Hamstring Stretches Help Please

[Moosey]

In West Yorkshire born and raised
In the dojo is where I spent most of my days
Chillin' out, maxin', doin' bassai dai
And roundhouse kickin' dudes and makin' them fly

'til a couple of times when I lifted my foot,
I got an inflamed tendon from my hamstring to my butt
I went to the physio and he got scared
and said "you need to loosen up your hamstrings to prevent future tears"

So... please can anyone recommend (with good descriptions/pics/links, because "you need to do Inverse Russian Leg Climbers" doesn't mean anything to me) good exercises to improve tight hamstrings?

Thank you kindly! :cool:

[tkd GU]

HAHAHA! Sweet rap! Sorry I can't really help you with your question. Yoga maybe??

[liero]

Glute Ham Raise for strength YouTube- glute ham raise
this guy does the raise to fast, and you dont need to push up as hard, aim for no push at all...

watch ross compilation at about 48 seconds when he does this with a weighted vest

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57pv_1j4dH0&feature=player_embedded#!

much harder than it looks,

also do you do squats or deadlifts?

Doing strength exercises will help with flexibility and reduce muscle injury proness.

Stretches, front split, sit and toe touch or stand and floor touch, I'm sure Van Zandt will give you a better run down of that aspect.

Dont start the strength training untill muscle pain subsides

[liero]

also...Your rap made me happy

[slipthejab]

Mooseman have a vid just for you. In the editing stage. Done in about an hour and then I'll post it. :)

[Llamageddon]

I went to a sports massage guy with the same problem and he gave me a great stretch to do.

Stand up straight, then bend over at the hips (with legs straight) until you can feel tightness in your hamstrings (you should be able to left your toes off the ground. If you can't you've gone too far). Then bend your legs slightly so you're in a skiing kind of position. Then bend down a bit more and you should be able to feel a stretch in the hamstrings. Best stretch I've found for it.

Keep your thumbs pressed in to your hips (like having them through belt loops or something) to ensure you don't engage your hips in the movement, and to keep them back

[simon s]

If you have stairs in your house hamstring stretches are easy.

Face the stairs both feet facing forward. Put one leg a few stairs up with the toes facing up.The next bit is important. Do not arch the back. Note how the guy in the picture is looking up and forward.

20305

As you progress you can aim to lower your abs onto your thigh, lower the chest then lower the shoulders. The idea is to reach forward toward your toes. The important point is straight legs even if you are only able to get your leg two stairs up, not four stairs up, bent legs and a curved spine.

Once you have done both sides, you can change your supporting leg out at 90 degrees, but keep the foot on the stairs with toes up.

Another nice hamstring stretch can be done seated. Again notice the good posture, note the head up and forward, not worried how low the body is.

20306

The aim long term would be this.

20307

This is how you would also want to be lying on the leg raised up the stairs.

If you like the stair stretching drill I can shoot some pictures to help describe in more detail.

[19thlohan]

The standard strectches usually do it for most people. Toe touches, hurdle stretches and front splits. If you find you've hit a wall and aren't making any gains try holding the stretch for about 20-30 seconds then with out releasing it take a deep breath and when you exhale go a little further. Hold again and repeat. Try that for each stretch and hopefully you can start making progress again.

[simon s]

try holding the stretch for about 20-30 seconds then with out releasing it take a deep breath and when you exhale go a little further. Hold again and repeat. Try that for each stretch and hopefully you can start making progress again.

Good tip this. I don't think that people hold stretches for long enough. My understanding is that there is a receptor in the brain that 'holds onto' the muscle for the first 8 seconds of a stretch, so your stretch does not even start until you have held the position for 10 seconds or more.

[slipthejab]

Ok Moosey... here goes... a dynamic warm up/stretch for you that hits the hip flexors and the hamstrings. Give it a look:

IGNITE SC - hi step overs
http://ignite-strength.blogspot.com/2010/06/ignite-sc-dynamic-warm-up-and-stretch.html

If you don't have a set of parallel bars kicking around in your neighborhood... two chairs with a bit rope tied off between them work. The line to step over isn't actually necessary... but it helps you to focus on getting both legs up to a height and gets you focused on the task.

[19thlohan]

Heh, in kung fu we used to warm up by doing some lite straight leg kicks, internal crescent kicks and external crescent kicks. Those high step overs look like an external crescent kick with one leg followed by an internal crescent kick with the other.

[slipthejab]

Heh, in kung fu we used to warm up by doing some lite straight leg kicks, internal crescent kicks and external crescent kicks. Those high step overs look like an external crescent kick with one leg followed by an internal crescent kick with the other.

Yep it's a very similar drill. The thickness of the parallel bars makes me have too put in more crescent movement. I often will have clients do them in a gym with a bit of bright orange cord strung up. So the movement is a tad different. But yes even with the crescents in... it's a nice movement.

Additionally... one of the strongest kickers I ever met was a TKD guy from the UK named Mark Strange (http://www.markstrange.net/) (now an action film actor)... and all around top notch bloke... he has a crescent kick just about harder than any roundhouse I've ever seen. And an ankle like a club to use for good measure!

[simon s]

also do you do squats or deadlifts?
Doing strength exercises will help with flexibility and reduce muscle injury proness.
Stretches, front split, sit and toe touch or stand and floor touch, I'm sure Van Zandt will give you a better run down of that aspect.

I will post a video tomorrow that combines bodyweight squats with a dynamic hamstring stretch.

[Moosey]

Thank you very much, everyone! I'll give as many of those a try as I can!

[Fish Of Doom]

moosey, remember to look up as you do most of these stretches, as it helps keep your back straight and will prevent a fair amount of lumbar pain as well as avoid stretching your ligaments.

a simple beginning stretch is, keeping your eyes fixed on a point in front of you, instead of lowering your body, bring your hips back as far as you can.

[Patrick Smith]

Just wondering, do you do full ROM strength training for your hamstrings? Like hamstring pulldowns, good mornings, and isometric stretching? I don't many exercises that do it, but VZ may come along soon to give his thoughts.

[Van Zandt]

In West Yorkshire born and raised
In the dojo is where I spent most of my days
Chillin' out, maxin', doin' bassai dai
And roundhouse kickin' dudes and makin' them fly

'til a couple of times when I lifted my foot,
I got an inflamed tendon from my hamstring to my butt
I went to the physio and he got scared
and said "you need to loosen up your hamstrings to prevent future tears"

So... please can anyone recommend (with good descriptions/pics/links, because "you need to do Inverse Russian Leg Climbers" doesn't mean anything to me) good exercises to improve tight hamstrings?

Thank you kindly! :cool:

Love the rap. :)

I'd always take "stretch it to make it better" advice given by physios with a pinch of salt because it's the most common remedy they prescribe. Often however flexibility isn't the issue.

Was your injury diagnosed as tendinitis or tendinosis? Tendinitis is often caused by fatigue due to overuse whereas tendinosis is caused by micro tears in an around the tendon (more common in Karateka due to the ballistic nature of kicking). Accurate diagnosis is imperative to ensure a quick recovery.

In any case you should follow the RICE procedure and complete a gradual return to training. Doing traditional relaxed/passive stretches may increase the magnitude of existing trauma, making your condition worse.

Wait until you have recovered, then focus on building strength in your hamstrings through the full range of movement. You will get by doing just isometric splits and hamstring pulldowns. For the pulldowns, attach a pulley to your foot with your leg extended in front (as if holding a mid section front kick) and slowly pull your foot to the floor, next to your supporting foot. Hold for a count of three before returning to the starting position.

In terms of splits, focus on the front split with your (formerly) injured leg forward (so you are targeting the hamstring on the side where you injured the tendon). Focus on building strength over range in the early stages. Do 10 second contractions, increasing the depth of the pose only every two or three repetitions.

Try not to let your kicks exceed your static range of movement during your Karate practice. If you need more detailed instructions don't hesitate to ask.

MAP's own Powchoy is a chartered physiotherapist and can offer a more informed opinion than me.

[Moosey]

Thanks Van Zandt, appreciate your input!

[BuddhaPalm]

One of my favourite stretches for the hamstring is to have my feet shoulder width apart, knees slightly bent, raise my arms up by my side and fold over with my hips like a piece of paper. When i reach the bottom i raise my tailbone to the ceiling and hold for 10 to 60secs. Come up the same way.

[simon s]

I will post a video tomorrow that combines bodyweight squats with a dynamic hamstring stretch.

Here's the video as promised.

YouTube- Dynamic Hamstring Stretch.wmv

Have to be honest and say that I wasn't really at the races this morning when I did this, but some editing has helped I think.