Tip 4 Hamstring Exercises for Athletic Performance Search Skip to content Menu Menu follow us Store Articles Community Loyal-T Club Loyal-T Points Rewards Subscribe to Save Search Search The World s Trusted Source & Community for Elite Fitness Training Tip 4 Hamstring Exercises for Athletic Performance Prevent hamstring injuries Sprint faster Build better looking legs Add a couple of these exercises to your plan by Nick Tumminello October 22, 2018May 10, 2022 Tags Athletic Performance, Legs, Tips, Training Lower-body strength training should include more than squats and deadlifts, especially if you care about real-world athletic performance. The right exercises will also prevent injuries. Several studies have shown that strength training programs involving the Nordic hamstring curl, which is basically the partner version of a glute-ham raise, demonstrated a significant reduction in hamstring strains incidence. (1,2,3) The research on leg curls is also compelling. One study separated elite soccer players into two groups. Although both groups used the same training programs, one group had additional, specific hamstring training using the lying hamstring curl machine and the other did not. The results showed that the addition of the lying curl increased sprint speed and decreased the risk of suffering a hamstring strain injury. (4) This agrees with other research, which showed that the lying leg curl (where movement originates at the knee joint) elicited significantly greater activation of the lower lateral and lower medial hamstrings compared to the stiff-legged deadlift, where movement originates at the hip joint, such as in a Romanian deadlift. (5) Arnason A et al. Prevention of hamstring strains in elite soccer: An intervention study. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2008 Feb;18(1):40-8. PubMed. Petersen J et al. Preventive effect of eccentric training on acute hamstring injuries in men's soccer: A cluster-randomized controlled trial. Am J Sports Med. 2011 Nov;39(11):2296-303. PubMed. van der Horst N et al. The preventive effect of the nordic hamstring exercise on hamstring injuries in amateur soccer players: A randomized controlled trial. Am J Sports Med. 2015 Jun;43(6):1316-23. PubMed. Askling C et al. Hamstring injury occurrence in elite soccer players after preseason strength training with eccentric overload. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2003 Aug;13(4):244-50. PubMed. Schoenfeld BJ et al. Regional differences in muscle activation during hamstrings exercise. J Strength Cond Res. 2015 Jan;29(1):159-64. PubMed. Get The T Nation Newsletters Don' t Miss Out Expert Insights To Get Stronger, Gain Muscle Faster, And Take Your Lifting To The Next Level related posts Training Battle of the Strength Sports When you go all-in with one training philosophy - whether it's bodybuilding, powerlifting, or CrossFit - you set yourself up for a lifetime of repercussions, including lots of embarrassment. Powerlifting & Strength, Training Erick Minor July 17 Training Powerlifting Tricks For Regular Joes I've come to the realization that not everybody is interested in entering powerlifting competitions, but they are interested in improving their training by using powerlifting concepts. So here are a few things I picked up in the powerlifting pits that you can use to reach whatever lifting goals you may have. Training Jack Reape September 11 Training 6 Coaches Weigh in on Shoulders Creative ways to get bigger, stronger delts without compromising your long-term shoulder health. Shoulders, Training T Nation March 18 Training The Powerful Partials Program Now that the New Year is upon us, many people are looking for effective ways to regain the size and strength they might have inadvertently lost. After all, it's damn tough to stay on track with your training during the months when that jolly, red-suited fella who looks suspiciously like a wino shows up in the middle of the night. (No, I'm not talking about your Uncle Steve.) Training Chad Waterbury January 22