I'm a 34 year old female in very good shape, BUT, I have these permanently tight, tight, tight hamstrings! This hugely effects my lower back. On any given day, I can't bend even close to halfway to my toes... however, if I stretch out my hamstrings for about 30 seconds each leg, I can then immediately bend over double with no pain whatsoever.
So... my question is, what's the best way to loosen those tendons up permanently so I don't have to be constantly stretching them out in order to use my BACK? Would pilates be a good bet? Is this a COMMON problem?
Would appreciate your insight... thanks!
Traya
Re: Best way to permanently loosen up hamstrings???
Stretch as far as you can and stay in that position for about a half-hour. That worked for me (it wasn't the hamstrings, but a nearby leg tendon I don't know the name of) 3 years ago and I still haven't lost the flexibility.
Re: Best way to permanently loosen up hamstrings???
I'm genetically inflexible and I have to consistently stretch, at least 3x a week to stay flexible (and I'm still not as flexible as I'd like to be). It's possible that you may never permanently stay flexible without working on it - but I hope Philly's method works for you.
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Re: Best way to permanently loosen up hamstrings???
Thanks for those suggestions, everyone.
I was heavily into gymnastics when I was younger, and was very flexible--could easily do the splits, etc. Sometimes I wonder if doing those things damaged my tendons somehow causing them to be tighter than usual now?? I don't know. But I will try the 1/2 hour thing tonight and let you know how it works.
Re: Best way to permanently loosen up hamstrings???
I think you just have to get into the habit of stretching on a daily basis and over time you will loosen up....when i was heavily into sports I stretched before practices and games (about 4x a week) so i was pretty loose..but after i stopped playing as much my legs went back to being tight again...so i'm going to start stretching again daily and see in a month how much flexibility i regain...hopefully that works for you as well
