Legs · Seated
Seated hamstring stretch
Straightening one leg in front of you with the heel on the floor and leaning forward from the hips, for the back of the thigh.
- Hold 15 to 30 s each side
- Held stretch
How to do it
- Perch on the front edge of a stable chair.
- Stretch your right leg out in front of you with the heel on the floor and the toes pointing up.
- Keep your back straight and lean forward slightly from the hips, looking ahead.
- Hold, sit up and repeat with the left leg.
How long
Hold for about 20 seconds and repeat three times each side (CSP), or 30 seconds (Mayo Clinic).
What you should feel
A gentle stretch along the back of the thigh, not behind the knee. The CSP says you should feel no pain.
Stop if…
- Pain, numbness, tingling or pins and needles, or dizziness: stop and do not push through it.
- Pain behind the knee or tingling down the leg.
Variations
- Gentler. Keep the knee slightly bent and lean only a little.
- Standing. Rest the heel on a low step with the leg straight and hinge forward from the hips.
Common mistakes
- Rounding the back to reach further.
- Locking the knee hard.
- Using a chair with wheels.
Use it in a routine
The stretch routine builder can play this with other legs stretches, with a countdown for each side and a chime at every change. The stretch break timer adds stretches like it to a break after each work interval.
It is part of this ready-made routine: Lower back and hips, 5 minutes.
Sources
Written from published guidance by health services, physiotherapy and ergonomics bodies. Last reviewed .
- Desk-based exercises, Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (UK)
- Desk-based jobs: desk based exercise, Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust
- Seated stretches for the workplace (video), Mayo Clinic
- Standing stretches for the workplace (video), Mayo Clinic (general stretching guidance)
- Stretching at the workstation (PDF), New Mexico State University Environmental Health and Safety (general stretching guidance)