When it comes to addressing the hamstrings, most people are great with sagittal plane focused movements including hip/knee flexion and extension. However, the hamstrings are not oriented just in the sagittal plane! This is due to different insertion points of the individual hamstring muscles! Read more... The hamstrings is a muscle group that consists of the biceps femoris long and short head, semimembranosus, and semitendinosus. All of the hamstring muscles except the biceps femoris short head originate on the ischial tuberosity, but they insert on different locations near the knee. Due to the different insertion points, the hamstrings not only contribute to sagittal plane movement, but also transverse plane rotational movements. The hamstrings are also significantly important for the ACL too! Adding rotational movements to eccentric biased hamstring exercises is essential to fully address the hamstrings. Two traditional hamstring exercises you can add rotation to are 1) RDLs, 2) Airplanes Video 1 - RDLs - make it easier by providing a target, such as foam rollers. Video 2 - Airplanes - cue the person to reach for the inside/outside of the foot that is on the ground to help groove the rotation
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