✨𝑴𝑶𝑽𝑬𝑴𝑬𝑵𝑻 𝑴𝑶𝑵𝑫𝑨𝒀 !✨
Welcome back to Movement Monday!
I am so excited to kick off this week's campaign talking about our #hamstrings.
You hear all the time from athletes and trainers to work your quads, glutes, etc. But what about your hamstrings!? Our hamstrings fall under our backside mechanics just like our glutes; however, so many people tend to forget about working their hamstrings in the gym.
Why is it important?
Working our hamstrings is extremely important because it lowers the risk of injury. Everything we do is in a forward movement like walking, running, and bending over. Since our day-to-day is usually working our frontside mechanics, it leaves our backside mechanics and hamstrings weakened and forgotten about. Hamstring strains are a very common injury in sports, and there has been found by NCBI that previous hamstring strains put athletes, especially women, at a higher risk for ACL tears.
Since hamstrings are often forgotten, you might feel like you don't know a lot about this muscle group.
That is where I come in! The purpose of this blog is to educate you on all things hamstring related, so let's break it down!
Our hamstrings are considered a complex which are includes three muscle groups, the Bicep Femoris, the Semimembranosus, and the Semitendinosus.
The Bicep Femoris has both a long and short head, both of which have two different points of origin. For the Biceps Femoris Long Head, it originates at the ischial tuberosity which is the base of the pelvis, also known as the Sits Bones. While the Short Head originates at the Linea Aspera of the femur, which is a groove within the femur below the head of the femur. Both the long and short head both insert at the Head of the Fibula which is on the lateral side of your Tibia which makes up your shin bone. It also inserts at the lateral condyle of the Tibia is a rounded area of the bone under your knee cap (Patella) that creates a space underneath for the Fibula to rest.
When thinking of your Biceps Femoris, it is important to understand the basic movements that it creates. The actions include flexing the knee and extending the thigh at the Hip.
Now let's discuss the Semimembranosus and Semitendinosus.
Both originate at the same spot as the Biceps Femoris, which is the Ischial Tuberosity. However, the Semimembranosus inserts at the medial condyle of the Tibia, while the Semitendinosis inserts at the proximal part of the medial surface of the shaft of the tibia. Both also do the same actions which are flexing the knee and extending the thigh at the hip.
(Scroll to the bottom to find images of the muscles at their origin and insertion points)
Let's talk about exercises!
Below you will find a list of 10 exercises that you can start implementing at the gym or at home. By incorporating these exercises and other Hamstring focused movements, you are lowering your risk of injury and increasing the strength and overall movement of your backside mechanics. Enjoy!
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Sources: ACE Fitness & NCBI