Tight Hamstrings? Let's loosen em up...
Stretching isn't the answer to your tight hamstrings.
It may help, but passive tactics like static stretching will only take you so far in terms of improving the resilience and function of your hamstrings.
What are the hamstrings?
The hamstrings are a group of muscles that reside on the backside of the upper leg and they are responsible for knee flexion (bending your knee) as well as assisting hip extension.
They can often be a fairly weak muscle, for many reasons, one of them being that there aren't as many exercises that make them a primary mover.
For example, with squats, even though your knee is going through a full range of motion, your hamstrings aren't pulling you downwards into knee flexion. Gravity is pulling you down, and your quadriceps (on the front side of your legs) are eccentrically contracting to control the movement downwards and then proceeding to contract and push you upwards.
Your hamstrings will contribute somewhat to the movement, but they simply aren't a primary mover.
So, that begs that question...
Are your tight hamstrings actually tight... Or are they just weak?
In all likelihood, it's a combination of both.
In order to improve the function of our hamstrings, solving many issues with both tightness and weakness, we need to train them as the primary mover.
We need to place our body into a position that requires the activation and usage of the hamstrings muscle group - strengthening them!
We need to give them the opportunity to contribute to our motor output and ability more often.
Therefore, at the end of this article I will be providing 4 hamstring exercises that we make use of at SCRATCHGolfTraining.com.
SPEAKING OF SCRATCH... Make sure you join the community if you aren't already at the link below!
How do your hamstrings contribute to your golf swing?
The hamstrings lengthen upon hinging at the hips - kind of like in the setup position of your golf swing.
Because of this they are going to contribute to the posture you make use of in your swing as well as your ability to maintain it.
I wrote about posture HERE... To be honest, I'm not sold on the overall importance of it. And the idea that there is a singular "ideal" posture is simply false.
But, if your hamstrings aren't functioning properly or strong enough for the demands of your golf swing, it limits the motor solutions you have access to.
And because of this, weak/non-functioning hamstrings could be leading to a lack of abundance within your motor problem solving ability.
Put another way, weak, non-functioning hammies could be a movement characteristic decreasing the adaptability and resilience of your body and golf swing.
So, YES, they are important for your overall movement and your golf swing.
FOUR HAMSTRING EXERCISES
[1.] Glute-Ham Raise
(Shown above in the IG post!)
This is amongst the best hammie exercises we can complete, but I understand not everybody has access to the setup necessary to complete it.
[2.] Single Leg DB RDLs
[3.] Incline Band Resisted Back Extensions
[4.] Straight Leg Hamstring ISO on the Wall (both unilateral and bilateral)
Now go build some STRONG HAMSTRINGS!
Let's go low.
Carter Schmitz
Founder: SCRATCHGolfTraining.com
