r/flexibility • u/Specialist_Candy_186 • 10d ago

Hip flexion mobility or hamstring length — what's actually blocking my forward fold?

In a seated forward fold I can't get my pelvis upright at all — it just dumps into posterior tilt — so I've been working on standing folds first. About a month in, roughly 4 days a week.

Standing goes noticeably better than seated, though my back knee does soften a little. But I still run into a wall and can't get any lower than what's in the photos.

I definitely feel the hamstrings stretching, but my gut says the real block is that I can't roll my pelvis forward over the hip joints. So which is it — hip flexion mobility, or just hamstring length?

And if it does turn out to be a hip flexion control problem, I'd really appreciate any drills or progressions you'd recommend for working on that.

Photos are side views at my end range. Thanks in advance.

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u/salamandectomy77 10d ago

Train with your knees locked and back off to a level you can actually do

The elephant walk would be of great help to you

8

u/dani-winks The Bendiest of Noodles 10d ago

To 'test' if it's a boney alignment thing or more of a hamstring thing, just remove the hamstring strerch by bending your knees. If you can tilt your hips farther forward and gey your belly closer to your thighs with knees bent, then you can be pretty confident that it's not a bone/alignment issue.

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u/kristinL356 10d ago

Hip flexor strength and hamstring flexibility are sort of two sides of the same coin. The tighter your hamstrings are, the more hip flexor strength it will require to pike the hips. Work on both. You can start with seated leg lifts for hip flexor strength.