March 16th 2025 Jackie Leon Sysum

Hamstring Harmony: Balancing Strength and Flexibility 

Tight hamstrings are a common condition. The good news is it doesn’t have to be this way!

Hamstrings - What are they and where are they?

Your hamstrings are big muscles running down the back of your thighs. They connect the pelvis to the knee. There are three of them: biceps femoris, semimembranosus, and semitendinosus. Their main jobs are to extend the hip and flex the knee.

How can I tell if I have tight hamstrings?

If you can’t touch your toes while keeping your legs straight, you probably have tight hamstrings. (The safest way to attempt this is to sit down and stretch your legs out in front of you.) 

What causes tight hamstrings?

The most common reason for tight hamstrings is a sedentary lifestyle as sitting keeps your hamstrings in a shortened position. However, at the other end of the spectrum, athletes who participate in sports requiring a lot of running or jumping can also experience tight hamstrings due to the repetitive nature of their movements. Hamstring tightness is particularly common in men because their pelvic structure can limit hip flexion and extension. People with a history of abdominal surgery (such as C-sections), hip injuries, or knee injuries may develop muscle imbalances that lead to tight hamstrings.

Why are tight hamstrings bad?

Once your hamstrings are tight, other muscle groups will follow, and imbalances will develop. For instance, tight hamstrings can lead to changes in the hip flexors, glutes, and lower back muscles resulting in poor posture, knee pain, lower back pain, and sciatic nerve issues. (radiating pain in buttocks and back of leg). 
If your hamstrings aren’t flexible enough, they will be more susceptible to injury. In addition, tight muscles have reduced blood flow which results in a decrease in capacity of performance. 

How to prevent and treat tight hamstrings

Movement is one of the best ways to prevent tight hamstrings. Our bodies are designed to move in all directions, and when we take time to move in different ways it helps to balance out strain on our muscles.
A good Pilates class takes a whole-body approach, teaching healthy movement patterns across all planes and encouraging correct muscle recruitment. This improves overall mobility, corrects imbalances, and improves the postural alignment of the pelvis. By improving the strength of the glutes (bottom muscles) and abdominals (tummy muscles) the hamstrings can be encouraged to lengthen as the right muscles are doing their job.
Pilates includes dynamic stretching where your body passes through its full range of motion, as well as static stretching where a position is held for a period of time. Both types of stretching have different benefits.

So, what are you waiting for? Join a Pilates class today and give your body the love it deserves!