- Stretching tight hamstrings can be so uncomfortable, most folks will just avoid it.

Hello, I'm Cassy, and in today's Quick Fit class, I'll show you some easy and effective strategies to loosen those tight hamstrings without all that cringing discomfort.

[gentle music] Today, I'll be teaching you a technique called PNF stretching, or neuromuscular stretching.

Just technical terms for activating a muscle in its lengthened position.

You'll need a way to offer resistance to your leg.

If you have an exercise band or a belt, great, but even a towel or your own hands will work fine.

For neck comfort or vertigo while we're laying back, something like a yoga wedge is an easy solution.

All right, let's lay on our backs right away and get started.

So take a nice, cleansing breath in [inhales] and out, and I'd like you to extend your right leg.

Get that bottom foot right towards the ceiling.

Bend at the knee and extend.

Let's do about eight of these.

We'll be doing everything on one leg and then we'll do it all again on the other.

My knee has these little crunching sounds, but don't worry, nothing hurts.

Extend and extend.

Good, so that's active stretching.

Take a big breath in [inhales] and as you exhale, see if you can get a little movement of that leg towards your body.

Keeping that knee straight.

Take that pressure off.

Do it again.

Big inhale, [inhales] exhale, hold it here.

[exhales] Good.

This is the point where you can use a band or a belt to get a little more movement.

That's just fine, but don't make yourself cringe.

Okay, let's enjoy this.

Big breath in and a little pull.

[exhales] Good, so we've got our hamstring lengthened.

Let's do the PNF now.

So you're going to press your leg into the band.

Your hamstring is lengthened and we're activating the hamstring.

[inhales] Release that press and get a little more stretch.

Let's do that again.

[inhales] So your hamstring is lengthened.

Now press the leg into the band.

Band is holding your leg in place.

[exhales] All right, stop pressing and get a little more stretch.

Good job.

All right, you can take that band off.

Let your knee bend and with your hands at your sides, just let gravity take that leg open.

We're gonna stretch your adductors.

[inhales and exhales] Good.

So it doesn't matter how wide you get your leg, okay?

Just let gravity pull the leg as wide as you can.

We're not forcing anything.

We're not letting this hip come up.

We're just letting gravity stretch your inner thigh.

Now let's extend the leg and do the same thing.

Keep this hip down on the floor and just let gravity do the stretching.

Come partway out.

Big inhale, [inhales] exhale.

[exhales] One more time.

Big inhale [inhales] and exhale.

[exhales] Good job, let's bend that knee.

Stretch it for a moment.

And now let's, all right, keep this leg straight.

We'll straighten this other leg up again.

Now rotate your whole thigh so that your toes move across your body.

Keep your hip on the floor.

So if you're working your right leg, keep your right hip on the floor as you let this leg fall across your body.

Keep the toes rotated and you should feel it hopefully, on the outside of the back of your leg.

Your biceps femoris hamstring muscle, okay?

Come out of that, big inhale, [inhales] re-rotate.

Let that leg fall across.

Make sure the hip doesn't come with.

All right.

So nice stretch.

Now at this point, you can either use your band for resistance and lift up against that band.

Or you can even just use your hands to hold that leg in place.

We'll start again.

[inhales] Little break.

[exhales] Extend the leg, rotate it.

Let the leg fall across your body.

Now try to lift the leg into the band for five, four, three, two, exhale.

[exhales] Let the leg fall across.

Good job, let's do it everything now on the other side.

So extend the leg up towards the ceiling.

Bend that knee and extend.

Bend, [inhales] extend.

[exhales] Bend, extend, let's do a few more.

It's five.

Keep that foot flexed.

Four, three, two, [inhales] [exhales] exhale.

See if you can move this leg towards you.

When it starts making you cringe, just take some of that pressure off.

Take a big inhale, exhale.

[exhales] Good, now see how you can just use your hands.

You've got this leg stretched.

Now, press the leg into your hand for five, four, three, two, big inhale, exhale.

Try to relax the leg and let it stretch.

Take some of that pressure off.

[inhales and exhales] If you can go into it a little bit more, hold it.

Now, press the leg into your hand.

Your hand holds it in place.

You're activating your hamstrings while they're lengthened.

[inhales and exhales] And now see if you can get a little more stretch.

Good job.

Let's bend that knee and just let the leg fall out to the side.

And if you can't get your leg this far open, that doesn't matter.

Just let it fall open as far as it can, okay?

And you're letting gravity stretch.

Lift, exhale, let it fall open.

[exhales] Now we'll do it with a long leg.

Have your hands out to your sides.

Try to keep both your hips flat on the ground and only the thigh, the leg moves.

Okay?

Hold it here.

[inhales and exhales] Lots of breathing, come out of it partway.

Inhale, [inhales] exhale, [exhales] and just let gravity do the work.

All right, bend that knee.

Let's just pull it towards your chest for a little bit of a break.

And we'll extend that leg up to the top again.

We're going to stretch this outer hamstring muscle called a biceps femoris.

Rotate that leg, so the foot goes across your body.

Hands are wide.

I'm gonna put this other leg straight and just let the leg fall across.

Do your best to not let the hip follow, okay?

Don't, no need to do that, just the leg.

Keep the hips down.

[inhales] Keep that leg rotated.

[exhales] Lots of breathing.

[inhales and exhales] Okay, come out of it a little bit.

[exhales] Go back into it.

Keep rotating the leg.

Keep the hip down.

Right, now you can use your hand or your band.

Try to lift the leg into your hand or your band for five, four, three, two, release.

Inhale, [exhales] let the leg fall across.

Whoops, keep the hip down.

Put your hand there to resist and lift the leg into the hand.

Five, four, three, two, take a big inhale.

[inhales] Let that leg stretch across, very good.

I hope you learned some new things today.

Let's put your hands behind your knees.

We'll kick up to a seated position, sitting nice and tall.

Okay, and point, try to lengthen through your spine as much as you can.

If you're very rounded, feel free to sit on a block or two to get your hips a little bit up off the floor.

[inhales)} Point [exhales] and flex, flex, flex, flex.

You can push your hands into the floor to help you sit tall.

One more, point and flex.

Very good.

Remember, tight muscles are weak muscles.

And now that you've stretched your hamstrings, you're ready to strengthen them.

Check out my class, "Strengthen Your Hamstrings," right here on pbswisconsin.org/quickfit, where together, we can loosen, strengthen, and keep you doing all the things you love because life is movement.

- Announcer: Funding for Quick Fit with Cassy is provided by Greg and Carol Griffin, founders of ElderSpan Management, Focus Fund for Wisconsin Programming, and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.