Exercises for Gamers: Hamstring Stretch

Exercise: Hamstring Stretch

Frequency and Duration: 4×15-20 seconds, 3x/day

The only thing you need for this exercise is your chair. The purpose of this exercise is to stretch your hamstring muscle because it is often stiff or short in the “flexed” low back position. To start stand up in front of your chair and all you have to do is place your heel on your chair.

SLIGHTLY bend your knee (think 5 degrees), this is mostly for people who may have hyperextended knees (we want to isolate the muscle instead of the ligamentous tissue from the joint) and bend forward from your hips until you feel it along your hamstrings. Hold for about 15 and then alternate!

For those who are questioning why the stretch duration is so short – it has been shown stretches of durations 15, 30 and 45 seconds were equally effective in increasing hamstring length for youth and adult populations. Only for individuals > 55 are longer durations recommended.

The gif below shows the second way to perform this stretch!