Seated Active Hamstring Stretch
oec:seated-active-hamstring-stretch
A dynamic flexibility drill performed by hugging one thigh to the chest while seated and actively extending the knee to stretch the hamstrings.
Generated by gemini-3.8-flash from the sources below. No person has checked this record. Don't rely on it for safety.
Also called: Hamstring Chokes, Hamstring Choke, Seated Dynamic Hamstring Stretch, Active Knee Extension Stretch, Dynamic Hamstring Stretch
How to do it
Setup
- Sit upright on the floor with your legs extended in front of you.
- Bend one knee and bring the thigh close to your chest.
- Interlace your fingers behind the back of the working thigh just below the knee, locking the hip in flexion.
Movement
- Actively contract your quadriceps to extend your knee, driving your heel upward toward the ceiling.
- Pause for one to two seconds at the top of the extension when a moderate stretch is felt in the hamstring.
- Lower the lower leg back under control by bending the knee to return to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions, then switch legs.
Breathing
Exhale as you straighten your leg into the stretch and inhale as you bend the knee back to the start.
Cues
- Keep your chest tall and avoid slouching through the lower back.
- Squeeze the quadriceps at the top to deepen the stretch via reciprocal inhibition.
- Keep the thigh pinned near your chest rather than letting it drift away as the knee straightens.
Common faults
- Rounding excessively through the lumbar spine to reach higher extension.
- Maintain an upright spine and elevate the chest, extending the knee only as far as your hamstring flexibility allows.
- Kicking the leg rapidly using momentum rather than active muscular control.
- Extend the leg with a smooth, controlled contraction of the quadriceps and pause briefly at the top.
Safety
- Avoid forcing the knee into a painful hyperextended lockout; stretch to a point of gentle tension, not sharp discomfort.
Muscles
Joints
- Knee: Extension, Flexion
- Hip: Flexion, Isometric stabilization
Details
- Movement
- Stretch, Mobility drill
- Modality
- Flexibility, Mobility
- Mechanics
- isolation
- Force
- not applicable
- Laterality
- unilateral
- Kinetic chain
- open
- Level
- beginner
- Equipment
- None
- Record
- Repetitions; or Duration
- Load
- none
Sources
- wger: Hamstring Chokes, by captive0592 (CC-BY-SA-4.0)
This record: CC-BY-SA-4.0.