Shaking during hamstring stretches

Hi, 

today doing the front split program I noticed I got a lot of involuntary shaking in my quads as I was doing hamstring stretches. 

Especially when tightening the "tear drop- muscle" pressing my knees backwards. As I relax my knees the shaking stops. I have noticed this before during stretching, but what is it actually and should I try to avoid the shakes as I feel a pretty intense stretch even without flexing the tear drop-muscle (raising the knee caps) ? It reminds a lot of TRE (for those familiar with that)

I am a fairly flexible guy. I can get my head down to my shins in a standing pike. But I struggle like hell keeping my heels together in the ankle stretches.

Hi Ivar,

Thanks for reaching out.

The Stretch series can be quite intense, try to reduce the intensity a bit and gradually tense more as you improve. Eventually you can start flexing your quads again. 

Feel free to post photos/videos so that we can give you one personal feedback. I'd love to see your pike too  

Hi Ivar, 

Shaking typically means you have entered a new place your body has not been before. Shake it loose.

Hi!

thanks for response. You are situated in Norway? Cool.

Wow Ivar! Awesome pike  how are your splits getting along?

Yes I'm from Norway, but I've been traveling for a year and I'm still on the other side of the world  

Whereabouts in Norway are you situated? 

awesome pike. Tanya is right on! yes shaking is normal. its not mastery but its a normal phase that one has to go through.  As pauline said, reducing intensity of the stretch is a good idea.

It can make a person with terrible mobility like myself feel so much better when we hear that guys with such an incredible pike can  still experience shaking when tensing the quads . 

There is hope for us all 

awesome job Ivar 

In the videos sometimes people reach with the hands behind the legs, and other persons use the arms to pull down (like in the picture above).

The reaching back seems to be a step before pulling down. For me though I find reaching back much harder since you somehow have to pull yourself back without the help of your arms. If I use the arms I can get farther than when just reaching back.

Not sure which way to do it now? Reaching back to develop active range of motion? Using hands to pull and passively stretch more?