6 Ways to Stretch Your Hamstrings

Did you know you have 3 hamstring muscles?

• Medial Hamstring - Semimembranosus. Attaches below the knee on the inside of the lower leg and at the base of the pelvis. 

• Central Hamstring - Semitendinosus. Attaches below the knee on the inside of the lower leg and at the base of the pelvis. 

• Lateral Hamstring - Biceps Femoris. Attaches below the knee on the outside of the lower leg and at the base of the pelvis.

This image shows all 3 hamstrings and their attachment points. (Red & Yellow are the lateral hamstring, Blue is the central hamstring and Green is the medial hamstring).

Common symptoms for each of the 3 hamstrings when they are tight and not working well:

• Medial hamstring: Hip Pain & Injury, Bunions, Plantar Fasciitis, Acne, Diabetes, Digestion, Eczema, Enzyme production, Lyme

• Central Hamstring: Knee Pain & Injury, Feet Problems, Calve Problems, Herniated Disc, Ruptured Disc, Bulging Disc, Central Nervous System, Degenerative Disc Disease, Insomnia

• Lateral Hamstring: Lower Back Pain, Ankle Pain & Injury, Calves, Groin Pain, Herniated Disc, Ruptured Disc, Bulging Disc, Degenerative Disc Disease, Frequent Urination, Incontinence, Spinal Stenosis, Prostate Problems, Osteoporosis, Bone Health

Why are the hamstrings so important to the overall functioning of your body?

• By design, the hamstrings are 'tendinous' tissue. Meaning - they are dense and tough and accumulate un-healthy fascia easily.
• Because they attach to the pelvis, their health and flexibility determines the movement in the pelvis.
• When the hamstrings are full of dense and even scarred fascia, they stop moving. They can be 'frozen' in a short position, long position, twisted position, or a combination throughout each hamstring.
• Inflexible hamstrings hold the pelvis in a dysfunctional position.
• This creates poor alignment in the hip and knee joints, compression in the spine, and poor posture in the shoulders and neck.
• Creating an increase in hamstring flexibility and pelvis movement is foundational to having a body that moves and feels better head to toe.

What is the true test of hamstring flexibility?

Most folks think hamstring flexibility is determined by the ability of the hamstring muscles to get long - bending over and touching your toes or doing the splits for example. This is not the true test of hamstring flexibility but rather the test of hip flexor and quadricep flexibility.

If you want to test the flexibility of your hamstrings the best way is to sit back on your heals and see if there is pain and tension in the front of the knee or to kick your heal up toward your butt and see how far up it goes and with what level of power you are able to kick your foot up. True Flexibility is defined by the muscles ability to 'flex' or shorten. In both of these position / movements you are testing the ability of your hamstrings to shorten or work better. 

If you truly test your hamstring flexibility, try these 2 positions and then try some Bendable Body hamstring stretches with resistance and then try the 2 positions again and see if it improves. 

6 Stretches for Your 3 Hamstring Muscle Groups

We are giving you 2 stretches for each hamstring (medial, central and lateral). It's important to get different aspects of the muscle - up high close to the pelvis and down low close to the knee. We have many different versions of stretches for each of these areas. 

Medial Hamstring: 

This stretch targets the lower medial hamstring closer to the knee.

• Start Position: Be down in a squat with the butt low and the head raised. Place your arms on the insides of your knees and your hands on the fronts of your shins. 
• Resistance: Press your knees and your arms into one another. 
• Lengthen: Lift your butt and lower your head. 
• Return and Repeat: Let the resistance go and return to the start position

3 sets of 10 repetitions is optimal.

This stretch targets the upper medial hamstring closer to the pelvis.

• Start Position: The target leg is extended out to the side with the heel on the ground. 
• Resistance: Press the heel of the target leg in and toward the opposite knee.
• Lengthen: Fold forward to lengthen. 
• Return and Repeat: Let the resistance go and return to the start position

3 sets of 10 repetitions is optimal.

Central Hamstring: 

This stretch targets the lower central hamstring closer to the knee.

• Start Position: Get into a lunge position with the target leg forward.  
• Resistance: Press the heel of the target leg into the ground and backward.
• Lengthen: Sit your hips back to lengthen. 
• Return and Repeat: Let the resistance go and return to the start position

3 sets of 10 repetitions is optimal.

This stretch targets the upper central hamstring closer to the pelvis.

• Start Position: Laying on the ground, interlace your hands around the target leg close to the knee - the leg starts as far away from your torso as your arms will permit. 
• Resistance: Press the target leg into your hands.
• Lengthen: Use your arms to bring the target leg into your body. 
• Return and Repeat: Let the resistance go and return to the start position

3 sets of 10 repetitions is optimal.

Lateral Hamstring: 

This stretch targets the lower lateral hamstring closer to the knee.

• Start Position: Get into a lunge position with the target leg forward and the foot turned outward slightly. 
• Resistance: Press the heel of the target leg into the ground and backward.
• Lengthen: Sit your hips back to lengthen. 
• Return and Repeat: Let the resistance go and return to the start position

3 sets of 10 repetitions is optimal.

This stretch targets the upper lateral hamstring closer to the pelvis.

• Start Position: Kneeling on one knee, extend the target leg out with a healthy bend in the knee and the foot turned outward slightly.  
• Resistance: Press the heel of the target leg into the ground.
• Lengthen: Fold forward to lengthen.
• Return and Repeat: Let the resistance go and return to the start position

3 sets of 10 repetitions is optimal.