As a runner, maintaining strong leg muscles is crucial for both performance and injury prevention. One of the most important muscle groups to target in your running workouts is the hamstrings, which play a critical role in leg strength and endurance. Hamstrings are responsible for flexing the knee and extending the hip, making them a key player in running stride.
To maximize your hamstrings workout and improve your running performance, it’s important to focus on exercises that target these muscles specifically. This may include a combination of strength training exercises like deadlifts, lunges, and hamstring curls, as well as endurance-building workouts such as hill sprints and interval training.
Here are 7 best hamstrings exercises for runners to help you build the leg strength and endurance needed to take your running to the next level:
Deadlifts
Deadlifts are a highly effective exercise for improving running performance and strengthening the hamstrings. This exercise targets several muscles, including the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back, which are all important for running. Strengthening these muscles can help to improve running speed, power, and endurance, while also reducing the risk of injury.
Deadlifts also help to improve overall body mechanics and posture, which can contribute to better running form and efficiency. By regularly incorporating deadlifts into your workout routine, you can build the necessary lower body strength and power to tackle even the toughest running challenges.
Lunges
Lunges are another excellent exercise for improving running performance and strengthening the hamstrings. Like deadlifts, lunges target multiple muscles, including the hamstrings, glutes, and quads. They are also unilateral exercises, which means they work one leg at a time, helping to address any muscle imbalances and improve overall stability.
By regularly performing lunges, runners can improve their stride length and reduce the risk of injury by building strength in the supporting muscles around the knee and ankle joints. Additionally, lunges can be easily modified by adding weights or changing the lunge direction to target different muscle groups. Overall, incorporating lunges into your running workouts can help to build the necessary lower body strength and endurance needed to achieve your running goals.
See Also: The Role of the Hamstrings in Distance Running and Why They Are Commonly Injured
Hamstring Curls
Hamstring curls are a highly effective exercise for specifically targeting and strengthening the hamstrings, making them an important addition to any runner’s workout routine. This exercise involves lying face down on a machine and curling the lower legs towards the back of the thighs against resistance. This movement isolates and contracts the hamstrings, helping to build strength and endurance in this muscle group.
Strong hamstrings are important for runners because they help to power the push-off phase of the running stride and improve overall leg stability. Additionally, hamstring curls can be easily modified by adjusting the weight or machine settings to increase or decrease resistance, making them a versatile exercise for runners of all levels. By incorporating hamstring curls into your running workouts, you can build the lower body strength and power needed to improve your running performance and reduce the risk of injury.
Hill Sprints
Hill sprints are a great exercise for building both lower body strength and endurance, making them a popular choice for runners looking to improve their performance. This exercise involves sprinting up a hill with maximum effort and then walking or jogging back down to recover before repeating. Hill sprints work the hamstrings, glutes, quads, and calves, as well as the core muscles, which all play a role in running performance.
By challenging the muscles to work against gravity, hill sprints help to build leg power and speed, as well as improve cardiovascular fitness. They are also a low-impact exercise, making them a great alternative to traditional sprinting on flat ground, which can be hard on the joints. Incorporating hill sprints into your running workouts can help to build the necessary lower body strength and endurance to tackle even the toughest running challenges.
See Also: The 10 Best Hamstring Workouts
Romanian Deadlifts
Romanian deadlifts are another effective exercise for building leg strength and targeting the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back muscles. This exercise involves holding a barbell or dumbbell in front of the thighs and hinging at the hips to lower the weights towards the ground, keeping the back straight and the knees slightly bent.
This movement targets the posterior chain muscles, including the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back, making it a great exercise for runners looking to improve their overall lower body strength and power. Romanian deadlifts can also be modified by adjusting the weight or using different equipment, such as a resistance band or kettlebell, to add variety and challenge to the exercise.
Step-Ups
Step-ups are a simple yet effective exercise for building leg strength and endurance, specifically targeting the quads, hamstrings, and glutes. This exercise involves stepping up onto a platform or bench with one leg, driving through the heel, and then stepping back down to the ground. The movement can be repeated for a set number of repetitions or for a set amount of time.
Step-ups are unilateral exercise, which helps to address any muscle imbalances between the legs and improve overall leg stability. They can also be easily modified by adjusting the height of the platform or adding weights to increase resistance. By incorporating step-ups into your running workouts, you can build the necessary leg strength and power to tackle hills and tough terrain, as well as improve overall running form and efficiency.
See Also: HOW TO STRENGTHEN YOUR HAMSTRING FOR RUNNING AND WHY?
Plyometric Exercises
Plyometric exercises are a type of explosive movement that can help runners to build power, speed, and endurance in the legs. These exercises typically involve jumping, bounding, or hopping movements and are designed to improve neuromuscular coordination and increase muscular power. Examples of plyometric exercises include jump squats, box jumps, and plyometric lunges.
Plyometric exercises can help runners to improve their stride length, reduce ground contact time, and increase overall running efficiency. They can also help to improve leg strength and reduce the risk of injury by increasing muscle and tendon elasticity. However, it’s important to note that plyometric exercises should only be incorporated into a workout routine after building a foundation of strength and stability through other exercises like squats and lunges. Proper form and technique are also essential when performing plyometric exercises to minimize the risk of injury.
Conclusion
Incorporating a variety of exercises into your running workouts is essential for building the necessary leg strength and endurance to improve your performance and reduce the risk of injury. The seven hamstring workouts discussed – deadlifts, lunges, hamstring curls, hill sprints, Romanian deadlifts, step ups, and plyometric exercises – each target different muscles and provide unique benefits.
Deadlifts and Romanian deadlifts are great for overall leg strength and power, while lunges and step ups target stability and balance. Hamstring curls specifically target the hamstrings, while hill sprints and plyometric exercises improve speed and endurance. By incorporating a combination of these exercises into your workout routine, you can build a well-rounded foundation of leg strength and endurance that will help you achieve your running goals. Remember to always prioritize proper form and technique to minimize the risk of injury and consult with a trainer or physician if you have any concerns.
