The hamstrings are a group of muscles in the back of your thigh that works with other muscles in your legs and hips to extend and flex your hip and knee joints. They also assist slowing you down when doing movements such as running or walking down a steep hill. Calisthenic exercises that emphasize your hamstrings should incorporate multiple body parts together rather than isolate your hamstrings, suggests the National Academy of Sports Medicine. These exercises use your body weight as the primary resistance with very little or no equipment.
Benefits
Calisthenic training moves your body in its most natural movement patterns that applies to activities in sports and daily life such as lifting, walking up and down the stairs, hurdling, pushing and pulling. Therefore, these exercises can improve your hamstring function, which can reduce your risk of injury and enhance athletic performance. This allows your hamstrings to coordinate with other muscles in your legs and hips to move in a variety of angles and positions. You can perform calisthenic exercises for your legs almost anywhere with little or no equipment.
Body-weight Squats
All squat variations work your hamstrings and other lower body muscles while using your spine and abs to stabilize your torso. During a squat, your hamstrings control the rate at which you lower your body, and assist your quadriceps and calves to extend your leg when you stand up. You can change the exercise intensity by placing your arms in different positions, such as by putting one arm or both in front of you or over your head. You can also change how far apart you put your feet, such as wider than your shoulders, shoulder-width and narrower than your shoulders.
Multi-planar Lunges
Lunging in different directions works on hip, knee and ankle mobility and stability at different angles and movement patterns, improving the coordination between these joints and your upper body. You can lunge by stepping forward with one foot, stepping to the left or right side, or stepping behind you. Do not round your shoulders or back when you lunge. You can change the exercise intensity by reaching your hands over your head, turning your torso toward or away from the lunging leg or reaching one hand up and across your body to stretch your armpit and ribs. Play with different combinations so that you get a variety to challenge your body.
Depth Jumps
Depth jumps train movement deceleration which helps you reduce the impact upon your joints to prevent injury, says coach Vern Gambetta, author of "Athletic Development." When you land on the ground on your feet, you bend your ankles, knees and hip joints together to absorb shock, distributing the force into your abdominals. Your hamstrings work with your buttocks to keep your knees pointing to the front when you land. To do a depth jump, use a stack of aerobic steps or any sturdy platform that measures between 1 1/2 and 3 feet high. Jump down from the platform and land gently on the balls of your feet before your heels touch the ground. Bend your legs to absorb the impact with your hands in front of your body. Do not round your spine. Turn around to face the platform and repeat the exercise for two sets of 10 jumps.
References
- "NASM Essentials of Personal Fitness Training"; Michael Clark; 2007
- "Athletic Development"; Vern Gambetta; 2006
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