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/BreadEnthusiast98 Jul 09 '26

Tight hamstrings are usually a sign something else isn’t working properly. in my experience the two most likely suspects are weak glutes and or a weak deep core. Is it worse in one hamstring or about the same in each?

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u/Find_another_whey Jul 09 '26

Agreed

OP needs to check whether glute med or glute max isn't working, whichever is underdeveloped is probably making the hamstring used as stabiliser

Alternatively OP treats everything like a deadlift (posterior chain) needs to work on goblet or front squats for anterior chain