Hamstring injuries are still running rampant in sport and training culture today, and it’s at the expense of an athlete’s goals and showcasing all of the prior hard work and blood, sweat, and tears that were put into practice. Fortunately, hamstring issues can be either prevented or reduced in severity. Here is a fresh set of training tips to help support your hamstring health.

Here’s what you should do to protect your Hamstrings

Active stretching during your pre-workout phase

This will improve power and prevent speed reductions by 5-30 percent so there are no timing issues that could occur. Also, what is the point of static stretching before a workout? Think about this scenario for a moment if you will please. Static stretching seeks to relax and inhibit muscles. The complete opposite of what you are trying to accomplish right before training and competition. Leave the slow, boring, routine, and recovery-based stretches well after your workout and in between high-intensity training days if you want to see real results.

Bridge daily

End-range bridge work is your ally in this fight and it’s very low level. If you can find someone to perform a hip extension test and identify the proper contraction sequence of your same side glute and ham and opposite side erector that would be a great start to test your body’s coordination and present state of function. Often you will witness abnormalities in this pattern which can contribute to potential hamstring injuries. If you look at the 4 common postures, every single one can involve a weak glute complex. This is the only muscle group where this is the case, so some extra attention should be dedicated to the area just as some added insurance.

Start and revisit sled and ramp work

Common causes of hamstring aggravation are over-striding at touchdown and a lack of deceleration in the swing leg according to research. Both of these can be strengthened and prevented with a slower tempo/higher resistance application if you are starting a speed or sprint training program. If you have been hammering away at your sprints week in and week out, don’t be afraid to implement a phase of loaded sprint work to help emphasize technical weak points, strengthen weaker muscle groups, and still improve acceleration and speed levels as your body’s nervous system and muscles recovery properly and thoroughly.

Stay and keep fresh

Fatigue onset is a major precursor to hamstring issues according to research. 1 Speed work should be done twice per week at opposite ends of the week and right after the explosive phase of your warmup is complete. I’m sure you have felt the aftermath of intense Romania Deadlifts in training in the past. They leave you sore for a week! Recovery rates of the hamstring complex are slow due to its fast-twitch nature and relatively poorer blood flow and capillarization capacity. As such, if you sprint too often too soon, or for too long without a practical strategy then you are asking for trouble. Also keep in mind, that injury isn’t the only factor to consider regarding a muscle being over-trained. HRV, muscular strength, time to exhaustion, soreness, coordination and body control, and others are also signs that you aren’t recovering properly, so don’t wait for your body to just completely hit the wall or go overboard before you decide to make the right changes to your training program.

SCIENTIFIC REFERENCES:

#1-Feeley BT, Kennelly S, Barnes RP. Epidemiology of National Football League training camp injuries from 1998 to 2007. American Journal of Sports Medicine 36:1597‐1603, 2008.