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Hamstring Stretches and Exercises

12 Best Hamstring Stretches & 4 Eccentric Strength Exercises

In this article we will cover the 12 best hamstring stretches in existence.

  • Toe Touching Hamstring Stretch
  • Sit and Reach Hamstring Stretch
  • Door Jamb Contract- Relax Supine Hamstring Stretch for Beginners
  • Standing Upper Hamstring Stretch
  • Standing Hamstring Stretch
  • Seated Hamstring Stretch – Easy Hamstring Stretch for Athletes
  • Leg Swings- Advanced Hamstring Stretch for Athletes
  • Contract- Relax Partner Hamstring Stretching
  • Self Myofascial Release of the Hamstring
  • Supine Kicks To Stretch The Hamstring
  • Supine Ankle Rolls To Stretch Tight Hamstrings
  • Foam Rolling the Lower Hamstring

And 4 Killer Hamstring Eccentric Strengthening Exercises:

  • Romanian Deadlift For Eccentric Strength of Upper Hamstring
  • Single Leg Deadlift For Stance Leg Eccentric Hamstring Strengthening
  • Heel Dig/ Slides For Eccentric Strength of Lower Hamstring
  • Tall Rocking Exercise For Hamstring Strength

Never Stretch Without Doing This First

STOP!… Do this before you start these stretches!

Get the blood moving. Go for a walk, sit in a chair and get up a few times, or walk some stairs. Do some normal human movement enough to get your heart rate up above resting. It should feel like you’re “getting warm” that’s why they call it a warm up.

It is always a good idea to warm up before you start any hamstring stretches. (Last thing you want is a strain!)

Other options are (but not limited to):

  • Standing leg curls
  • Walking lunges
  • Bridges
  • High knee walks
  • Planks
  • Rolling around on the ground

The hamstring muscle group is located at the back of your thigh and pelvis (at the very bottom) is partly responsible for a well-aligned pelvic position, back health and nerve health.

The hamstring muscles attach from the sit bone (or thigh bone) to the bones below the knee joint. They assist in hip extension and knee bend, which is why they are so important in running gait. Chronic contraction of the hamstrings can dramatically affect pelvic tilts (forward and backwards), creating uncomfortable feeling of tightness in the hamstrings themselves, the low back or groin.

The hamstring muscle group is located at the back of your thigh and pelvis (at the very bottom) is partly responsible for a well-aligned pelvic position, back health and nerve health.

The hamstring muscles attach from the sit bone (or thigh bone) to the bones below the knee joint. They assist in hip extension and knee bend, which is why they are so important in running gait. Chronic contraction of the hamstrings can dramatically affect pelvic tilts (forward and backwards), creating uncomfortable feeling of tightness in the hamstrings themselves, the low back or groin.

The Case For Hamstring Stretching

The question remains… what does hamstring tightness have to do with low back pain?

The roots of the problem is lies within the pelvis region. The following image demonstrates a concept called Lower Cross Syndrome, which shows correlates with low back pain via the “pelvic dial.” When the pelvis has too much forward motion (see the large arrows) this alters the lower back curvatures.

Back pain is common when the lumbar spine is forced to arch too much, as it accommodate to excessive anterior pelvic tilt.

Let’s work on reversing Lower Cross Syndrome, by stretching the hamstrings using a few of the stretches in this article.

 

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