Community Update

2. My hamstrings need to wake up slow, really, it's better not to even stress them even a little before I've biked or walked a bit and the blood gets flowing down there. Apparently abdominal contraction is a major component of circulation to the lower quarter, and my hammie's need a lot of circulation. A little background: I played sports that rewarded strong legs, soccer and ice hockey, a little football, my thighs are, frankly, massive. I brought these big guns to dance, and they served me well for a good long while. They were not always the most aesthetically pretty, but impressively sized, and jumping, as you might imagine was one of my favorite moves. That life was long ago, as they say, in another galaxy, far, far away... Now a-days, my legs are still pretty strong and probably my best feature, they've got definition and power. Maybe more than I need for my modest workouts and bike rides. But, here's the rub: Everyday these muscles need some attention. If they've been over worked horrible cramping can occur (not what you want mid-trans-continental flight, with the seat belt sign on), general tightness can bring on low back pain as the big muscles pull your pelvis and low back into a slump. So a little stretch needs to be incorporated into the early part of the day.


After coffee, and some moving around, here's the stretch: Place your foot, relaxed but toes supported on a low bench against a wall, a chair with a back might be better so you can rest your foot in a flexed position, against the back. Make sure your hips are squared off. Bend easily at the hips, you probably won't get much past a 90 degree bend (don't bend the knee or curve your back, totally misses the point). The idea is to focus the stretch strictly on the back of the the thigh or calf and not the low back (thats why its important to keep your back flat and hinge at the hips). Stay for at least 30 sec. and repeat on the other side.