The one of the two major muscle groups of the upper leg is the hamstring. The hamstring is in the back of the thigh, running from the pelvis all the way to the knee. It crosses both the hip and knee joint and is responsible for knee flexion and hip extension. It is important to strengthen the hamstring because it is used in many activities and often the cause of injury.
Leg Curls
The leg curl is an isolation exercise that works only the hamstring. Begin in a seated position with hips and knees extended fully toes pointing forward. Resistance is at the ankle. Then, flex the knees maximally bringing your heels to your butt. Slowly extend the knees back to the starting position. The leg curl is most often done seated or lying prone on a specific leg extension machine but can be completed with other methods. Resistance bands or a partner can be used to provide resistance when in a seated, standing, or lying prone posture. Stability balls and slideboards can be used when in a position lying supine.
Deadlifts
There are many variations of the deadlift but it is the Romanian deadlift, as discussed by Edmund Burke, PhD., in the March, 2002 "NSCA Performance Training Journal," which is particularly beneficial to the development of the hamstrings. Begin standing with the feet flat and shoulder-width apart. The knees should be slightly bent and arm hanging close to the body. Keeping the back flat and neutral push the butt back flexing the hips and lower your chest. When you reach maximum range of motion, which is dictated by hamstring flexibility, extend the hips to return to the start position. Deadlifts can also be performed single leg. Resistance can be added in the form of a barbell, dumbbells, weighted ball or resistance bands.
Glute-Ham Raises
The glute-ham raise is another exercise for developing the hamstrings in addition to the glutes. The glute-ham raise is performed by positioning yourself in the glute-ham machine with your legs extended and trunk flexed. The motion begins with trunk extension followed by knee flexion. Once the upper body is approximately 45 degrees above horizonta,l reverse the motion to return to the start position. The glute-ham raise is most often done on a specific glute-ham machine but can also be done with a partner. The partner resisted version can be difficult and should only be attempted by those experienced in resistance training.
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