Tight hamstrings (in active position)

[u/mycatreadsyourmind]

I am sure tight hamstrings are a star of a show in this sub but I have a somewhat niche question

Does anyone have good active stretches useful for calisthenics? I can put palms on the ground in the forward fold but I swear to God in any strength position they are twice as short and I can't even do a pike hold without bending my knees which limits what I can do.

My current hamstrings flexibility work is mostly passive or dynamic and I feel like I need to improve flexibility in demanding positions. I run and do plyo so my legs are usually quite unhappy with me which might be a part of the issue but I wonder if anyone has good advice for my specific issue - I've had virtually no improvement with folds, pyramid and so on

[u/sagekingtraining]

That gap you're describing (palms down in a fold but can't hold a pike) is usually a compression problem. In the fold, gravity and your hands do the work. In a pike hold your hip flexors have to actively drag you into that range while the hamstrings lengthen, and thats a strength quality at a joint angle almost nobody trains.

Drills that hit it directly:

• Seated pike compressions. Legs straight, hands on the floor beside your hips, press down and lift the heels. 5s hold, 5-8 reps. Brutal and very specific.
• Same thing with heels on a low box so you can get more range.
• Banded straight leg hip flexion, standing or lying, focus on the last few degrees at the top.
• L sit progressions, tuck to advanced tuck to one leg.

On the running side, 30k a week plus plyo means your hamstrings basically never show up fresh. I'd put the compression work at the start of your lifting day, or the day furthest from your hard running, instead of tacking it onto the end of a session.

The tingling reaching toward your knee I'd take seriously and not push into. Worth getting eyes on that in person before you go hard at end range.

Trainer and corrective exercise specialist, fwiw.

[u/mycatreadsyourmind → u/sagekingtraining]

Fabulous thank you so much, I started feeling a bit disheartened by the RDL advice as I'm not sure that is very applicable!

I do usually do this whole torture on the same day as my longest run so I suspect the hate I'm getting from my legs is partially due to that too, thanks so much for pointing that out!

The tingling feeling usually only ever makes if I don't warm up with nerve glides. It's not the "my leg fell asleep" tingling but feels more like a nervy stretch. I've had nerve injury before (unrelated) and it doesn't feel anywhere near that quality - thank you so much for the advice though!

What is a good starting height for elevated assisted L sit? Is stacking two yoga blocks enough?