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Which Stretches Should I Do?

For air positions like a heel stretch and bow & arrow, having good hamstring and hip flexor flexibility is extremely important.

I get many messages asking what the best stretches are to be able to do these positions… the answer is really any stretch that targets the hamstrings or hip flexors! There are dozens of great options, but they must be done a certain way. To be specific, your pelvis (hips) has to be tilted correctly to provide the muscles with the best stretch.

Anterior vs. Posterior Pelvic Tilt

Depending on which muscle group you’re stretching, your pelvis needs to tilt anteriorly (forward) or posteriorly (backward). This will not happen naturally as you stretch, so you need to force the position to make it happen.

In the photo below, the neutral pelvis diagram shows how our hips should be positioned normally. To get to the anterior pelvic tilt position, the front of our hips must tilt downward, causing a slight arch in our back. In a posterior pelvic tilt, the front of our hips tilts upward and flattens the back. This position is usually referred to as “rolling the hips under.”

Stretching the Hamstrings

Your hamstrings, the muscle group on the back of your thigh, has attachment points on the bottom of the back side of the pelvis. If you tilt your pelvis anteriorly (forward), the bottom of the back side tilts upward. This causes more distance between the 2 ends of the hamstrings, resulting in lengthening of the muscles. This is what you want when you stretch.

So, when doing any type of hamstring stretch, try your best not to round your back. The straighter you can keep it, the more you’ll target your hamstrings.

In the photo on the left below, you can see the position of the hips is tilted posteriorly/rolled under. The photo on the right shows a more anteriorly tilted position compared to the first photo – this is the correct way to stretch.

When doing the incorrect position, you will most likely be able to get your leg closer to your body and feel as if you’re more flexible. Don’t let this fool you. You’re actually getting less of a stretch and hindering your flexibility progress if you always stretch this way.

Stretching the Hip Flexors

Your hip flexors, the muscle group on the front of your hips, has attachment points on your femur (thigh bone). If you tilt your pelvis posteriorly (i.e. roll your hips under), you create more distance between the thigh bone and the front of the pelvis, causing the muscles to lengthen.

Therefore, when doing hip flexor stretches, think about tucking your hips under to better stretch the muscle group.

In the photo on the left below, you can see the position of the hips is tilted anteriorly, causing a small arch in the lower back. The photo on the right shows posterior pelvic tilt, which causes the back to flatten out more. In order to get the best stretch in position #2 (right side), you must squeeze the glutes of the back/bottom leg.

If you enjoyed this article, check out the following posts:

• How to Get a Needle
• Top Stretching Mistakes that Reduce Flexibility

If you or your team would like to improve flexibility, please visit the Training Programs tab for more information on flexibility programs.