3 Reasons Why You Should Not Stretch Your Hamstrings With A Straight Knee
December 3, 2009 by Keith Colby
Filed under Functional Biomechanics/Muscle Function, Training Philosophy
1. In function the Hamstrings never function with a locked out straight knee.
2. The Hamstrings meet their tendons a few inches above your knees. If you feel a pull in the back of your knee during a hamstring stretch, you are loading the ligaments and joint capsules rather than stretching your hammies.
3. Ligaments hold your joints together. They do not stretch well, except in kids. Stretch a ligament by only 6% and it will tear. A ligament that has been subjected to excessive stretching undergoes microtears, gets scarred up, elongated, and weakened. A stretched ligament means a loose and unstable joint just waiting for a severe injury.
The solution is to bend the knee slightly to unload the ligaments and make sure you stretch the hamstrings in all 3 planes of motion.
