1 Lie on your back. Position a strap on the arch of your right foot, and hold the ends of the strap with both hands. Rest your left leg on the floor.
Using a strap allows you to passively stretch the hamstrings for a very effective release. This alleviates lower-back tension, speeds lower-body recovery, and helps prevent soft-tissue injuries of the hips and knees. It’s a must for workout recovery, as well as for desk workers to ease chronic lower-back pain.
TARGET AREAS
• hamstrings • lower back • calves
BENEFITS
• Relieves pain and soreness in lower back and lower body • Prevents hamstring tears and pulls • Improves hamstring flexibility for deeper forward folds
1 Lie on your back. Position a strap on the arch of your right foot, and hold the ends of the strap with both hands. Rest your left leg on the floor.
2 Keeping the left leg flat on the floor, straighten the right leg. Reach the toes of your right foot toward your shin and press the heel up to stretch your calf. Engage your inner thighs, and relax your shoulders, head, and back on the floor. Slightly tuck chin to keep neck and spine neutral. Hold the stretch, inhaling as you maintain the position, and exhaling as you deepen the stretch by pulling the leg closer to your chest. Repeat on the other side.
YOU SHOULD FEEL
• Stretch in hamstrings and calf
• Release of lower back
• Slight engagement of entire lowered leg and lifted thigh
YOU SHOULDN’T FEEL
• Lower-back discomfort; if so, slightly bend right knee and tighten abdomen
• Lack of stretch in hamstring; if so, engage quadriceps, press knee forward to straighten leg, and pull leg closer toward torso
• Hamstring pain; if so, lessen the intensity so muscle relaxes enough to stretch effectively
PRO TIP
To get a better stretch in the hamstrings, squeeze the quadriceps of the lifted leg for the first 15 to 30 seconds of this stretch, and then relax the quadriceps to release.