Tight Hamstrings

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daniip_la
daniip_la Posts: 678 Member
edited July 2015 in Fitness and Exercise
I googled some stretches to help, but I was hoping someone here has some tips for really tight hamstrings. I've had problems with them for ages.

I currently do NRoLFW as my workout regimen.

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  • cheshirecatastrophe
    cheshirecatastrophe Posts: 1,395 Member
    edited July 2015
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    Tightness in the lower body really works as a chain. So make sure you are stretching your quads, various hip muscles, glutes (rolling on a lacrosse ball seems to work for this) and calves as well!

    It's good to stretch at the end of the workout when your muscles are already warmed up and (in the case of hamstrings) lengthened.
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,209 Member
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    daniip_la wrote: »
    I was hoping someone here has some tips for really tight hamstrings. I've had problems with them for ages.

    How are you determining this?
  • daniip_la
    daniip_la Posts: 678 Member
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    Cherimoose wrote: »
    daniip_la wrote: »
    I was hoping someone here has some tips for really tight hamstrings. I've had problems with them for ages.

    How are you determining this?

    Inability to touch my toes when stretching, without bending my knees as a muscle running along the back of my thighs is too tight. Anything that has to do with stretching my leg out fully when exercising has the same problem, that muscle is simply too tight to do it without bending my leg at the knee.
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,209 Member
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    daniip_la wrote: »
    Cherimoose wrote: »
    How are you determining this?

    Inability to touch my toes when stretching, without bending my knees as a muscle running along the back of my thighs is too tight. Anything that has to do with stretching my leg out fully when exercising has the same problem, that muscle is simply too tight to do it without bending my leg at the knee.

    Toe-touching isn't a good test of hamstring flexibility, because your height and the length of your arms affect the results too. This page has a good hamstring test:
    http://www.ringwoodinjuryclinic.com/tests.html
    If your hams feel tight on Romanian deadlifts, that's totally normal. :+1:

  • daniip_la
    daniip_la Posts: 678 Member
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    Cherimoose wrote: »
    daniip_la wrote: »
    Cherimoose wrote: »
    How are you determining this?

    Inability to touch my toes when stretching, without bending my knees as a muscle running along the back of my thighs is too tight. Anything that has to do with stretching my leg out fully when exercising has the same problem, that muscle is simply too tight to do it without bending my leg at the knee.

    Toe-touching isn't a good test of hamstring flexibility, because your height and the length of your arms affect the results too. This page has a good hamstring test:
    http://www.ringwoodinjuryclinic.com/tests.html
    If your hams feel tight on Romanian deadlifts, that's totally normal. :+1:

    Thanks for the link! My results going by that test were very poor. With my thigh at a 90 degree angle to the floor, my shin was about a 45 degree angle from the floor despite trying as hard as I could to make my leg straighten.
  • oh_happy_day
    oh_happy_day Posts: 1,138 Member
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    cheshirecatastrophe wrote: »
    Tightness in the lower body really works as a chain. So make sure you are stretching your quads, various hip muscles, glutes (rolling on a lacrosse ball seems to work for this) and calves as well!

    It's good to stretch at the end of the workout when your muscles are already warmed up and (in the case of hamstrings) lengthened.

    I totally agree with this. I foam roller and use a hard rubber ball on my calves, quads and hamstrings and glutes. And ITB which hurts SO badly but has to be done. I find that when my legs and glutes get tight it also starts impacting my lower back.

    Yoga has been extremely useful to me. My muscles all over tend towards being tight and yoga had helped significantly. I often use the pose downward dog (with alternating legs) as a nice overall leg stretch after working out.
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,209 Member
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    daniip_la wrote: »
    Thanks for the link! My results going by that test were very poor. With my thigh at a 90 degree angle to the floor, my shin was about a 45 degree angle from the floor despite trying as hard as I could to make my leg straighten.

    Stretch it for 30+ seconds every hour.
    Expect slow progress with hamstrings.

  • daniip_la
    daniip_la Posts: 678 Member
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    Thanks to everyone for the help! I'll start working on them immediately.

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