Maintaining strong and toned hamstrings can enhance athletic performance, as well as help better support your body during regular daily activities. Most sports involving running and jumping can help build hamstring muscles, but without proper training, the sudden starts and stops involved in sports, such as soccer or basketball, can lead to hamstring injuries, according to MayoClinic.com and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Flexibility and strength training can help keep hamstrings in shape for sports and other activities, as well as help prevent injuries.
Anatomy
Starting at the lower part of the pelvis at the ishial tuberosity, crossing the knee joint and ending at the bottom of the leg, hamstrings consist of three muscles: semitendinosus, semimembranosus and biceps femoris. Hamstring muscles are joined to tendons that attach to leg bones. The main function of the hamstrings is to help you extend your leg back and bend your knee, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. The power and resistance needed for running and jumping comes from hamstrings at the hip joints, according to EliteSoccerConditioning.com.
Running and Jumping
Most sports involving running and jumping, including soccer, football, basketball, track and tennis, can help strengthen hamstring muscles. However, athletes involved in these sports frequently sustain hamstring injuries due to the sprinting and other sudden movements required during such practice and performance, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the Australian Sports Commission. Getting in shape before participating in such sports can help you safely build your hamstrings and reduce your risk of injury to the leg area. Avoid relying on your sport to get you in shape, recommends MayoClinic.com. Mimic typical movements involved in your sport during training to help you better prepare your hamstrings for athletic performance, recommends EliteSoccerConditioning.com.
Strengthening
Spending time in the gym or working out at home with weights or other muscle-building equipment can help you build stronger hamstrings. For instance, you can perform squat cleans using a barbell to work out hamstrings, as well as other leg muscles, according to Bodybuilding.com. The squatting and pulling activities involved in squat cleans especially target hamstring muscles, which can help your hamstrings endure the rigors of dynamic sports. You can also use dumbbells, kettlebells and bands to perform squats and similar exercises to build hamstrings. Perform dumbbell exercises such as single-leg deadlifts that mimic running movements to build hamstrings, and avoid focusing on exercises such as hamstring curls that don’t mimic sports activity, recommends EliteSoccerConditioning.com. If you don’t have access to weight equipment, you can strengthen hamstring muscles by performing several exercises that use your own body weight, according to Bodybuilding.com. These exercises also provide your hamstrings with dynamic flexibility training. Maintaining fit hamstrings involves a combination of drill, strength and flexibility training, according to the Australian Sports Commission.
Stretching
Making regular stretching a vital part of your training program can help you keep your hamstrings flexible and strong. The movements involved in dynamic stretching routines, especially those performed in yoga and Pilates, can help lengthen the hamstring muscles and make them more agile and powerful. However, hamstrings don’t work alone to help you perform your best during dynamic sports; it’s essential to train all leg muscles because they work together to move your body successfully during physical activity, according to “Yoga Journal."
References
- MayoClinic.com: Hamstring Injury
- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons: Hamstring Muscle Injuries
- Bodybuilding.com: Hamstring Exercises
- EliteSoccerConditioning.com; How to Train the Hamstring for Sports and Life; Taylor Tollison
- Australian Sports Commission; A Systematic Approach to Hamstring Prevention and Rehabilitation; Vern Gambetta
- “Yoga Journal”; The Long and Short of Legs; Julie Gudmestad; 2011
- BrianMac Sports Coach; Conditioning; Joe Dunbar; September 2011
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