The hamstrings are a group of muscles that consist of the biceps femoris (long head and short head), semimembranosus, and semitendinosus. Hamstring injuries, which are very common in sprinters, primarily occur in the terminal swing phase of the running cycle. During this phase, the hip is moving into flexion (bending) while the knee is moving into extension (straightening). The hamstring muscles are responsible for controlling these particular motions by ECCENTRICALLY lengthening and decelerating the limb. The biceps femoris, in particular, incurs the greatest musculotendon stretch during the late terminal swing phase of gait and is more commonly injured than the other hamstring muscles. Thus, adequate eccentric hamstring strength is extremely vital in preventing hamstring strains. Here is a great bodyweight prehab routine that works on developing ECCENTRIC hamstring strength. The first rep is a pure eccentric hamstring exercise. First bridge up, then SLOWLY control rolling the ball out away from your hips. The second rep is a combined eccentric + concentric rep. And the last rep is a progression without using your hands for stability, which is extremely difficult!
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