A lot of folks don’t think much about how to strengthen their hamstrings unless there’s a problem. Since these muscles are on the back of the body, they can be easy to forget. And because they aren’t the showiest muscles in the body, they aren’t always prioritized in workouts.
But the hamstrings are actually crucial for almost all our daily movements — like walking. Not only that, but the hamstrings play a major role in protecting the knee joint, so you really don’t want them to be weak. And tightness in the hamstrings can be a factor in lower back pain, another problem you don’t want to have.
Here’s everything you need to know about your hamstrings and the 11 best hamstring exercises to add to your repertoire.
What are your hamstring muscles?
Your hamstring muscles run down the back of each thigh, from the hip to the knee. They play an important part in performing most basic everyday movements, like standing, walking, bending the knees and squatting down to pick something up.
The muscles that make up the hamstring are: biceps femoris, semimembranosus and semitendinosus. Together, they help you flex (bend) your knees and extend your hips. Basically any movement that you do with your legs is initiated or supported by the hamstrings.
What happens if you have weak hamstrings?
If you spend a lot of time sitting during the day the hamstrings can get overstretched and weaken — because you’re literally sitting on them. Weakness in the hamstrings can contribute to knee, hip and low-back pain.
Most people tend to be quad-dominant, meaning that their quadriceps muscles are stronger than their hamstrings. While it’s normal for the larger muscles of the quadriceps to be a bit stronger than the hamstrings, too much of a strength imbalance in the legs can create problems — like instability in the knee joint that can lead to pain or injury.
What happens if you have tight hamstrings?
Tight hamstring muscles can lead to pain and injury in the knee, hip and lower back. But if…
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