What is the best one hamstrings stretch? – EasyFlexibility
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What is the best one hamstrings stretch?

Posted by Paul Zaichik on

Paul, just give me one good stretch for the hamstrings! That I can use with my students.

This is a question that I got from a martial arts instructor who has purchased
multiple programs and has seen success with them for his own training. He also took the EasyFlexibility Online Training Certification Course (EFTC).

And it's a good question. Because over the years I realized that a lot of people practice different sports, Martial Arts, Dance, Gymnastics, and so on. People who would prefer to add just one stretching technique and not have to do the whole program. This is also true for the instructors who do 45 minutes to an hour, an hour and a half of sports specific activity, and don't want to spend that much time on specific goals such as hamstrings flexibility, adductors
flexibility, back bending, etc.

I realized that it's my job to repeat this information and repeat these answers to people over and over again. Simply because EasyFlexibility method is different than other methods. When people are used to other methods of stretching, it might take a while to understand why EasyFlexibility is different.

Some people find it difficult to understand why they cannot do the same thing they usually do while stretching when using the EasyFlexibility programs.

Some people find it difficult to understand why they cannot do the same thing they usually do while stretching when using the EasyFlexibility programs. Why is it that in other methods all they have to do is one exercise to stretch their hamstrings, such as just sit down on the floor, extend both legs in front of them and just try to reach for the toes as much as possible.

The confusion to many is why there are many different stretching exercises in the EasyFlexibility system that focus on the hamstrings, and not just the stretching exercises but also the supporting exercises. And so, I need to explain this concept over and over again.

Hamstrings Intermediate

Enjoy a complete follow-along workout for fast hamstrings flexibility tailored for intermediate students. A lot of people hold back because of a purely psychological barrier or as runners like to call it – ‘when they hit the wall’. But we’ll help you push through this and overcome every obstacle along the way! You can count on Zaichik Stretching to connect you to your own body and mind. You’ll start to understand your body language and correctly assess your capabilities to know just how far you can go.

Stretching multiple muscles at the same time is triggering the stretch reflex

To do one stretching technique, which is a general direction stretch, such sitting and trying to reach the toes, which is what a lot of people used to, is stretching multiple muscles at the same time, triggering the stretch reflex, trying to fight the stretcher flex, which is fighting you back and at the same time not backing up or retaining the flexibility in any way. And that is the big reason why so many people are doing the same stretch for the hamstrings, losing that progress, regaining it again the next session and so on, which results in very little progress and no long term improvement. If that one stretch would've worked for everybody there would be no EasyFlexibility, it would not be needed, and nobody would be using it.

Why spend half an hour to 45 minutes sometimes more to develop flexibility in the hamstrings, or in hip flexors, or in the shoulders, or to develop a split if one can just do 30 seconds stretch and that's it.

So in terms of picking one technique. One good technique from EasyFlexibility. Which one do we pick? For example in forward bend do we pick the one that targets Medial Hamstrings, or Lateral Hamstrings? Do we pick the one that targets the sciatic nerve? Do we pick the one that targets the extensors of the hip on the inside or outside? Glutes, adductors? Which one do we pick?

If one muscle is stretched but other ones are not you're not going to get a complete forward bend.

If one muscle is stretched but other ones are not you're not going to get a complete forward bend, and in a virtual scenario where someone may just need flexibility of one muscle and all the other muscles are stretched if it's not backed up by supporting exercises to retain that flexibility, that flexibility is close to useless because it will be lost and the next session will start at square one again.

So this is something that I have tried over the years, for example lateral hamstring is usually tighter most people so I wanted to see if just stretching the lateral hamstring would solve an issue without doing anything else. It worked for very few people, it didn't work for most and even those whom it worked for when we added other techniques on the top of the lateral hamstrings the progress that they were getting had speed up.

The same applies to the supporting exercises. Some supporting exercises will be very difficult for a beginner and most likely will be done wrong. While a student with more flexibility will be able to do them. And get the most benefit out of them that are beginner will not get.

Why do different people need different techniques if they need flexibility in exactly the same muscle group?

I have demonstrated this, for example, when I was asked by trainers and coaches that I know to visit their location and help out their students with flexibility.

If one student or more, were out of range with everyone else, that is less flexible than everyone else or more flexible than everyone else I would give them different techniques, even if they needed flexibility in exactly the same muscle group.

And one of the instructors, I remember, asked, he said: “You’re giving different techniques but everyone has the same muscles, so why different techniques?”

The witch I said well look and I called the beginning student and I said try this technique and a beginner student or perhaps it wasn't a beginning student, I'm not sure but it was definitely a less flexible student, struggled with it but flexible student was able to do it and gain the benefits of the technique that a tighter student was not.

So you can see that the request to only give one stretching technique for the hamstrings makes sense from the older point of view of how people used to stretch, but perhaps after reading this article you will understand that the EasyFlexibility is a different system, it's a much deeper system and the depths of the system is what gives it its ability to improve flexibility faster and with more consistent results.

If you're interested in forward bending certification for you or your students take a look below.
The purpose of this certification is to learn how to master and teach a PROPER COMPLETE forward bend or forward fold.

What is a proper and complete forward bend or forward fold?
This is when your spine is absolutely straight and the whole flexibility of the forward bend comes from your hips. This is learning how to not simply touch your fingers to your toes not touch your head to your knees but your whole straight torso from your stomach to your chest is making full contact with your straight legs without any gap.

In this course you will learn Zaichik Stretching Techniques for each muscle group, level by level. Zaichik Stretching Techniques allow you to see the progress with every training session. You will also learn a variety of specialty proprietary supporting exercises, that develop the strength, and help the body to adapt to newly and newly founded freedom in your hamstrings.
The EASY Forward Bending Certification Course is unique in that its the first certification that comes with animated as well as human demonstrations of Zaichik Stretching Techniques to make sure that you do them optimally and get the most benefits.

This certification course will help you to lengthen your muscles one by one to quickly develop and support flexibility necessary to do a perfect, beautiful, straight back, head to feet, forward bends.
Click Here to Learn More About The EASY Forward Bending Certification Course
© ElasticSteel Corp., EasyFlexibility, Paul Zaichik, et. El., 2022. No part of the materials available through ElasticSteel.com, EasyFlexiiblity.com, site may be copied, photocopied, reproduced, translated or reduced to any electronic medium or machine-readable form, in whole or in part, without prior written consent of Paul Zaichik EasyFlexibility.com, Elasticsteel.com.. Any other reproduction in any form without the permission of Paul Zaichik EasyFlexibility.com, Elasticsteel.com is prohibited. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Paul Zaichik, EasyFlexibility.com, Elasticsteel.com.

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