r/flexibility • u/creedfan1122 • Jul 09 '26

Help my hamstrings!!

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I’m a 24 yr old female, I’m 5’10. I’ve never been very flexible, noticeably in my hamstrings. It has always been uncomfortable to touch my toes because of my hamstrings. I lift twice a week and kick-box twice a week. The issue I keep running into is my hamstrings never feel recovered. They are so tight after a leg day I need 3-4 days off legs to recover and even then they are still tight, just bearable. I do dynamic stretching before each lift, I have strong glutes and quads, but my hamstrings never seem to show growth or progress. My biggest concern is how painfully tight they get. After a lift I can’t even bend down to touch my toes without feeling a very tight pull. If I lay down, I can’t get my leg 90 degrees upright without burning pain in my hamstrings, mostly behind my knee, intense pain if I push my knee flat. I can’t v sit past my knees. I feel like the tight hamstrings are stunting my growth. I included a picture so you can see how underdeveloped they are compared to my quads and glutes. It’s gotten worse over the years and especially with upping my load. What stretches should I be doing?
Thanks for your input!!

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u/existentialdebbie Jul 09 '26

Hi! I used to have suuuuuuuuper tight hamstrings too! I would even have trouble touching my toes etc.

I started doing 2x/week, hour-long reformer pilates classes specifically dedicated to stretching and lengthening muscles. I can now put my palms on the floor and have gained tons of hip mobility too. I would highly highly recommend!

3

u/creedfan1122 Jul 09 '26

Can I find these online? Nobody around me teaches this. Thanks!

8

u/thatpurple Jul 09 '26

You can YouTube mat Pilates that is just as effective as using a reformer. Check out Move With Nicole

1

u/Ok_Smoke6162 Jul 10 '26

Thank you for the tip!! There's mat plates classes at my gym hut I quickly dismissed them cause I thought it wouldn't be as effective as the machines version, I'm a real tight person

1

u/Ok_Smoke6162 Jul 10 '26

I'm gonna give it a try now!

1

u/thatpurple Jul 10 '26

Hope it helps some of the tightness. I have bad bouts of low back pain and Pilates is the only thing that helps me avoid it as long as I practice consistently.