Chronic hamstring tightness affects many of us, athletes and non-athletes alike. Overuse through sports such as running, soccer, cycling and ordinary activities such as prolonged sitting at work, can cause these muscles to tighten causing hip and lower back pain.

Pilates can help you alleviate the discomfort of hamstring tightness by assisting you to stretch and strengthen this group of muscles. In Group Classes, taught on an apparatus called the “Reformer”, exercises such as Bend and Stretch and Lift and Lower allow you to work your hamstrings eccentrically and concentrically to both lengthen the muscles fibers and also to strengthen them at the same time.  At home, try these Pilates mat exercise on your own to keep those hamstrings supple:

Single Leg Extension:

Single Leg Extension is a simple exercise that will help you improve hamstring strength while simultaneously working your core and glutes.

Lie on your stomach with a neutral spine and pelvis, your forehead resting on your hands, your legs extended out on the floor hip-distance apart, laterally rotated with toes pointed.

Take a deep inhale, breathing deep into the sides and back of your rib cage. As you exhale, pull your belly button up toward your spine as you reach one leg straight up off the floor. Inhale, lower that leg to the floor. Take another deep inhale, continuing to pull your belly button toward your spine as you reach the other leg off the floor. Inhale as you lower that leg to the ground. Try to keep your pelvis still as you lift each leg. Complete 6-8 repetitions with both legs.

Spine Stretch Forward:

Sit up tall with your legs straight in front of you, just wider than hip-distance apart, weight equally distributed on your sit-bones. Rest your hands between your legs on the floor. Take a deep inhale to prepare, then as you exhale, nod your chin as you lengthen the back of your neck and continue rolling forward one vertebra at a time from head to tailbone. Take a deep inhale as you maintain this position. As you exhale, roll back up from tail to head to return to your start position.

While Spine Stretch Forward is primarily taught as a spine stretch, you can modify the exercise to gain a hamstring stretch by reaching through the heels and allowing the pelvis to hinge toward the thighs without rounding the low back as you hinge.

Your C2 Pilates Instructors are always available to discuss and help you address your fitness goals and concerns. Let us know if you have a fitness topic you would like us to discuss here on the C2 Blog.

This entry was posted Sunday, June 7th, 2009 at 5:15 pm and is filed under Pilates & Athletic Conditioning. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.