Weekly Hip Stretch – Hamstring Stretch Accessible To All
This week we’re working on the hamstrings from another angle. There are tons of ways you can stretch the hamstrings. The most common is lying on your back with one leg up to the ceiling with a strap around the foot, pulling the leg toward you.
It’s a great stretch and I’ve covered a version of it in this series. However, it’s not accessible to everyone. If your hamstrings are quite tight, it’s hard to get the knee straight in that position. The leg has to be far away from the body and you may not even feel a stretch.
The other challenge is almost invariably the hip is going to lift, which takes the stretch away from the hamstring and pulls on the low back.
Illuminate me…
Instead of trying to bring the leg closer to the body, this version of the hamstring stretch brings the body closer to the leg.
Try it…
You’re seated so the pelvis is grounded on the sit bones. And since you’re hinging forward instead of rounding in the low back, the top of the hamstring (where it attaches to the sit bone) is tipping back and up and being put on the stretch. If we just round the low back the sit bone isn’t going anywhere and we forego that stretch.
The whole thing is a lot more controllable. Plus, because it’s done seated, you can take two minutes and do it during work or anytime else you’re sitting in a chair.
As always, go slowly and listen to your body.
Wishing you happy hips!