Hamstring muscles are on the rear portion of your upper legs. You can use your own body weight, a towel or the side of a wall to stretch your hamstrings. Your body weight and the two objects are easily accessible, which makes using these methods of stretching your hamstring convenient. Each of these types of stretches has their own benefits.
Body Weight
One of the easiest ways to stretch your hamstrings is to use your body weight. From a standing position, put your feet together and have a slight bend in your knees. Bend over at the waist and reach toward the floor. Let your body weight hang down until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings. Hold this position for 30 to 60 seconds and then stand back up. Perform this stretch at least three times with 30 seconds of rest between each stretch.
Towel
With a towel, you use your own strength to get a deep stretch in your hamstrings. Sit on the floor with one leg bent and one leg extending away from your body. The leg extending from your body should be flat on the ground with toe pointing up. Wrap the towel around the top of your extended foot and grab each end of towel with one hand. Pull the towel with your hands and try to pull your body as close to your extended leg as you can. Hold this position for 30 to 60 seconds and then relax. Repeat three times on one leg and then perform three more stretches on your opposite leg.
Wall
The final stretch you can perform uses an exposed corner of a wall or door frame. To perform, lie on your back with your hips next to the corner of a wall. Extend the leg closest to the wall upward so that it is against the wall. Once in this position, you should feel the stretch in your hamstrings. Try to point your toe toward the floor as much as you can and keep your knee straight. Hold this position for 30 to 60 seconds and then relax. Perform this stretch three times on one leg. Turn your body 180 degrees so your other hip and leg are next to the wall. Repeat the 30- to 60-second stretch three times with the leg that is now closest to the wall.
Considerations
The body weight hamstring stretch is the easiest to perform. However, it does require more balance than the wall hamstring and towel stretch. The towel stretch will allow you to get the deepest stretch, but it is hard to maintain the same amount of tension throughout the duration of the stretch. Warm up your hamstrings prior to performing your hamstring stretches. A 10 to 15 minute easy bike ride or cycling session is ideal to warm up your hamstrings. You can also perform a quick walk or light jog to get the hamstrings ready to be stretched.
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