Remember Me
forgot your password?

Hamstring Flexibility Yoga For Runners

A small routine that counts in the long run

A hamstring refers to one of the tendons that make up the borders of space behind the knee. It usually includes tendons of semitendinosus, semimembranosus, and biceps femoris. The main job of the hamstring is to extend the hip joint and flex the knee. Runners are more likely to have hamstring problems because of overuse.

Sometimes the pain is not experienced because it suddenly comes and goes i.e. it vanishes after the muscles warm up. Stretching in a wrong way may worsen the pain. The hamstrings are activated with increasing workout in activities involving sudden movements and jerks. Lack of movement may cause tightening of the hamstrings.

Hamstring flexibility is crucial for runners. Professional runners, workout under the supervision of certified trainers and hamstring flexibility yoga stretches form a major part of the flexibility stretches.

Amateur runners may make the mistake of not realizing the importance of these yoga stretches and will soon feel the adverse effects. Including yoga in your daily pre-running practice is absolutely essential to avoid injuries to the hamstrings.

A few yoga stretches for hamstring flexibility development are listed below:

• Forward bend - Stand straight with both legs together. Now slowly raise your hands and bend forward and try to touch your feet, maintain this posture for a few seconds and return to the start position. Repeat 3-4 times.

• Backward Bend - Stand straight with both legs together. Now slowly raise both your hands and bend backward as much as you can. Maintain this posture for a few seconds. Return to the start position. Repeat 3-4 times.

• Supine leg stretches (Supta Padangushthasana). - Lie down straight,. Now slowly raise the right leg with the knee straight. Try and grasp the thigh and stretch as much as you can. Repeat for the left leg. Repeat 3-4 times with each leg.

• Locust posture (Salabhasana) - Lie on your stomach, make fists of your hands and place them below you thighs, keep your head straight with chin on the floor and raise your legs as high as possible keeping them straight at the knees slowly. Repeat 3-4 times.

• Parvottasana - Lie flat on your stomach, both hands near your chest. Now raise your body slowly to form an inverted V (or mountain) with your hips at the highest position supported by your hands and feet. Maintain this posture for a few seconds. Return to the start position. Repeat 3-4 times.

• Seated Wide Legged Straddle (Upavistha Konasana)- Sit straight and open the legs out as wide as possible. Make sure that the toes are pointing towards the ceiling. Try and press the legs down to the floor as much as possible. Maintain the posture for a few seconds. Repeat 3-4 times.

There are a lot of other options too. Now all runners run along and plan a routine for a small hamstring yoga flexibility workout. Remember, in the long and hard run, flexible hamstrings are the greatest assets of a runner!

Tracy Renning
Double your flexibility in 28 days using YOGABODY Naturals Flexibility Kit. Stretching Exercises & yoga poses are not enough... you need Gravity Poses and 6 specific nutrients to improve your stretching flexibility fast! www.yogabodynaturals.com
Rate this Article: 5 / 5 stars - 1 vote(s)
Print Email Re-Publish

Add new Comment



Captcha

  • Latest Health Articles
  • More from Tracy Renning

Should You Consider A Sugar Free Life Style Part I?

By: Howard | 26/12/2009
Yes, you should consider a sugar free life style. Eating a limited amount of sugar and processed foods each day can give you a healthier you. Getting rid of sugar and foods that turn to sugar in your GI tract can reverse chronic health diseases that have begun in your body. You will lose weight and you will feel better. Many have been able to quit their meds after going completely sugarless.

Sugar Free: A Lifestyle not a Diet

By: Howard | 26/12/2009
A quality decision to live sugar free isn’t about dieting. It is about a shift in the way you eat. Sugar can be found in nearly all foods; therefore, you really have to pay close attention to all foods. However, you will lose weight. You will be healthier, and you could avoid chronic health diseases. There’s no guarantee that you will avoid chronic health diseases on a sugar free lifestyle, but you can nearly be assured that you will if you continue to follow America’s favorite diet of empty car

Get Thin Fast With TriThin Magic!

By: Steven A Johnson | 26/12/2009
Have you ever wanted to just go down two sizes in the jeans you wear? What about going from a Large to a Medium? When it comes to losing weight people like to start their diet but then just give up. Most people like to think losing weight is probably...

Why you should use Electronic Cigarettes instead of traditional ones?

By: Benjamin Hübner | 26/12/2009
Find out what a electronic cigarette is, how it works, and why it is much more healthier than traditional cigarettes?

Amazing Food Secrets Of People Who Don't Get Fat

By: Jason Clemens | 26/12/2009
These food secrets are so easy to use that most anyone can do it. In fact, you can begin TODAY if you'd like. And the weight loss has been shown to happen very quicky.

What is Diabetes - Really?

By: Henry KH Fong | 26/12/2009
There are three main types of diabetes that people are thinking of when they ask, "What is diabetes?" These types of diabetes are the most common forms found in the United States and affect a majority of individuals at some time in their life.

Why You Ought to Gain Muscle Mass

By: Bob Sherman | 26/12/2009
Muscles are necessary to read this composition, to enter a message on your keyboard, to fetch the mail, and even to advance food all the way through the digestive system. Muscle mass will be reduced or atrophy as a result of medical problems (for example, cancer, AIDS, congestive hear disease), aging (called sarcopenia), or lack of use (many people lead a sedentary life). Learn more by reading the entire article.

How to Improve Flexibility at Home?

By: Tracy Renning | 12/06/2008 | Health
10 minutes a day keeps inflexibility away! If you complain of back pain, inflexible body, tight hamstrings, or muscle pain, you are just 10 minutes away from the solution. Who says it is necessary to workout at a gym for hours to keep those problems at bay? The solution is as...

Yoga Flexibility Training

By: Tracy Renning | 11/06/2008 | Health
Do gymnasts and dancers need yoga? Yoga improves the flexibility of the body by improving the range of motion. There are various types of yoga, each having its own focus area. E.g. Hatha yoga has proved to positively increase the muscle movement i.e. the flexibility. Yin yoga helps to move the...

Hamstring Flexibility Yoga For Runners

By: Tracy Renning | 08/06/2008 | Health
A small routine that counts in the long run A hamstring refers to one of the tendons that make up the borders of space behind the knee. It usually includes tendons of semitendinosus, semimembranosus, and biceps femoris. The main job of the hamstring is to extend the hip joint and flex...

Flexibility Stretch For Golfer

By: Tracy Renning | 08/06/2008 | Health
Get the right stretch for the right swing! Golf is a game of swing. Winning or losing is seldom determined by a rule other than the right swing. The swing in golf requires a very wide range of motion and flexibility is a pre-requisite for that. Flexibility is the key word...

Lower Back Stretches

By: Tracy Renning | 04/06/2008 | Health
Right Steps to avoid lower back pain. Generally lower back stretches are said to be stretching exercises done for avoiding the threat of lower back pain. Lower back stretches are also advised to be done by the people who are actually suffering from the lower back pain. This advice is admissible...

Yoga Stretching Flexibility

By: Tracy Renning | 04/06/2008 | Health
The mantra of yoga - A healthy mind rests in a flexible body Yoga has nowadays become a crucial part of a person's life. It works on the physical as well as the mental level. No other form of exercise can offer this. Yoga also helps the body in improving the...

Strength And Stretch Class

By: Tracy Renning | 02/06/2008 | Health
Strength and stretch classes help in learning the basic concepts of muscle contraction. Many people use stretching as a warm up exercise or also for cool down. But, for serious practitioners, it is a complete workout in itself. For the aid of such people, there are strength and stretch classes....

Stretching Techniques

By: Tracy Renning | 31/05/2008 | Health
It has been proven that stretching help increase flexibility of the body and performance of the muscles and decreases the risk of muscle injuries. Traditionally stretching was done during cool down; after a workout but it is now recommended that one should even do stretching as an activity in itself...

Submit Your Articles Free: Signup
Article Categories




Use of this web site constitutes acceptance of the Terms Of Use and Privacy Policy | User published content is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
Copyright © 2005-2008 Free Articles by ArticlesBase.com, All rights reserved. (0.34, 1, w3)