Head Position and Hamstring Function

David Fleming

If like most, you were taught to look up when squatting and deadlifting then this will make you think, and may help you lift more weight.

If you don't squat and deadlift, you should read this anyway and then go learn how to squat and deadlift.

The human body is in essence an integrated system of systems. So integrated that the position of your head and eyes can directly effect the motion of the pelvis.

Our various parts are interconnected in a mechanical sense via soft tissues, specifically fascia and neurologically via nerves from the spinal chord running out from specific vertebrae leading off to the various tissues they innervate. These neurological connections can be expanded on as some of the nerve fibre’s that innervate our muscles also carry information to and from our viscera or organs. Sometimes the source of shoulder pain is actually the liver.

As you can start to see its very difficult to separate any one part of the system from another. Hopefully most gym goers will be squatting and dead-lifting diligently, as long as these movements don’t create any pain or imbalance, with a view to strengthening the much coveted extensor chain of muscles.

It may be though, that you are not getting optimum range of motion or recruitment from your hamstrings when performing these movements.

Try this out:

Stand facing a wall and support yourself against the wall with your hands. Try and keep your back pretty straight and lift one leg off the floor, bending the knee to contract your hamstring.

Look straight ahead and have a friend apply pressure to the heel of the raised leg. Resist the applied force and take note of the effort it took to hold the flexed knee position.

Next, after a short rest (change legs if you like) repeat the test but this time bend your head back and look up at the ceiling.... You probably found that the hamstring was far weaker than during the first test and may not have been able to hold the position at all.

This time perform the test again but tuck your chin, straightening out your neck. You should look down towards the ground without moving your head and visualize the crown of your head rising UP! You're trying to elongate the neck by gapping the cervical vertebrae. In this position you should notice that the hamstring test is much stronger.

The example given above will also work in terms of range of motion. Two studies have shown that manipulation of the suboccipital muscles results in a substantial increase in hip flexion range of motion. You can try testing this yourself.

Lie on your back and perform an active straight leg raise (ASLR). Your aim is to flex at the hip and lift a straight leg as high as possible without any undue tension or compensation from your pelvis and low back. This means everything other than the leg you are lifting should remain still and you only lift the leg as far as you can comfortably. Have someone take note of how far you can flex your hip.

Next, stand up and assume a chin tucked position. Once again this should give you a straight neck, really try to elongate the neck and lengthen up through the crown. Place your index and middle finger just below where your skull meets your neck and gently rub for about 20 seconds. Following this and maintaining the long neck position, rotate the head left to right very slowly for about 6 reps. Next, slowly tilt the head, ear to shoulder back and forth left to right. Make sure this movement is slow and precise, all the while lengthening through the crown.

Lie down and retest the ASLR. If you do this precisely and slowly most of you should get an increase in your hip flexion range of motion or release in your hamstrings.

Why does that work?

There are several reasons why treatment of the neck can have an impact on the hamstrings. One could be mechanical. A lot of people have what is termed 'forward head posture'. This is when the head sits forward of the rest of the body and is accompanied by a over flexed or 'kyphosed' upper back. By re-aligning the position of the head, you in turn will have some effect on the rest of the spine that lies underneath and subsequently the resting position of the pelvis.

I think, a little more accurately, the reason this works is to do with a specific line of fascia called the 'superficial back line'. The SBL runs from the soles of your feet all the way to your forehead and connects and envelopes everything in its path. By working at what can be termed 'control points' you can effectively release the entire line. The control points fro the SBL are the 'plantar fascia' (soles of the feet) and the 'suboccipitals' (base of the neck).

Application

To make this information useful you need to be able to apply it to your exercise. The next time you squat, dead-lift or swing a kettlebell, don't arch your neck by lifting your chin every time you bend at the hips. It will take some practice but as you bend forward at the waist look down towards the ground with your eyes maintaining a straight neck position.

By doing this you should feel that you can get deeper into hip flexion and be stronger coming out of it back to hip extension. There's an optimum way to do everything and when it comes to performing movements that require you to bend at the waist and flex your hips, keep your neck straight!

References:

J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 1997 Sep;20(7):443-7. A study of two stretching techniques for improving hip flexion range of motion. Pollard H, Ward G. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 1998 Nov-Dec;21(9):611-6. The effect of upper cervical or sacroiliac manipulation on hip flexion range of motion. Pollard H, Ward G.

About the Author

David Fleming is one of London’s top personal trainers. He is obsessed with helping people get stronger and helping people to get More-Athletic. He has studied and learned from the best strength coaches in the world. He is happily married and can lift heavy weights. His mother is very proud of him and he writes a good article.It took him until the age of 30 to pass his driving test, but other than that he is a solid chap.

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