Whether your planned jog will be on a treadmill or outdoors, stretching your hamstrings before you begin is crucial. Stretching helps prepare your body for activity, increasing blood flow, which helps you to run with proper form. Stretching also prevents injury and even muscle soreness.
Role of the Hamstring
The hamstring muscle bends the knee and moves the thigh backward at the hip, according to the Sport Injury Clinic. This movement is repeated with every stride you take running. If you have a tight hamstring, you cannot move it as freely and with comfort. Stretching before you run helps to lengthen your hamstring and relax the muscle.
Injury
Your risk for a hamstring injury greatly increases is you decide to skip stretching before your run. As you run there is a great demand placed on your hamstrings. During the phase of your stride just before the foot strikes the ground is when the hamstrings can become injured because the muscles are maximally activated and are approaching their maximum length. It is crucial that you warm up your body with dynamic stretches, which allow your muscles to become more limber. Dynamically stretching involves stretching with a movement such as lateral lunges or leg swings.
Muscle Soreness
If you choose to skip stretching before your run, you may end up with more sore muscles. Brian Mac, a sports coach, explains that stretching with an active warmup before you exercise helps to limit the amount of muscle soreness you have. Reducing soreness can enable you to run more often and without the pain and muscle stiffness.
Considerations
Choose to static stretch after you run to increase your flexibility. Hold each stretch between 30 seconds and one minute to lengthen your muscles and receive the full benefit. Stretch your hamstrings by standing and bending over reaching for your toes, allowing gravity to pull your body down. You can also lengthen your hamstring and quadriceps by holding a low "runner's lunge."
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