Why your hamstrings need attention (and how to do it properly)

Looking to get stronger legs or want the short shorts to fill out for summer, it’s always worth giving your pins some love, especially when it comes to the hamstrings. You may not be a fan of leg day but hammies play in a major role in overall fitness and performance ability.

“Hamstrings are a huge muscle, and if you get these bad boys to grow you’ll be looking like Sir Chris Hoy in his prime in no time,” explains Dudley MacDonald from cross-fit gym Motion Training. A few squats for legs like one of the greatest cyclists of all time? Sounds like a worthwhile compromise, right? (MBE not included).

You don’t need to be operating at the top of your game to feel the benefit, though. Everyone with legs will gain something from paying them a little extra love. “Just about every athlete and weekend warrior relies on strong hamstrings,” agrees Amoila Cesar from Beachbody On Demand.

The reason is that your hammies are tied in to some pretty vital components. “Hamstrings are the synergist muscles that aid your glutes, which are your primary movers,” Cesar explains. “These muscles are responsible for knee flexion as well as accelerating and decelerating. The stronger your hamstrings, the higher you jump, the faster you run and the more explosive you become.”

In other words: good hamstrings equals better performance both sporting, and perambulatory.

Ironically, Cook points out, hamstring injuries are actually the most common complaints in all forms of sport. Which means we simply aren’t warming up enough, and we aren’t putting in the groundwork in the gym or on the yoga mat first.

Whether you’re looking to prevent injury, improve performance, or just get a pair of Jack Grealish-like legs under you, Amoila Cesar’s one-stop hamstring workout can help. Give it a spin once a week in the gym. Just be prepared to hobble around for a few days afterwards. To paraphrase a common saying, here a little bit of pain equals lots of gain.

Amoila Cesar, master trainer at Beachbody On Demand

The single-leg deadlift has become the champ of posterior chain exercises. It not only develops the entire posterior chain (glutes, hamstrings and long adductors) but also improves balance. Do three sets of eight reps for each leg.

Begin by standing with your feet hip-width apart and parallel. Grab a dumbbell and lean your hips forward, shifting your weight onto the opposite leg (contralateral) of the held dumbbell. The leg that is lifted should be engaged and extended straight behind you, forming a T-shape. 

Slowly bring in your extended leg and return to the starting position. Repeat with the other leg. 

Hold a dumbbell in each hand placed in front of your thighs with relaxed arms. Stand hip-width apart. Bend your knees slightly, about 15 degrees, hinging at the hip, keeping your back long and straight. It’s important to find a focal point on the floor directly in front of your feet and keep your eyes on it. Avoid looking up as that can compress your neck. Drive back up to a standing position, squeezing your glutes at the top. Do three sets of 12 reps each.

This exercise will set your hamstrings on fire! I recommend doing three sets of eight to ten reps, no more. You can use sliders or a towel. Start in the supine position with your heels planted firmly in the centre of the sliders (you can also use a paper plate or towel if you do not have sliders). Squeeze your glutes and core and slightly raise your hips. After that, bend your knees and squeeze your hamstrings and slide your feet back to your bottom. Your shoulders, hips and knees should be in a straight line. Without losing your spine alignment, extend your legs to return to the original position. 

This next exercise is slightly different from the original kickstand deadlift. I have taken a dynamic warm-up called hamstring swoop and turned it into a stationary exercise. 

Grab one dumbbell standing in an athletic position with both knees slightly bent and feet hip-width apart. Step forward with your opposite leg holding the dumbbell. The foot that is forward needs to be flexed and extended with only your heel touching the ground. The balls of your feet should be lifted off the ground, mimicking a kickstand position. 

Hinge forward with your hips, keeping your back long and straight. Descend as low as you can without compromising your spinal alignment. Finally, return to the start position and repeat again. Do three sets of ten reps.