A Better Hamstring Stretch for Rowers

Ditch the sit-and-reach variations and do this instead

This hamstring stretch comes from Kellie Wilkie, physiotherapist with Rowing Australia from 2008-2016 and co-author of the GRowingBodies.blog website where she and Dr. Lari Trease write/wrote about rowing, especially for young people with growing bodies (and their coaches). Kellie joined us on Science of Rowing in December of 2021 for a 45-minute feature episode about rowers’ hamstrings. This stretch was one of many useful things that I learned and have continued to use since.

The stretch is a simple one, pictured below. Lie down on your back with one leg up, foot resting on a doorway, squat rack, or other vertical supporting structure. The up-leg is the one receiving the stretch. Doing this one leg at a time allows the other leg to go straight forward, instead of having to be cramped up or folded underneath the athlete. Lying down flat helps keep the low back and pelvis neutral, so that any stretch that we achieve comes from the hamstring instead of from lumbar flexion. This passive position makes it easy to hold the position of stretch. We can comfortably get multiple minutes of effective stretching without strain on other non-target areas.

If your hamstrings feel tight after erging or rowing and you want to stretch for the goal of feeling better, Kellie specifically recommends this stretch to reduce some tension. It’s better than forward-fold types of hamstring stretches like sit-and-reach, because those stretches also put the lumbar spine into flexion. The lumbar spine has just been stressed by repetitive flexion-and-extension cycles while rowing or erging, so we want to avoid further stress.

As long as there’s no pain, hold for 2-3 minutes per leg at about an 8-out-of-10 intensity on the imaginary stretch-ometer. Again, this is why we want to be in a passive, comfortable position for the non-target areas. Start out at with the up-leg at as low of an angle as necessary to keep the leg straight with the low back, hips, and down all leg flat on the floor. Breathe deeply. Gradually shift the leg closer to vertical while maintaining this position. Don’t be in a rush. The goal is to stretch the hamstrings, not get the leg vertical just for the sake of getting it vertical.

If the goal of stretching is increasing range-of-motion (ROM), include strength training in your training program, too. Kellie said that the best gain in hamstring ROM was from eccentric loading through strength training. This is my experience as well. Hip hinge exercises such as a Romanian deadlift (RDL), correctly performed and using a 2:1 or 3:1 lowering-to-lifting tempo, provide a powerful loaded stretch for the hamstrings on the lowering phase of each rep. This also brings a strengthening effect to hold that pelvic position during other movements.

Stretching alone tends to not result in much long-term positional change. The temporary effect of the stretch fades, and the body goes back to the comfortable position. If we’re stretching with the goal of increasing ROM, as opposed to just feeling good, then one way to make the most of this is to pair the stretching with some more active movement or training. Stretch for the short-term ROM increase, and then use that increased ROM via sport training or strength training for the muscles to hold that increased ROM in the long-term. For example: a short cross-training aerobic warmup (5-15 minutes biking, walking, or jogging), 5-10 minutes of targeted static stretches (including this hamstring stretch), and then 5-10 minutes of dynamic mobility (eg. movements from my full-body warmup routine). Be done there for a mobility-focused session, or continue with any further erging, rowing, cross-training, or strength training.

#1 Stretch: 2-3’ per leg, 1-2 rounds

#2 Move: Dynamic mobility exercise (bodyweight hinge/deep squat progression)

#3 Use: Erging, rowing, hinge-based strength training