The hamstrings are a set of muscles located in the back of the leg between the gluteus and the knee. It is located in the lower part of the upper part of the leg, just before reaching our knee.
They are very important muscles that are used when we walk or do exercises in the gym, being small muscles and due to their characteristics they are muscles that tend to stiffen and in which we can quickly lose our flexibility.
It is very important that we stretch this muscle group because thanks to correct stretching we can avoid the loss of flexibility and even improve the one we already have, so we are going to proceed with a compilation of the different hamstring stretching exercises.
What do you need to stretch the hamstrings?
- To stretch more comfortably, a mat.
- Some high point of support such as a chair or ladder, it can also be done on gym trellises or on top of a sofa.
- Slight resistance to pain and constancy.
Instructions for stretching the hamstrings
- Go down to play:
It is the classic exercise for stretching the hamstrings, it consists of standing with a straight back, then we go down and try to touch our feet with our hands without bending our legs, going down slowly, even if we don’t get there we will notice a small prick in our hamstrings, force as low as we can. - Go down to touch, easy mode:
I know what you’re thinking, I can’t touch my foot and I can’t stretch. Well don’t worry, there is a version for more rigid people: First you have to go down in the same way as before but bending your legs until they touch, now hold on to your feet and stretch your legs little by little without letting go of your feet, this way the muscle will be stretched little by little, even if it doesn’t touch, since we are doing it in reverse. When you can fully stretch your legs you can move on to the simple exercise of going down to touch. - Lying stretch:
It is even easier to perform than the previous one. In the first place, you must lie on your back with your legs stretched out, then we take one leg and with the help of our arms we raise it as much as we can, now with the knee slightly bent we hold the leg to keep it there without it falling, then lower slowly and move to the other leg. Ideal exercise for beginners. - High support point stretch: Quick
exercise to perform, we put one leg on top of the high support point, it must be high enough so that the shape of the leg makes a right angle with your hip while the opposite leg is behind and slightly bent. Now we move forward carefully and hold for a few seconds until we notice that it stretches, return to the starting position slowly and change legs. - Straight leg stretch on the floor:
Another classic, often used in martial arts and aerobics classes, this exercise is very simple to perform. We sit with our heels tucked up, then we stretch one leg out in front and without bending the knee, we try to touch our toes with our outstretched arm. Again there is an easy mode for rigid people, the difference is that as in step 2, we will bend our knees until we grab our toes and without releasing them, we will stretch the leg as far as we can.
Tips for stretching the hamstrings
- Slowly and carefully: Hamstring stretches should be done in a smooth and controlled way, always doing it in a way that doesn’t hurt too much and always being able to return to the starting position in a simple way. Performing the stretches abruptly can cause a muscle injury that can have serious consequences, so you better pay attention to us if you don’t want to end up with crutches.
- Strengthens the muscle: Although it has nothing to do with flexibility, having a strong muscle can make it less prone to injury, although it must be stretched to avoid stiffness. Do exercises to improve your hamstring muscles like leg curls at your gym, or do fast, explosive runs to strengthen your hamstring.
- Practice flexibility: It is necessary to stretch after each leg workout, this will help avoid stiffness and muscle knots. But do not forget to practice flexibility often, at least once a week dedicate it to stretching as this will prevent losing it with age and will even improve if you train it more often.
