Tight knees when stretching?

[Dragonic MiKe]

Okay... I was doing a little stretching last night and found that it was particularly beneficial when stretching my legs (hamstring/calf front bend kinda stretch) not to lock my knees out fully. Usually when I do such stretching the muscle groups around my knee naturally contract tightly because I am trying very hard to keep my legs perfectly straight. However I found that I could progress much further into the stretch by relaxing these muscles but keeping my legs still 'pretty much' straight. Then I was able to contrast relaxation with contraction to a much higher degree.

Anyway... basically what I want to know is: Is this the correct way to perform this kind of stretch or am I just cheating by not keeping my legs locked the entire time. :smile:

[pete_man_man]

as long as you squeeze really hard as soon as you are as far into the stretch as you can go then i'm sure this is fine. it's probably what most people do anyway. me included.

[Dragonic MiKe]

Well... what I mean is, it's actually very difficult for me to relax my knees when I'm in the stretch.

I was thinking that my knees naturally tensing up is something that I should be trying to combat (the whole subconscious mind tensing your muscles to prevent injury deal).

So I guess what I really want to know is: Is it normal/correct/good for your knees to tense up on their own rather than by your own will when reaching for your toes, OR should I be trying very hard to relax them?

<_<

[Ashtar]

Many (most? all?) of the fibres in the hamstring muscle group cross both the hip and the knee. This is why straight-legged is straighter and harder. I tend to go back and forth. Start off straight, do a slight bend and go further, attempt to straighten, back off a bit and straighten, etc.

If you're stretching standing or sitting down, this can help exhaust the hamstring muscle since it's holding you up. Exhaustion is one method of forcing relaxation. Although, it does force it to be tenser too since it has to hold you up.

For when you're doing the stretch lying on your back, I always lock the knee when actively pulling it. I figure since one of the hip flexors is also a knee extensor it might help stimulate it and relax the hamstrings. Any weakness due to joint position's immaterial since you're not in any danger if the hamstring does relax. The most weight it has to hold up is your leg and even then your hands are right there to catch em.

[Papa Lazarou]

Quick answer: it's normal, no need to deliberately relax the knee.

I think it's normal for the knee to tense. For the leg to remain straight while the hamstring is stretched it really must tense. Something has to stop the hamstring from returning to its normal length - that something being either your body weight, other external force, or tension in the antagonist muscle.

I'd guess that it's basically irrelevant whether you lean down further and have a bent leg, or if you have a straight leg and a lesser lean. The amount of stretch in the muscle is the important part. In other words, you should aim for a feeling (gentle and gradual usually), not a position when you stretch.

However, if I were you, I would try to do the stretch with your leg straight. Either by tensing the knee, or by using a stretching position where body weight or other forces can replace the knee in keeping the leg straight.
I say you should keep the leg straight because flexibility also depends on the nervous system. Therefore, the safest bet would be to stretch the muscle in a position as similar as possible to that in which the flexibility will be used/displayed. In the case of the hamstring, with straight legs.

Did that make sense?

[wynnema]

what you think is your knee stertching could be your calf. Try stretching your calf before a hamstring stretch - you will notice that you get a better stretch in the hamstring when you do. Also if you have difficulty extended your leg in say a front kick and you feel a pull on the back of the knee, try stretching your calf first - you will notice that your leg extends more.

As a rule you should not lock out the leg in a kick as it can wrench your joints.

[Dragonic MiKe]

Thanks for the replies dudes. You've been most helpful. :)