Hamstring Strength With Belt: 22-Min Class for Grapplers

Pushing the lower back to the ground, pushing the belly button all the way through to the mat, engaging that lower core, even if it's just a little bit. That's all we want, warming up. The hip flexors tend to be weak because we don't work them a lot. This is a really nice way to do it.

Switch one more time. Right leg down, left leg up. Pushing the lower back into the ground, reaching the left leg towards the ceiling. Again, it's not a big deal if the leg is bent or the leg is straight.

Looking more at the hip, at that hip flexor. Releasing that, both feet on the ground. Grab your jujitsu belt. Lift the right leg up.

Place the jujitsu belt behind the hamstring, behind the upper leg. I like to take my elbows and put them on the ground. Same thing with the core, the belly button towards the ground. Push the back of the leg against the belt.

All we're doing is creating engagement through the back of the leg, through the hamstrings, using a barrier. That barrier is the belt. You can use your hands too. You can clasp your hands behind the leg.

I find honestly, from all my gi jujitsu, my fingers get really sore and they don't like to be interlaced. Using the belt is way better. Release, other side. Right leg down, left leg up.

Place the belt around the back, the back of the quad, back of the meaty part of the left leg. And reach the left leg up towards the sky. I like my elbows on the ground as I hold the belt. Push the back of the leg into the belt, engaging those hamstrings, waking them up.

Remember that lower core, pushing it into the ground. It's very difficult to isolate and engage the lower core because the hip flexors always want to join the party. So this is a fantastic way to do it. Just on your back, push the belly button down.

Release. One more time. Left leg down, placing the belt around the back of the right leg. Belly button all the way to the ground, through to the mat.

It won't, it won't go to the mat. That's just an analogy. If it goes to the mat, we got problems. Reaching the back of the leg into the belt.

Feel that engagement. It doesn't have to be crazy hard. Just 70%. Quality of the effort, not quantity.

Release. Last one. Left leg up, right leg down. Keep the belt around the back of that left leg.

Reaching the left leg up. Lower back on the ground. Continuing to push the lower back to the ground and push the back of the leg into the belt. Very nice.

Release. Put the belt to the side. We won't need it for a little while. And find your way to hands and knees for cat cow.

You found your hands and knees. Arch the spine by dropping the lower back, middle back, upper back. Around the spine towards the sky. Lower back, middle back, and upper back.

As you go through these two movements, engage the core, especially the lower core. A nice analogy for this is if you're trying to put on your jeans and they're a little bit too tight. I call them my 16 year old jeans, the jeans I had back when I was 16, but I really want to wear them. They're a little bit too tight.

So as I'm doing up the buttons, I pull my belly button in to fit and it does fit, but I got to suck it in. I got to suck it in at the belly. That's what I want you to do here. Suck the belly button in to engage the core, to create uniform movements through lower back, middle back, and upper back.

Bigger tail left and right, side stretch. And place the right foot outside, the right foot to the outside of the right hand. On the ball of your back foot, the ball of the left foot, option to lift the back knee. If you can't, that's okay.

If you do, it'll just be more intense. As you lift that back knee or not, either variation, allow the left hip to almost drop. It won't much, but focus on letting it drop to allow us to focus on the stretch. I always really appreciate this stretch because the hips are in flexion so often.

Flexion is bending the hip. In jiu-jitsu, almost all the time, mount, side control, triangles, unless you're extending to finish the poor bugger. And then again, sitting, car, couch, TB. The back knee down, find your table top, other side.

Left foot to the outside of the left hand, tucking the back toes, option to lift the back knee. Allow the focus to be on the back hip, the stretch through the back hip. Just really appreciate that stretch, how it balances so much of what we do during the day. It feels so good and that's why it's so important.

We're stretching the front of the legs so we can get into the back of the legs more efficiently. As they would say, stretching the antagonist to the back, which is the front. Find your way to table top, lower the torso to the ground, and hands just anywhere really. I like to put it under my chin to start.

Bring the feet closer together, lift only the right leg. You'll feel the back of the right hamstring starting to talk. Engagement to the back of the right leg. Release, lift the left leg.

Same thing on the left, feel the engagement to the back of the left leg. Lift both, right and left leg, feeling the engagement through those and maybe engage the core. Pulling the belly button in if you can, just like we're trying to put on our 16 year old jeans. Release, hands on the shoulders, pushing the hips to heels to let that go with the back of forward bend.

Allow the knees to be wide, hands can be reached up in front, you can rest your forehead on the hands, whatever feels good. Bring your way back to table top, this time stepping the right foot to the outside of the right hand. Walk the right foot forward, so wiggle the toes forward, not too much, just a little bit, and shift the hips back, not the whole way. The front leg should still be bent in a comfortable way, and push the right heel down, pull it back.

Push the right heel down, pull it back, feel the engagement through the back of the right leg. We won't stay here very long, maybe about two to three breaths. Now, stretch the front leg by simply straightening or almost straightening. Take the hands for a walk by walking the hands forward to bend the leg and back, to straighten or almost straighten.

Sometimes it's hard to hold, the hamstring stretches can be pretty intense, we'll use movement at the start to release. So either hold the hamstring, stretch with the leg straight, or take the hands for a walk. Meet me with the hands forward, find your table top, other side. Step the left foot to the outside of the left hand, wiggle the toes forward, shift the hips back, keeping the left leg comfortably bent, push the heel down and pull it towards the hips, engaging the back of that left leg.

You'll feel those hamstrings starting to talk, and it's not crazy intense, but it does make a really big difference. We do this a few times through the class. It's quality, quality. Straighten the leg to release, and either straighten or almost straighten, it's okay if it can't straighten, and either stay here, or if it feels better to take the hands for a walk, go ahead and do that.

Back and hands forward, and back. Meet me with the hands forward, leg bent, find your table top, lower the upper body to the ground, hands beside the hips this time, pulling the shoulders down and back, same variation as before, to lift the right leg, release, lift the left, release, lift both, maybe allow the hands to join the party, hands under the shoulders, hips to heels. So moving through that one more time, but this time it'll be a little more of a flow the last one. Find your table top, step the right foot to the outside of the right hand, wiggle the toes forward, shift the hips back, keeping the front leg bent, pushing the front heel down towards the hips for three, two, one.

Straighten or almost straighten the leg to release, and go ahead and stay here with me, or if it feels better to go for your walk, go ahead. Taking your hamstring for a walk, didn't know I'd be doing that today. Meet me with the hands forward, back to table top, other leg, step the left leg to the outside of the left hand, wiggle the toes forward, shift the hips back, keeping the front leg bent, push the heel into the mat, pull it towards the hips, feeling the back of the leg for three, two, and one. Straighten or almost straighten the front leg to release, and go ahead and stay back here with me, or if it feels better, take your hamstring for a walk.

Probably shouldn't tell anybody that I've said that, that's a little bit ridiculous. Meet me with the hands forward, leg bent, find your way to table top one last time, lower the torso to the ground, hands beside the hips, palms down, bring the legs a little bit closer together, and the only reason for that is to target the middle of the hamstring more. Lift the right leg, don't worry about how far up it goes, if you feel in the back of the right leg, you're doing it right. Lift the left leg, now go ahead and lift both legs, pull the shoulders down and back, maybe lift the hands for three, two, and one.

Pushing the hips to heels for your turtle, go ahead and rest your forehead on your hands. Just take a moment after all that work to recognize how good it feels. And to finish off, grabbing that jujitsu belt, find your way to your back. Loop the belt around the ball of the right foot, and I like to loop the belt around my hands so the arms can relax.

Here you can find a little bit of freestyle, if it feels good to gently bend and extend the leg, go ahead. If it feels good to straighten the leg, go ahead. If you decide to straighten, or almost straighten the leg, if you're a little bit tighter, that's okay. But if you decide to straighten the leg, don't try to do super crazy intense, and you're like, get me out of here, this is not comfortable.

That's too much. Just allow it to be a small challenge, still comfortable. Holding here for a minute. I call it party time when it's a little bit more freestyle.

So party time. You can add movement or just stay still. Allowing the heel to release towards the ceiling to stretch the calf, because the calf does a lot of work, and it doesn't get a lot of stretching. Release that, switch legs, looping around the ball of the left foot, and bend and extend the leg a few times if that feels good.

Straighten the leg if that feels good. Basically, whatever feels good. When I'm in this position, I also like to, as we did at the beginning of class, push the lower back into the ground. Just feels nice if the lower back engages the lower core a tiny bit.

If the leg is straight, go ahead and release the heel towards the ceiling. Release that, place the belt to the side, walk the heels wider than the hips, further out than the hips, drop the knees together, hands on the belly or by your side. Close the eyes, just recognize how good everything feels. There was some elements of this class being kind of challenging, but that's also what makes this right here feel so good.

If you have more time, go ahead and stay here. If you're working within that 20-minute time frame, go ahead and roll to the side, push yourself up, and there we are. Thank you so much for joining me, and I will see you next time.