The Amazing Movement Podcast

Don't Pull a Hammy!! | Amazing Movement - Fitness

• Carol Beringer

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Carol Beringer's Amazing Movement Podcast | Season 2, Ep. 5: Studio Exercises - Hamstring Release (4.5 min)

Transform tight hamstrings into supple, functional legs with Carol's magical movement moment! Most of us have tight hamstrings because we use the front of our legs so much more in daily life. This supine leg series is an amazing way to start your day and create lasting change in how your legs feel and function.

Carol guides you through a complete routine including point-and-flex ankle work, leg circles, the "pizza on the ceiling" technique (a brilliant core stabilizer!), and heel-to-toe sequences. All while keeping your spine neutral and engaging your core without effort. This is the kind of movement that makes your body crave more.

Perfect for morning routines or anytime you need to release tension. Just lie down, listen, and move with Carol through this game-changing sequence.

CHAPTERS: 

00:00 - Introduction: Magical Movement Moments 
00:05 - Why We Have Tight Hamstrings 
00:58 - Point & Flex: Warming Up the Leg 
02:16 - Pizza on the Ceiling: Core Stability + Hamstring Length 
03:06 - Heel-to-Toe Sequences & Finishing Stretch

ABOUT CAROL BERINGER: With 25+ years of experience, Carol combines expertise in brain-based functional movement, Pilates, and yoga to help clients achieve improved posture, pain relief, and lifelong wellness. Her compassionate approach has transformed lives of individuals aged 6 to 96.

TOOLS MENTIONED:

  • Exercise mat or comfortable floor surface
  • Your body and Carol's guidance!

KEY BENEFITS:

  • Lengthens tight hamstrings
  • Engages core without effort (belly bracer!)
  • Wakes up feet for the day ahead
  • Pulls shoulders down away from ears
  • Creates full-body connection

CONTACT CAROL: Questions? Email: hello@carolberinger.com

SERVICES OFFERED:

  • Private Sessions
  • Group Classes
  • Workshops & Retreats
  • Zoom Sessions

CONNECT WITH CAROL:

Subscribe for weekly episodes to continue building your movement repertoire!

#HamstringStretch #TightHamstrings #StudioExercises #CarolBeringerMethod #AmazingMovement

Speaker 1 (00:05): 

Hi, Carol Barringer and welcome back to the Amazing Movement Podcast. And so we're doing just what I call magical movement moments that are something that you can pop into your busy day that could be a game changer. Alright, so most people do have tight hamstrings because we use the front of our legs so much more because we're going forward in light. So everyone's always, oh, my hamstrings are so tight. So this whole little supine leg series is an amazing way to start your day actually. So we're going to start on our back knees bent, spine and neutral, which means that you do have a little space in your lower back, you're wide through the shoulders and your spine is lengthened so that all the vertebra can fall into place. And so we're going to start with knees bent. Take a hold of the back of one thigh and lengthen the leg up to the ceiling. 

(00:58): 

If you have the capability to lengthen the bottom leg, do that. But it's equally as effective here. And first, just keeping the chest wide. Just bring the leg back so you're not trying to use your shoulders, you're just staying settled and just moving your thigh bone through the hip socket. And then we're just going to point the foot, pull the toes back and resist, push through the point and pull through the flex. I like sevens. So we're going to do the whole routine today. And so this is nice. You can just listen to this and move with me. We're going three more, push through to point, pull through, push and pull. And then we're going to circle, push through the point and pull through the flex. Even try to spread your toes because our feet carry us around the rest of the day and they're tiny compared to the rest of your body, against gravity. And I'm not very good at counting, but I think that's seven. And then we'll go the other direction and just push through the point and pull through the flex. And seriously, my knee feels warm. The back of the knee pit, this uses everything. Actually the way we're staying. You're using your low abdominals to keep your pelvis stable. 

(02:16): 

Okay, this one's fine. They call it pulling the pizza off the ceiling. So you're going to pretend you have a paper plate on your foot, so you have to flex your ankle. You're going to just soften that knee and then you're going to push that plate up towards the ceiling. Pizza's going to stick to the ceiling, and then you just soften the knee and push that pizza back onto the ceiling. We're going for seven of these, and as you push the leg straight, your abdominals stabilize you at the other side. So this is a belly bracer, so you're toning your abdominals without much effort and it feels awesome. It also pulls the shoulders down away from the ears. There's a lot of connections going on here. Now we're going to finish with, we're going to bring the heel down to the glute and point the foot up. And again, you can have your leg straight. We're going to do four where we bring the heel down and point the foot up. 

(03:06): 

And then we're going to reverse it, point down and flex it and keep your chin in, not up to the ceiling. And just for fun, pull that knee into your shoulder and lengthen the other leg the other direction. And then slide that foot along. Again, we're keeping in contact with the bed mat floor, wherever you are. And then this leg goes up towards the ceiling and let three gentle releases, and then we're going to point and flex so your foot will remember it's alive in your shoes that hold them hostage the rest of the day. 

(03:49): 

Again, I'm not very good at counting, so I like seven just because it's a nice good number. It's six seconds. Your brain has a muscle memory. So we do seven for good luck and then revert. Push through the point, pull through the flex. Even try and spread those toes. If you have some cracking, that's a bonus as long as it doesn't hurt. Now we're putting the pizzas on the ceiling. So push that plate up to the ceiling and then pull it away. So you're squishing that pizza onto the ceiling and then you release it. And as you push up, you'll feel your abs come in. You might feel your shoulder blades glide down your back. Our body is meant to well, it likes to move well. And now we're going to bring the heel down and soft point up, heel down. And this bone is staying still. We're not moving it around. Just staying in that same place and then reverse that to point down and flex up. Of course, you're breathing. And then I just always take my knee, an extra pulling towards my should to reach the other leg while you bring my shoulders down away from my ears. And then I nod my chin to roll on up and I carry on with the rest of my day. Have a good week.