Hamstrings exercise
Seated Hamstring StretchHow to do it, with form in numbers
- Main muscles
- Hamstrings
- Also works
- Lower back
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Level
- Beginner
How to do it
How do you do the Seated Hamstring Stretch?
- Sit on the floor with your legs straight and together, toes pointing up.
- Sit up tall with your hands on your thighs.
- Breathe out and lean forward from your hips, sliding your hands towards your ankles.
- Stop when you feel a stretch in the backs of your thighs and hold for 15–30 seconds.
Cues
- Lead with your chest, not your head.
- Hinge from the hips, back flat.
- Toes point to the ceiling.
Common mistakes
- Rounding your back to reach your toes: stop where your back stays flat.
- Bouncing: hold a steady stretch instead.
- Bent knees: keep your legs straight and your hands where they reach.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
The version in our demo
Sitting on the floor with both legs straight and together, toes pointing up, hinging forward from the hips with a flat back, hands sliding down the legs. This is ACE's version and reads clearly from the side; the one-leg chair version (South Tees NHS) is the option for people who cannot sit on the floor, and uses the same hip hinge.
Starting position
Sitting tall on a mat, legs straight out in front, together, knees straight, toes pointing to the ceiling. Torso upright, head in line with the spine, hands resting on the thighs.
The movement
Brace the stomach, breathe out and tip the pelvis forward to hinge from the hips, sliding the hands down towards the ankles. Keep the back flat and the chest leading; stop at the first firm stretch in the backs of the thighs. Hold, then return upright. The legs stay straight and still; the spine does not round to reach further.
Breathing
Slow, steady breaths; hinge a little further on each out-breath.
Tempo
Real sets: hold 15–30 s, repeat 2–4 times.
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
- Back flat from the tailbone to the head; at most a slight upper-back curve.
- Knees straight (0–5° flexion), backs of the knees on or within 2–3 cm of the floor.
- Ankles at about 90°, toes pointing up.
- Hands end around mid-shin to the ankles, depending on flexibility; shoulders relaxed.
The targets our 3D demo was built to, from the references below. Bodies differ, so treat the ranges as a guide for your own build.
For coaches
Use this demo in your clients’ programs
The Seated Hamstring Stretch is in Trainaq’s exercise library. Add it to a workout, and your client sees this demo in the free Trainaq app above the sets they log.
Sources
