Hello Runners
I often hear from people I train how tight and sore their hamstrings feel before, during & after workouts or runs.
Hamstrings are muscles that are often weak, that’s why they feel sore, giving the impression that they are tight.
Together with the gluteus group, their weakness will cause other muscles in our legs, the quads, to work harder in order to compensate, which in turn they will become too strong or tight.
The common mistake people make is to stretch the hamstrings to relieve pain.
This will cause it to relax and eventually will weaken the muscle even further, so it doesn’t solve the problem in the long run.
The remedy should be instead to stretch the over tight quads and to strengthen hamstring/gluteus.
Three useful exercises are:
- Hamstring curls
- Kickbacks for gluteus max
- Side leg raises for gluteus medius
Squats and lunges are good for strengthening hamstrings and gluteus but will also over strengthen your quads, so only do them once you feel hamstrings and gluteus are strong.
Any questions or comments please don’t hesitate to contact me.
RRR ( beep beep )
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