9 Expert Recommended Hamstring Exercises For Runners

Hamstring Exercises For Runners

One of the primary reasons for hamstring cramps or injuries is stiffness of the muscles. This can happen due to a sedentary lifestyle or inadequate exercise of the muscle. While most people believe stretching is the only answer to strong and flexible hamstrings, it’s not. If you like running or sports, you’ll need to target your hamstrings with specific workouts. To help you better, here we’ll check out the 9 most effective hamstring exercises for runners.

But before that, let’s know about the benefits and functions of strong hamstring muscles.

Why Strong Hamstrings Are Important?

The hamstring muscles lie in the backside of our thighs. These muscles act as a connecting bridge between the big thigh muscle and the bone. The word “Hamstring” also implies the three-muscle cluster running from the hip to right underneath the knee. Here are some of the reasons why strong hamstring muscles are essential.

• Muscular hamstrings help in improving the running speed and agility of the legs.
• These also help to improve the explosiveness of legs for jumping or climbing.
• Your body posture and stability can improve by strengthening these muscles.
• Strong hamstring muscles are very important for avoiding hamstring cramps or injuries.

Now let’s look into the best hamstring strengthening exercises.

Sumo Squats

Target Muscles – Hamstrings, Quadriceps, Glutes, Hips, Calves, Abductors

As you can guess, Sumo Squat is a variation of the traditional squats workout. This particular lower-body exercise is more effective and intense than the original version. Furthermore, these help in improving the overall flexibility, stability, agility, and balance of the body. Thus, sumo squats make activities like walking, running, jumping, and climbing easier.

How To Do The Sumo Squats Exercise?

• Stand straight with both your feet slightly more apart than your shoulder-width.

• Twist your toes slightly outwards, away from each other.

• Now lower down your body by bending your knees to extend your buttocks backward.

• Make sure to avoid extending your knees beyond your toes. Also, keep your back entirely straight all the time.

Stand back slowly to the initial position and repeat these steps 15-20 times per set.

Glute Bridge

Muscles Worked – Hamstrings, Glutes, Core, Abs

Glute Bridge is an extremely effective bodyweight exercise to strengthen your core and lower body. This exercise particularly targets your hamstrings, while improving their mobility and power. Furthermore, it helps to alleviate knee and back pain by fortifying the core and lower body.

How To Do The Glute Bridge Exercise?

• Lie down on the floor on your back and bend your knees to bring your feet closer to your hips.

• Place your palms on the floor near your thighs. Also, both your heels should be completely on the floor.

• Now squeeze your hamstrings and glutes to raise your hips off the floor. Stop when your shoulders, chest, core, thighs, and knees are in a straight line.

• Hold this position for 20-30 seconds, and then slowly lower down into the initial position.

• Repeat these steps 4-5 times in your exercise session.

Single-Leg Glute Bridge

Muscles Worked – Hamstrings, Glutes, Abs, Core

Self-evidently, this exercise is a more intense variation of the traditional glute bridge. Similar to the traditional version, this exercise also helps to make the hamstrings powerful, muscular, and explosive. Furthermore, you can also fortify your core and abdominal muscles, if you do this exercise correctly.

How To Do The Single Leg Glute Bridge Exercise?

• Lie down straight on the floor on your back. Bend both your knees to bring your feet closer to your hips.

• Straighten your arms and place both hands on the floor near your butt.

• After that, raise your right leg off the floor and extend it straight.

• Then, lift your hips off the floor while squeezing your hamstrings and keeping the right leg straight.

• Stop when your shoulders, chest, core, thighs, and knees are in a straight line.

• Hold this position for 20-30 seconds and lower your body slowly onto the ground.

• Repeat these steps 4-5 times.

Kettlebell Single Leg Deadlift

Muscles Worked – Hamstrings, Glutes, Core, Lower Back, Ankles

Kettlebell Single Leg Deadlift is another gem in the list of top hamstring exercises. Furthermore, it also helps to fortify the core and lower back to prevent injuries. Also, this amazing workout enhances the stability, balance, and agility of the body.

How To Do The Kettlebell Single Leg Deadlift Exercise?

• Stand straight with both feet hip-wide distance apart.

• Hold a kettlebell firmly in your left hand.

• After that, bend your upper body forward while raising your right leg backward.

• Make sure to keep both your left arm and right leg completely straight. Stop when your upper body and right leg come in a straight line.

• Stand back slowly into the initial position.

• Repeat these steps 15-20 times per set.

Squats

Muscles Worked – Hamstrings, Glutes, Quadriceps, Hips, Calves

When it comes to the best lower-body exercises, squats will always be in the top ten workouts list. This highly effective workout targets all your body muscles from the buttocks to the calves. Furthermore, it helps to improve the explosiveness, steadiness, agility, and balance of the body.

How To Do The Squats Exercise?

• Stand straight with both your feet apart at a shoulder-width.

• Lower your body by bending your knees and extending your hips in the backward direction. Don’t allow your knees to extend ahead of your toes and keep your back straight.

• Stand back up to the initial position while squeezing your hamstrings.

• Repeat these steps 15-20 times per set. You can hold dumbbells in both hands to make this exercise more effective.

Romanian Deadlift

Muscles Worked – Hamstrings, Glutes, Adductors, Core, Back

Romanian Deadlift is a variation of the standard Deadlift exercise. This amazing exercise targets majority of body muscles from the back to the legs. Furthermore, it helps to improve body balance, speed, stability, and athletic ability.

How To Do The Romanian Deadlift Exercise?

• Stand straight with both feet apart at a shoulder-width distance.

• Hold a barbell rod firmly with both your hands near your slightly bent thighs.

• Now bend your upper body forward to lower the barbell rod towards the floor. Make sure not to allow your thighs to bend more and keep your back straight.

• While doing so, squeeze your hamstrings and go as low as possible.

• Stand back slowly to the initial position.

• Repeat these steps 15-20 times per set.

Bulgarian Split Squat

Muscles Worked – Hamstrings, Glutes, Quadriceps, Calves, Core

Bulgarian Split Squat is the go-to exercise for people who want to strengthen, tone, and build their lower body. This amazingly effective exercise helps to improve body balance, athletic ability, and speed. Furthermore, it’s a great workout to sculpt the perfect-looking muscular legs.

How To Do The Bulgarian Split Squats Exercise?

• Stand straight with a gym bench at a 1.5 feet distance behind you.

• Firmly hold one dumbbell in each hand on your sides near your thighs.

• Now lift your right leg and place the top of your right foot on the bench behind you.

• After that, bend both your left knee to lower down your body towards the floor. Stop when your right knee almost touches the floor. Also, prevent your back from bending while doing so.

• Stand back slowly into the initial position.

• Repeat these steps 15-20 times per set.

Walking Lunge

Muscles Worked – Hamstrings, Glutes, Quadriceps, Calves, Hips, Abs

Walking Lunge is a more intense and effective variation of the standard lunges exercise. This amazing workout builds, tones, and strengthens all the lower body muscles. Furthermore, it helps in making the body more stable, athletic, and energetic. To get quicker results, you may hold one dumbbell in each hand while doing this exercise.

How To Do The Walking Lunge Exercise?

• Stand straight with both your feet apart at a hip-width distance.

• Firmly hold a dumbbell in each hand on your side near both thighs.

• Now take one long step forward with your right leg. Bend both knees at almost a 90-degree angle to lower down your body.

• Stop when your lower knee almost touches that floor.

• Now take one long step forward with your left leg without moving your right leg.

• Keep doing lunges while walking at least 15-20 steps per set.

Sprinting

While this may be quite obvious but sprinting is one of the best hamstring exercises for runners. Sprints help to build and tone several body muscles, such as hamstrings, calves, quadriceps, glutes, hips, and abs. Furthermore, Sprinting helps to boost stamina, balance, explosiveness, agility, and stability of the body. If you’re just starting, begin with brisk walking and jogging first. This will help to reduce the chances of hamstring cramps greatly.

That’s all folks!

So these are the 9 best hamstring exercises for runners and sportspeople. If you do these exercises regularly, you’ll be able to run faster and be more athletic. However, a nutrient-dense diet will play a major role in improving your overall physical performance. Thus, avoid eating calorie-dense foods and eat healthy for better results in a little time.