into your daily life.

Additionally, flexible hamstrings will help you perform many yoga poses without compromising your posture.

How do I know if I have stiff hamstrings?

To find out how flexible your rear leg is, it is best to perform a self-test to determine flexibility or tension. This will help you figure out whether to initially increase calf flexibility and which hamstring flexibility exercise is best for you.

It is recommended to start with a test that determines the level of stiffness. To do it you must follow the following steps:

• Lie down on the mat and bend your left knee, with the sole of your foot facing the mat. This is not essential for stretching your hamstrings, but it is important for keeping your back secure.
• If you have any back pain or have had a herniated disc, it is also recommended to place a small rolled towel on the lower part of your back.
• Raise your right leg toward the ceiling and keep your leg straight. You will feel a muscle tension in your thigh, as the quadriceps muscles lift the leg together with the hip flexors.
• Keep lifting your right leg until you feel your back flatten against the mat, or push the rolled towel you are using.
• Once you get to the point where your back flattens out, that’s the limit of your hamstring flexibility.
• Lower your leg slowly.
• Switch and repeat on the other side with the right knee bent, lifting the left leg.

There are actually four states of hamstring flexibility, and they can vary from person to person:

• Very tense. You feel tension before your leg reaches 45 degrees off the ground. Do the stretch with a ball.
• Moderately tight. You feel tension between 46 and 80 degrees. Do the stretch using the wall.
• A little tight. You feel tension between 81 and 90 degrees. Do the stretch with a rope or belt.
• Without stiffness. You can lift your leg more than 90 degrees. The rope or wall versions will suit you better.

Stretching routine to improve flexibility

Your flexibility routine should determine whether to perform these exercises as static or dynamic stretches. Static ones are those where you hold a position for several seconds, and are best done after training when your muscles are warm.
Instead, dynamics are those that involve controlled movements to help warm up the body and prepare the muscles for more vigorous movements.

To make statics dynamic, do 60 to 90 seconds in each pose with a steady, controlled movement. If you feel any pain or abnormal sensations in your hip, thigh, or lower leg, stop and talk to a doctor.

Simple hamstring stretch

If you have low back pain or sciatica, this exercise can put stress on your back, so do it with caution. Make sure to stretch until you feel a gentle tug on the back of your thighs. If you feel excessive pain, you should stop the exercise .

• Sit on the floor with both legs straight.
• Extend your arms and reach forward bending at the waist as far as possible while keeping your knees straight.
• Hold this position for 15 to 30 seconds.
• Relax back to the starting position.
• Repeat three times.

Hurdling stretching

The hurdle hamstring stretch is a simple exercise that can be done directly on the ground.

• Sit on the floor with one leg straight.
• Bend the other leg at the knee and place the sole of that foot against the inside of the opposite thigh.
• Extend your arms and reach forward on your straight leg bending at the waist as much as possible.
• Hold this position for 10 seconds.
• Relax and repeat with the other leg.

Standing hamstring stretch (both legs at the same time)

This can be done anywhere. It is done in a standing position and stretches both legs at the same time. Here’s how to do the standing hamstring stretch:

• Stand up and cross your right foot in front of your left.
• Slowly lower your forehead to your right knee, bending at the waist.
• Keep both knees straight and hold this position for 15 to 30 seconds.
• Relax and repeat for the other side crossing the left foot in front of the right.

Standing stretch (one leg at a time)

The single leg standing hamstring stretch is possibly the easiest to perform. It can be done anywhere (at home, in the office or outdoors) and does not require special materials.

• Stand with one heel resting on a small stack of books or stool.
• Keep your knee straight.
• Stretch both arms toward the place where the wall and ceiling meet. If you are outdoors and there is no wall or ceiling, reach into the air so that your arms are at ear level. Raise your arms up, rather than down toward your foot, to keep your back straight.
• Keep your back straight. Lean forward slightly from the hips.
• Reach forward and feel a stretch in your hamstring behind your thigh.
• Hold the stretch for 15 to 30 seconds and repeat three times.

Towel stretch

Most people have towels for stretching, although you can use a strap or belt. Remember that a towel hamstring stretch should feel good; If it causes pain, stop immediately and see a physical therapist.

• Lie on the floor on your back.
• Wrap a long bath towel around your toes and grasp the ends of the towel with both hands.
• Slowly pull on the towel to lift your straight leg. Make sure to keep your knee straight. The leg without the towel should lie flat on the floor.
• Raise your leg until you feel a stretch behind your thigh. You can also feel a stretch in your calf.
• Hold for 15 to 30 seconds and then relax.
• Repeat three to five times on each leg.