Functional Hamstring Stretching

Stretching your hamstrings by themselves can be a pleasurable feeling, but it does little to improve athletic performance or how you move in daily activities. Functional stretching, however, involves doing stretches in positions that closely mimic a specific sport or activity, such as sprinting and jumping, according to Exercise Biology. This will help you get more prepared for the upcoming activity than other types of stretching.

  1. What Makes It Functional?

    • Functional stretching is based on the theory of specificity, which is traditionally applied to other aspects of human performance, such as strength, balance, power, speed and coordination. Because your nervous system recognizes movements in very specific patterns, the training you do to improve your sports or activity skill must resemble closely the actual movement patterns that you'll be doing for that sport or activity. For example, if you are a runner, stretching your hamstrings from a standing position is more preferable than lying on the floor on your back. If you can flex your hip and extend your knee to 90 degrees while lying on the floor, it doesn't always mean that you would be able to raise your leg or kick as high in a standing position.

    Supine Exercises

    • Supine stretches can be ideal for those who train for ground combat, like Brazilian jiu-jitsu, or yoga. One common floor stretch is the active hamstring stretch, in which you lie on the floor on your back with your arms out to your sides on the floor. Raise one knee as close to your ribs as you can without moving your opposite leg. Then straighten that bent leg as much as you can with your foot pointing toward your face. Hold this position for two seconds and bring your knee back to your torso. Repeat the exercise on each leg for five to 10 reps.

    Standing Stretches

    • Standing functional hamstring stretches incorporate muscles near the hamstrings, such as those in your hip, back and lower leg. These exercises often address the superficial back line, which is a connection of muscles, nerves and fasciae that extend from the bottom of your feet, through your posterior, legs and back, and wraps around the crown of your head. Your hamstrings' mobility can affect the mobility of other muscles along the back line. Depending on the sport or activity you do, the exercises can vary. For example, if you play soccer or compete in tae kwon do, swinging your legs and hip joints back and forth can serve you in your warm-ups. Other examples of standing stretches include Triangle Pose, Standing Forward Bend and deep squatting.

    Considerations

    • Never stretch if you feel pain in your hamstrings. Check with your health care provider before starting any exercise routine. Always breathe while you stretch. Holding your breath would only make the muscles tighter.