Gymnastic style hamstring/calf stretches?

[Aaron Griffin]

I'm curious as to how you folks stretch out your legs. I have a catalog of 10-20 different stretches that would work, but I'm not sure if it's effective, or if there's even a better way to get flexibility in this area. As it stands, I couldn't do a full L-Sit due to lack of hamstring flexibility (not there yet, however, working on a tuck on the floor)

Thanks in advance

[Philip Chubb]

Search for weighted pike stretches, hip extensions, and then go on drillsandskills.com and look up his active flexibility work for legs.

[Aaron Griffin]

Weighted Pike Stretch

DrillsAndSkills Pike Stretches

DrillsAndSkills Split Stretches

These are what you're talking about, yes? What about structure of this? Stretch order, frequency, etc? I currently stretch the muscles used after a given workout, usually 5-10 stretches for the general area, about 10-20s holds. One or two days a week, I do a prolonged yoga routine, about 30s per position, and about 25-30 poses.

[Philip Chubb]

That is a hard question to answer without having seen you or how long you have been stretching or what your flexibility goals are ect ect. Coach wrote reply on the duration of passive stretching that you can look at for an idea on how to build it up. I prefer to stretch at the end of my workouts but I really don't do much passive stretching at all.

[Blairbob]

Everyone seems to have their own recipe for stretching. I went through a lot of really good articles on stretching protocols today over at TheGymPress.

For your passive stretching, minimum of 30s to 60s. You end up getting into diminishing returns ratio wise but it's something you have to tinker with and not just use passive stretching but PNF and contract/hold-relax series, etc.

If I do my mobility work right pre workout, I find I have get my normal ROM no problem in my whatever I need be it splits or bridges or pike/arch stuff.

[Cole Dano]

Post a video doing a hamstring stretch and it will be easier to give some advice.

There is no magic bullet with hamstrings other than putting in the time, and doing it intelligently so as not to injure yourself. The time you provide, the video will help with the not injure yourself. I'm not 100% convinced that everyone will be able to pancake, but everyone can improve. In any case it really can be a slow road, which is a sort of a mantra here anyway.

If you have a catalog of 20 stretches that is certainly enough, pick one or two favorites and work them consistently and cycle through the others.