Fix Your Hamstrings! Stretches & Exercises For Tight, Painful Hamstrings, by Tone and Tighten on YouTube. 9 min 37 s.
- Video length
- 9 min 37 s
- Time to do it
- 20 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 10
What you need
Steps
Warm up for a few minutes with a walk or easy marching so the muscles are not cold. Move slowly and never bounce into a stretch.
Roll each hamstring on the foam roller for about 30 to 60 seconds. Sit on the roller with your hands behind you and roll slowly from just above the knee to the glute.
Place one heel on a stool with your leg straight. Keep your back flat and hinge forward from the hips until you feel a stretch, then hold 30 seconds.
Sit on the floor with one leg straight and the other bent. Reach toward the toes of the straight leg with a flat back and hold 30 seconds per side.
Lie on your back and loop a strap around one foot. Keep the knee straight and pull the leg toward you until you feel the stretch, holding 30 seconds.
Lie on your back with heels on the floor. Slide one heel away and back slowly, keeping light pressure through the heel, for 10 to 15 reps per leg.
Stand tall and curl one heel toward your glute, squeezing the hamstring. Lower slowly and repeat 10 to 15 times per leg.
Lie on your back with heels close to your glutes. Lift your hips into a bridge, squeeze, then lower. Do 10 to 15 reps.
Do the same bridge on one leg while the other leg stays lifted. Keep hips level and do 8 to 12 reps per side.
Lie face down with a stability ball under your lower legs. Curl your heels toward your glutes to roll the ball, then lower slowly for 10 to 15 reps.
Tips and common mistakes
Stretch to a mild pull, not sharp pain, and back off if the hamstring feels pinched.
Do the routine three to four times a week rather than one long session.
Keep your back flat during forward folds so you stretch the hamstring and not the spine.
See a doctor before starting if you recently tore or pulled the muscle.
Questions
How long until my hamstrings feel looser?
Most people notice easier movement after a few consistent weeks. Tightness from sitting often needs regular stretching plus strengthening, not stretching alone.
Can I do this with a pulled hamstring?
Only after a doctor or physiotherapist clears you. Start with gentle range-of-motion work and skip the strengthening moves until pain has settled.
Do I need a foam roller and stability ball?
No. The stretches work with a stool, a strap or towel, and a mat. The roller and ball add options but are not essential.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
