Please help my crazy hamstrings

bathsheba_c
bathsheba_c Posts: 1,873 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I have the worst hamstrings in the world. They are always incredibly tight, which has a huge impact on my flexibility. I can't touch my toes. I can't sit up with my back straight when I'm doing a butterfly stretch. I'm worried that it will one day kill my lower back.

Does anyone have an ideas what I can do to get these rotten hamstrings of mine to behave?

Replies

  • NobodyInParticular
    NobodyInParticular Posts: 352 Member
    I have the same issue. Stretch your lower back, hamstrings and quads. Use heat pads as well.
    Try and do it daily... it'll take time to get that flexibility back. Good luck.
  • Bentley2718
    Bentley2718 Posts: 1,689 Member
    Stretch at least a few times a week, consistently. Daily is better. BUT do not stretch cold. You must always be warm when you stretch, the warmer the better. I actually lost flexibility (including in my hamstrings) because for a while I was taking a dance class that had us stretch at the beginning of the workout. I had a medical condition that caused me to lose much of my flexibility, but over a couple of years, I went from being very tight, to reasonably flexible, it just takes consistency.
  • rotill
    rotill Posts: 244 Member
    Also, remember to stretch the front of your thighs. It influences the flexibility in your lower back. Sounds counter-intuitive, but is true.
  • sunsnstatheart
    sunsnstatheart Posts: 2,544 Member
    I have the same issue. Stretch your lower back, hamstrings and quads. Use heat pads as well.
    Try and do it daily... it'll take time to get that flexibility back. Good luck.

    ^^ This. Every day. I'm naturally very inflexible and I have to stretch every day or things just don't work right.
  • ahamm002
    ahamm002 Posts: 1,690 Member
    I have the exact same issue! And they did start to cause lower back problems for me. I've found that the best way to loosen them up is with eccentric hamstring exercises. Stretches are good too, but if you do the stretches cold they don't help that much.

    EDIT: here's a link to a good study on hamstring rehab. It discusses how eccentric training lengthen's the hamstring muscle and prevents reinjury:

    http://bjsportmed.com/content/46/7/463.full.pdf
    Basic researchers
    have provided different theories on the
    subject, where the most prominent one
    is that a shift in the optimum angle for
    torque generation, to longer hamstring
    muscle lengths, as a response to eccentric
    strength training, can protect against
    hamstring injuries and re-injuries.27 28
  • BeachGingerOnTheRocks
    BeachGingerOnTheRocks Posts: 3,927 Member
    I always do a few minutes of cardio before stretching. Particularly with the hamstrings. 10 minutes on the elliptical, a short jog, a fast walk, anything that will warm you up. Then stretch. There are a lot of good stretching examples on the net. Runnersworld has some great ones.
  • 0145528
    0145528 Posts: 25
    Stretch daily, best to try to do a basic full body stretching routine anyway, your body will thank you later and it really doesn't take a big time commitment to do it. If you don't do any strength training, consider adding that to your life as well. Strength training will help flexibility.

    I've recently gotten back into martial arts training after a long sabbatical, over which I'd basically lost any ground I'd ever gained, been doing this type of training on the side and can kick head height again finally after 5 months back in. My goal is to be able to get into splits again by the end of summer.

    Good luck to you in your endeavor.
  • kerriotto
    kerriotto Posts: 93
    Yoga will help your flexibility a lot.
  • sophiek1964
    sophiek1964 Posts: 79 Member
    Yoga!
  • Dovekat
    Dovekat Posts: 263 Member
    I do deep stretches after a hot bath to make sure my muscles are warm enough to take it (I've always had terrible circulation think it's to do with my low blood pressure). Start very slowly and gently after doing 5 or 10 mins of easy low impact cardio warm-ups to get stuff awake and ready.

    These gentle stretches might be of some use http://www.spinal-health-care.com/tips-a-advice/hamstring-stretch/ and should place no strain of your back if done mindfully. I have mobile disks and a leaning towards trapping my sciatic nerve at the drop of a hat so I would recommend never compromising the stability of your spine to lengthen a stretch, only go as far as you can without strain.

    As others have said yoga will help but it can be a bit intense if your very, very tight maybe start with these to ease you into it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AI9CvLUXUc8 ignore the name ("for dummies" lol) I am suggesting it because it's very gentle. Hopefully that might offer up some ideas if nothing else :smile:

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