The hamstrings
The bicep of the legs
Less visually impressive than the more glamorous Quads
But utterly vital for athletic performance, and simply being able to get out of that seat!
Hamstring injuries are high on the list of non contact injuries
Tight hamstrings are a very very common complaint amongst the training and non training population alike.
The reasons they're tight and easily injured can be many.
But a very common presentation is a deep anterior pelvic tilt.
Essentially, if you were viewed from the side, does your waistband point to the floor between your feet?
Does your arse stick out?
Does your 6 pack protrude forward?
Then you may have an anterior pelvic tilt.
This tilt lifts the back of the pelvis upward, the attachment point of the hamstrings is on the back of the pelvis.
So what do we do?
Kettlebell Swings.
These stretch load the hamstrings building their resiliency.
Always do swings.
But also work all your plank type exercises with a deliberate posterior pelvic tilt.
This means pulling the pubis upwards towards the sternum during all planks, push ups and similar exercises.
And if you can't manage that, then try doing some dead bugs, Pilates Hundred drill or hollow body rocking before hand to "prime" the abs.
These don't address the problem so much as mitigate it
A real catch all for the pelvis, and the spine, is the Cogs exercises from Anatomy in Motion.
Wall Cogs - Head Nods
Saggital Cogs - Arm Spirals
Box Cogs
Add these to your daily morning routine (you do have one don't you) and throw them into warm ups, rest periods and movement breaks.
Regards
Dave Hedges