Hamstring Exercises

Hamstring exercises help with strengthening the hamstring muscles, preventing many injuries before they happen.

Hamstring muscle injury feels very discomforting, in most cases immobilizing the player, as hamstrings are used to bend the leg at the knee.

Hamstring injuries occur due to overuse of the hamstring muscles through years of activities that constantly put hamstrings under pressure.

Once a hamstring injury occurs, players will have to stop any activities that involve running. 

Proper time off is most important in letting the muscles fully heal.

In order to minimize hamstring injury from happening there are several hamstring muscle exercises that can be done at home, or at the gym.

Main reason for hamstring muscle exercises is to strengthen the hamstring muscles and prepare them for constant stretching and pressure during activities.

In my opinion, the best hamstring muscle exercises are the ones that can be done in the comfort of your own home, by spending 15-20 minutes daily, performing exercises to strengthen the hamstring muscles.

Goal for hamstring strengthening needs to be consistency in doing the exercises.

Over time, these exercises will reward the athlete with strong and lean hamstrings, that can withstand being put under constant pressure when running at different speeds and changing direction.

Exercises for the hamstrings should be done before an injury occurs. Once the hamstring is injured, these exercises should be done after proper rehabilitation time, when there is no discomfort or pain in the back of the thigh.

Below you can find several hamstring exercises to strengthen the hamstring muscle groups and prevent injuries from happening often.

Hamstring Exercises - Prone Knee Bend

1. Lie on your stomach with your legs straight out behind you.
2. Bend your knee so that your heel comes toward your butt.
3. Once you bring your heel as close to your buttocks as possible hold it for 5 seconds.
4. Relax and return your foot to the floor and repeat the same for the opposite hamstring.
5. Do 3 sets of 10 for each hamstring.
6. You can add weights to your ankle for more resistance.

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Hamstring Muscle Exercise - Prone Hip Extension

1. Lie on your stomach with your legs straight out behind you.
2. Tighten the buttocks and thigh muscles of your injured leg and lift it off the floor about 8 inches.
3. Keep your knee straight and hold it there for 5 seconds.
4. Lower your leg and repeat for the opposite hamstring.
5. Do 3 sets of 10 for each hamstring.

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Hamstring Muscle Exercise - Chair Lift

1. Lie on your back with your heels resting on the top of a chair and your arms palms down next to your hips.
2. Slowly raise both hips off the floor and hold for 5 to 15 seconds before lowering back down slowly.
3. Do 3 sets of 15.
4. Bench hip raises is among hamstring exercises without weights that also targets your back and glutes.

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Hamstring Muscle Exercise - Lunge

1. Stand and take a large step forward with your right leg.
2. Dip your left knee down toward the floor and bend your right leg.
3. Return to the starting position.
4. Repeat the exercise, this time stepping forward with the left leg and dipping the leg on your right side down.
5. Do 3 sets of 10 on each side.
6. You can add weights by holding them in your hands while performing lunges if you feel like no weight lunges are too easy.

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Hamstring Muscle Exercise - Bridging

1. Begin this exercise lying on your back with arms positioned palms down next to your hips.
2. Slowly lift your bottom pushing through your feet, until your knees, hips and shoulders are in a straight line.
3. Tighten your hamstrings as you do this.
4. Hold 5-15 seconds then slowly lower your bottom back down.
5. Perform 3 sets of 10 repetitions.

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Hamstring Muscle Exercise - Donkey Kicks

1. Get yourself into a kneeling position by placing your palms flat on the floor and resting your body on the knees.
2. Lift your left leg towards your back and straighten it completely.
3. Try to lift your left leg by keeping it straight and without bringing any bend in your right thigh or knee.
4. Your left leg should now align with your torso.
5. Lower the left leg, but do not touch the ground.
6. Do 10 repetitions and than repeat the same for other side.
7. Do 3 sets of 10 repetitions.

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Hamstring Muscle Exercise - Hamstring Curl

1. Lie down in a bridge position on the floor, with your hips completely off the floor and legs resting on the exercise ball.
2. Balance your entire weight on your shoulders and spread your arms towards your sides.
3. Keep your heels firmly on the exercise ball and start raising your hips and torso off the floor while trying to pull the ball towards yourself by rolling your heels on it.
4. Perform 3 sets of 10 repetitions.

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Importance for Hamstring Exercising

All of the above listed hamstring exercises are great for strengthening hamstring muscle groups that will be able to withstand constant pressure they are put under when running and playing soccer.

These exercises are also used to rehabilitate a hamstring injury, and should be used once the swelling, pain and discomfort in the hamstring are gone.

You must be careful when doing hamstring exercises through the injury as some exercises may be too strenuous to do, until the injury starts to heal. Listen to your body, as it is the best indicator for everyone.

The bottom line of doing exercises to strengthen hamstrings is to help the muscles get lean and strong so that an athlete can run and change direction with ease.

Best way to see the results from doing hamstring workouts is to include them in your daily hamstring exercise routine.

For effective results, it is recommended that you perform these exercises at least 2-3 times a week, with consistency.

For more information about Hamstring Exercises visit Strengthening Hamstring Exercises.

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