A few weekends ago I was in London teaching a workshop with my friend Luke Worthington. We had about 35 trainers from the UK and Europe eager to learn more about assessment, program design, coaching common strength movements, and how I rank the Bourne movies.
One big theme we kept returning to was that the idea of “tight” hamstrings isn’t really a thing. Calling the hamstrings tight is a common default that’s blamed for everything from butt wink to low back pain. The crowd looked stunned when Luke and I kept repeating this point.
You would have thought Gandalf rode in on a unicorn shouting “You shall not stretch the hamstrings!” based on people’s expressions.
What’s next: water isn’t wet? grass isn’t green? Ryan Gosling’s gaze doesn’t pierce my soul? I’m as skeptical as anyone when health and fitness folks throw around words like everyone, always, or never. Those three words, used repeatedly, tend to signal someone with an agenda.
There are exceptions. There are people who genuinely have tight (or, anatomically short) hamstrings. That said, I doubt you’re one of them. I’m not saying it never happens, but it’s such a rare case that you’re more likely to win an arm-wrestling match against a grizzly bear than to actually have truly tight hamstrings.
Take butt wink, for example. The common culprit is often blamed as tight hamstrings. If we look at basic anatomy, we see that the hamstrings are a bi-articular group that crosses both the hip and knee. As we bend into deeper hip flexion, like in a squat, the hamstrings lengthen at the hip and shorten at the knee, so the net change is minimal. It’s not all about the hamstrings.
How can we tell for sure? Many people tell me they’ve been stretching for decades and still feel tight. The first step is a simple screen to check whether they really have tight hamstrings. It’s called the Active Straight Leg Raise. Lying on their back, one leg kept straight and anchored, they lift the other leg as high as they can. They stop when they feel resistance or when the pelvis or feet start to rotate or the knee starts to bend. An acceptable range is about 70–90 degrees of hip flexion.
Usually, people pass the screen with flying colors. I’ll hear, “So I don’t have tight hamstrings.” Then they’ll ask if there are other stretches they should do, and I’ll say, “Zero.” Then they’ll ask again, and I’ll still say, “Zero.” The moment is awkward, but it’s revealing.
Feeling tight isn’t the same as actually being short. Something else is going on.
To dig deeper, I’ll use a trick from Ottawa-based trainer Elsbeth Vaino: the Bridge Test. I’ll have the person perform a standard glute or hip bridge and ask where they feel it. Many say “hamstrings.” Then I’ll have them do a one-leg glute bridge and hold for 10–15 seconds. Most can’t last five seconds. The hip extensor job is done mostly by the glute max; if it isn’t firing well, the hamstrings pick up the slack. In short, for many people most of the time, the hamstrings feel tight because they’re overactive and doing extra work, or because pelvic alignment needs addressing (more glutes and a stronger anterior core can tilt the pelvis back and take the strain off the hamstrings).
The idea that the hamstrings are lengthened by anterior pelvic tilt is also why stretching them can make things worse. The tightness people feel is often neural, not a sign of true shortness. Tapping into this, I look at active end-range hip flexion as well, drawing on work from Functional Range Conditioning. This approach helps teach people to stop overdoing hamstring stretches and to move into improved ranges of motion safely.
Final word: tight hamstrings aren’t mainly about a muscle that’s truly short. They’re more about pelvis position and hip control. Focus on nudging the pelvis into a bit more posterior tilt through stronger glutes and a steadier anterior core, and on training active end-range hip flexion. Let people experience this position more often, and good things tend to follow. Stop stretching the hamstrings.
Ultimatum, Identity, Supremacy, Jason Bourne, and we’ll just pretend Legacy doesn’t exist.
