The Science of Hamstring Flexibility – Anatomy & Training Techniques
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Published 2024-02-04
www.yogabody.com/hamstring-flexibility-youtube/
Do you struggle to touch your toes? Have you been told it's because your hamstrings are weak, not because they're tight? If so, you're being gaslit. While your hamstrings might be weak, when it comes to flexibility, you have to train these tissues with stretching exercises as I’ll show you in this video.
Tight hamstrings impact your posture, your walking and running gait, and can even contribute to lower back problems. Since your hamstrings are involved in nearly all your movement patterns (think knee flexion, hip extension) if left unchecked, the progressive tightening of these tissues is the norm—but it doesn’t have to be.
Your hamstring range-of-motion is determined by two factors: your nervous system and the length of your tissues. The Science of Stretching is a targeted approach I’ve developed that combines exercise physiology research with best practices from yoga, gymnastics, and dance. It’s really effective at unlocking any muscle in your body, but in this video we'll focus on your hamstrings.
I’ll explain the three key Science of Stretching principles of practice and show you how to put them into action with a simple pose that targets change in the muscle fibers in your hamstrings. If you’re new to this this type of deep, passive stretching, remember to start slowly and ease your way into it. Let’s get started!
VIDEO CONTENTS
0:00 Tight hamstrings
01:13 Anatomy of hamstrings
02:57 Anatomy of stretching
05:27 Ragdoll pose
05:50 Science of Stretching
06:08 Wet noodle
07:04 Breathe to relax
08:07 Time under passive tension
DISCLAIMER – this video is for educational purposes only. If you have severe hamstring pain or an injury, please err on the side of caution and check with a healthcare provider before practicing any self-care routine.
ANATOMY
The hamstrings are a group of three muscles located at the back of your thigh: your biceps femoris, semitendinosus, and semimembranosus. These muscles originate from the lower part of your pelvis and attach to the bones in your lower leg.
They are biarticular muscles, meaning they cross two joints (hip and knee) so they play a crucial role in coordinating movements when running and jumping.
When your hamstrings become tight, they reduce flexibility and range of motion, which can lead to discomfort in your legs and lower back.
WHAT WE’LL COVER
* Hamstring anatomy
* How to train flexibility in your hamstrings
* Key stretching principles for maximum benefits
3 SCIENCE OF STRETCHING PRINCIPLES WE'LL LEARN
1) Wet noodle
2) Breathe to relax
3) Time under passive tension
WANT MORE?
* Try our 4-week YOGABODY online Science of Stretching program: www.yogabody.com/stretching/
* My podcast: www.LucasRockwoodShow.com/
* Main site: www.yogabody.com/
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Got a question? Please post down below.
#Hamstrings #Stretching #HamstringStretch
All Comments (21)
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can we all appreciate that he ripped out his hamstring just to teach us how it works
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After years being told I wasn’t able to do a forward fold and touch my toes because I had tight hamstrings, a yoga teacher suggested I incorporate a stretch that focuses on the lower, outside portion of my back. I stretch both sides and immediately get inches closer to my toes. My hamstrings were being sufficiently stretched all this time. My lower back was not.
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Your videos are excellent Lucas. A real lesson in clarity and great video production. The content for yoga and health is a bonus. I really enjoy both the very useful content and the quality of production. A rare thing. Well done!
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Science of stretching is good, I have it. I’d call it stretching that is intense as strength training. Make sure to start out using the modifications instead of jumping right into the full stretches. Most of us should focus at least as much on flexibility as strength training, if not even more. Work your weakness, especially most men who functionally need more flexibility, but they’re spending all their time on strength training at the gym instead.
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I absolutely adore how you get straight to the point with valuable information and no affectation. Your video on hamstrings has already helped me. Thank you. I can already feel the improvements occur through relaxation during the 4-minute pose.
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Perfect material for where I'm at Lucas. Thank you!
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I've also heard of glute amnesia where your glute muscles go to sleep and leave all the work to the hamstrings which become over worked and tight. Great video.
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Amazing vídeo! Greetings from Brazil! 🇧🇷
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Very few videos explain the science behind everything they do, hope you keep up the noble work! Very informative and helpful, i am grateful
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Perfect aula , você tem uma ótima didatica pra explicar as coisas parabéns o vídeos não é cansativo ! Até eu que não vejo vídeos sobre o assunto entedi entedi .. Nosso corpo é uma máquina Parabéns
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Excellent video Lucas! Specially when you pulled your muscle out to explain something about it. This was so unexpected yet really caught my attention! Well done!
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First video of yours I've seen. Love the simple yet scientific approach to stretching. Now I know why, ever since high school, stretching never seemed to work for me. 10min video fundamentally changed how I view/approach stretching. Thank you
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Passive is quick, but effective for only a very short time and does very little to affect actual change in range of motion. Standing up from the stretching position will do more.
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I love your content Lucas, it's wall made, very concise, and well explained, while being relaxing and follow along. Can't do much better ! There is although the fact that no single mobility educator on YouTube or elsewhere says the same thing about stretching poses duration, or even relative importance of active vs passive mobility training. I appreciate the precisions you make here but still. I decided to go to research paper directly to make my own views, and they kind of contradict themselves too on optimal duration. Isn't then it a wrong statement you make about science of stretching being clear and resolved toward 2-5mn duration ? I tried to download your PDF to find studies reference but couldn't find any. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against your approach, I even found great benefices trying your way, and incorporated it in my mobility practice. But stating such clarity on what is best might be deceptive if it's not. I wouldn't stop appreciating your content with a more nuanced approach, clearly outlining what's scientifically validated vs what are you beliefs on the topics (which I'm happy to consider!). Cheers mate
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You’re such a good teacher! Very easy to understand
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Very clear and concise thank you
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I'm freaking confused with all the flexibility guys online. Some tells you active stretching is superior to passive, others tells exact opposite. Some are telling me 2-5 minutes in a pose, others say 30seconds but for 6 - 12 reps. And all of you guys say it's based on science and add some research papers. I'm not a scientist, I don't know how to read that papers, all I wanna know is how to reach splits more efficiently. After one year of stretching at least 5 times a weak for one hour, I made good progress, but I'm still not at the ground and I start to get a little impatient....
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A newbie to your YouTube channel. Done some yoga off and on for years, but from watching your videos and especially listening to your explanations has been so wonderful. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and insights to help others.
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Awesome Video. New Fan. I will be tuning in periodically. Thank you.
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Tbh very well explained and very informational. I needed this and you deserve a sub. Thank you.
