I would think it’s fairly accurate to say that many people struggle with tight hamstrings (those are the muscles on the rear side of your leg near the top). There’s a well-known secret that I can’t even touch my toes! Sure, we can blame it on genetics (that’s what I like to do) and that may indeed be part of the problem, but the other part is lack of stretching. Can you remember the last time you stretched? If so, great! Was it a good enough time devoted to stretching each part of your body? Probably not, unless you took a yoga class not based on strength.
People, if they don’t ignore stretching completely, will only stretch for a short period of time. Maybe a quick swing of the arms or a grasp towards the toes. People think it’s a waste of time and that if they’re working out, they should focus on calorie-burning or strength-building, none of this stretching nonsense. Well, guess what–it’s absolutely not a waste of time. Stretching, becoming limber, and flexible will help you in any sport, any exercise, any movement. Also, stretching shouldn’t be easy (you’ll see Hungry’s pained face below). Let’s start off with a deep hamstring stretch–all you need is a wall:
1. Find a wall and scoot your bottom as close as you can towards it. You may need help and someone to assist you getting your butt to touch the wall.
2. Swing, place, crawl your legs up the wall until it’s as if you are sitting on the wall. Here comes the pain. Ease into it–this is a truly amazing stretch.
3. (Optional) For an even more intense stretch, use a resistance band to wrap around your feet and pull towards yourself.
I promise you that you will feel this one. Try to hold each side for at least a minute, if not more. Do this every day and we promise you will see a difference in posture, flexibility, and the way you exercise. Stretching is key to staying hungry and fit!
