Marlon Posted September 20, 2009 Share Posted September 20, 2009 When doing stretches which target the hamstrings such as pikes, pancakes, splits, etc I've always been told for as long as I can remember that your knees should be straight but not locked in order to prevent lengthening of the connective tissue in your knees which will in turn lead to joint instability. However, I know that in several of the threads that Coach Sommer has commented on or made he has said that is important to lock out the knees during such stretches. I'm hoping that Coach or anyone else knowledgeable about this issue could go into more depth about which is the proper method to use for stretching. And if locking out the knees is in fact the better option, why there is such a prominent misconception within the fitness community about the alternative. Also, a more personal inquiry, I have a fair amount of hyper extension in my knees, and if I attempt to either lock out my knees while deep in a stretch, or bend my knees once they've already been locked out deep in a stretch there is a stopping point which they have to pop past to continue straightening or bending. Is this normal? a result of years of stretching with my knees straight but not locked? or does the answer to my original question perhaps differ depending on whether or not a person has hyper extension in their knees? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
braindx Posted September 21, 2009 Share Posted September 21, 2009 Knees straight for hammy stretching. Insertion of the hamstrings on the tibia makes the muscle longest and easiest to stretch with straight legs. There is no misconception or at least it's not ubiquitous because I've never heard of this before.As Coach Sommer has stated with elbows, hyperextension is generally due to a person's genetics. IN which case they need to be wary of working the joint in hyperextension. In this case, it's best for you NOT to lock out but to keep them totally straight if possible isntead while static stretching Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marlon Posted October 5, 2009 Author Share Posted October 5, 2009 Thanks for the response Braindx, I'll be keepin 'em straight but not locked then. sorry it took so long for me post any kinda response :oops: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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