Tight Hammies

[Drake]

I run, and I run a LOT. Problem is, I get very tight hamstrings, and this makes certain things difficult. I do a lot of various standing hamstring stretches, but nothing really is all that effective. Does anyone have any tips or techniques?

[Becca]

Learn to love the yoga. works on all types of tight muscle groups. I started doing yoga to help loosen my hip flexors and lower back.

[RFM]

Bro,

Have you knees checked out and see if flat-footedness has finally set in. I did a lot of Kung Fu in SATX and Germany before that, but once I got to KS - I stopped. Finally had that typical knee pain checked out and the result was that I had hyper-tight hammies and fallen arches (the hammies were due to my body trying to compensate for the knee pain - which were not due to the fallen arches, just aggravated more by them)

May not be the problem, but considering how much you run (based on personal experience) it's worth checking into.

Bob

[BruceSteveRoy]

how are your quads? it could be a muscle imbalance between the hamstring and quadricep causing the muscles to feel like they are being pulled too tight. do you go to a gym? maybe you could ask a trainer.

[Becca]

One of the easiest and often overlooked single stretches for tha hammies is the cherry picker. I like to bend over at the waist and just hang there for a moment , then start off slowly. After about 30-45 seconds, you'll have sped up to normal speed on them. I also do this "strechersize" for a set time, not a set rep. 2 minutes of stretching will get you ****her than 20 reps because some days 20 reps might be too much and other days, too little. But 2 minutes is a good number no mater how tight or loose you are on any given day, IMHO.



... and yoga.

[cjurakpt]

one thing to try and see as a quick test as to whether you are recruiting hams inappropriately is to lie prone and do a straight leg raise into hip extension keeping the knee straight while someone palpates your hams and glutes simultaneously - if you fire your hams before your glutes that suggests your hams are facilitated in at least that position, and so may be prone to hypertonicity elsewhere;

in general though, it's best is to get checked by a PT (one with an "OCS" would be a reasonably safe bet, and / or someone certified by any of the following organizations: IPA - http://www.instituteofphysicalart.com/, IMTS - http://www.imtsglobal.com/, NAIOMT - http://www.naiomt.com/, Jones Institute - http://www.jiscs.com/Article.aspx?a=0, or Michigan state - http://www.com.msu.edu/cme/index.html) or other similar licensed healthcare professional (e.g. - ATC, chiro etc.) who has good / advanced training in the area of manual medicine (as above) and muscle imbalances (e.g. - familiar with the work of Janda & Levitt or Shirley Sahrman)...
also, if someone were a certified Feldenkreis, Pilates or yoga practitioner in addition to their professional license, that would be a good sign...

[Shaolin Wookie]

**** a PT....LOL....people have been running since, like, forever, and they never needed PT's.

If your hammies are sore, try a variation of the "cherry picker". Cross your ankles and bend over at the waist, and pull yourself down. Also, make sure you're stretching the glutes every time. Stretch before you run. When you're finished, mill around a little, get some water, and then do "strides". It's like a sprint, only slower. The focus is on taking as long a stride as you can. Do about 5 of them for 100m or so. Then stretch afterwards. I'm betting your soreness is stemming from lack of a warm-down (strides) and proper (running-specific) stretches. Your stretches should take about 15 minutes minimum. Boring, yes, but vital to your ability to keep running with maximum output and benefit, in the long run.

Now, when you run, try to keep more to the toes. Also, the main problem most people have is with form. Whenever you pick up your lead leg, lift with the quad. 99% of joggers/runners push up with the calf. But you have to pick up with the quad (it'll allow you to run much, much father/faster); it's also the key to attacking any uphills. I run some vicious uphills, and I'd burn out if I didn't utilize that maximum power of the quad. Then, when the knee is up, extend the leg a little to do something like "chickenscratching". It'll get the most distance with the least effort, and it'll keep you running smoothly (eliminating the bouncing movement that is the bane of the layman runner's knees) and for a longer period of time.

[Drake]

Bro,

Have you knees checked out and see if flat-footedness has finally set in. I did a lot of Kung Fu in SATX and Germany before that, but once I got to KS - I stopped. Finally had that typical knee pain checked out and the result was that I had hyper-tight hammies and fallen arches (the hammies were due to my body trying to compensate for the knee pain - which were not due to the fallen arches, just aggravated more by them)

May not be the problem, but considering how much you run (based on personal experience) it's worth checking into.

Bob

Yeah...I have flat feet and knee pain. Doesn't affect my running, and I usually only feel it during very low say ping ma stances. Kicks are fine.

Thanks for all the advice guys. Much appreciated.