Improving the strength and function of your hamstring muscles can go a long way. For athletes of many sports, from the strength sports through to cycling and running, the hamstrings tend to be a problematic area. Strengthening the hamstrings is crucial to performance in these sports and even more importantly, to injury prevention. Here are ten articles to guide you through how to make the most of this underrated muscle group.
Help for Your Shortie Hamstrings (Brooke Thomas)
My hamstrings and I have had a long and troubled relationship. Here’s what I’ve discovered on the road to functional hamstrings, along with a video of my very favorite hamstrings lengthening stretch.
Hamstring Mechanics During Sprinting: Insight into Injury (Tom Kelso)
You probably know someone or you yourself have dealt with hamstring problems related to running. Now researchers take a close up look at the relationship between sprinting and injury.
3 Yoga Poses to Strengthen the Hamstrings and Protect the Knees (Bethany Eanes)
Try these poses to keep the hamstring engaged when it is stretching. Even if you are not hypermobile, you can benefit from strengthening this muscle group and learning not to lock out the knee.
Two-Jointed Muscles of the Lower Body: What They Are and How to Train (Tom Kelso)
A muscle that is a flexor at one joint may also be a flexor or extensor at another. These are known as two-jointed muscles, and here are the most effective ways to train the ones in your lower body.
Hamstring Training for Cyclists (Hamstring Training for Cyclists)
For cyclists, one key area to focus on when weight training to improve your performance is your hamstrings. Here are three exercises you need to be doing, and how to plan your workouts.
Block Lunges: Release the Quadriceps and Lengthen the Hamstrings (Jonathan FitzGordon)
The quadriceps and hamstrings are stubborn partners that resist change, but a little bit of love from block lunges can go a long way towards healing the divide.
The Hamstring-to-Quadriceps Strength Ratio in Female Runners (Doug Dupont)
Strengthening the hamstrings is crucial for performance and injury prevention. A new study investigates the relationship between hamstring and
Awake & Evolve: Cycle 1 – Hamstring Stretch Pose Focus (Mindith Rahmat)
The first cycle of Awake & Evolve workouts focuses on balancing the chakras and relieving stress and tension with gentle yoga stretches.
https://breakingmuscle.com/awake-evolve/awake-evolve-cycle-1-hamstring-stretch-pose-focus
Dear Willow: Help My Tight Hamstrings! (Willow Ryan)
I have always been plagued by extremely tight hamstrings. I can barely bring my leg perpendicular with the floor under my own power. What can I do to improve this? Can you help me?
The King of Hamstring Exercises (Jeff Barnett)
A recent study sought to discover which hamstring exercise is the most intense: glute-ham raises, Romanian deadlifts, good mornings, or leg curls.
Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.
