I like American football. In fact I went to play with a group this past weekend. 2 of them were nursing hamstring injuries. This is common in sports where there is a lot of sprinting. But why do they happen?
Remember that my philosophy on injury prevention is that all non-contact injuries are preventable. That means that if you hurt your hamstring running, it can be prevented.
Sure, you need to train your hamstrings both as hip extensors (dead-lift type movements) as well as knee flexors (I like slide board leg curls, or leg curls on a ball).
But I believe that if your hamstrings are weak, they are not that likely to be injured. You just won't be fast!
However, it is you gluteals that prevent hamstring injury. Most athletes have terrible gluteal function. One of my most gifted basketball guys this year is an awesome player but with bad glute function. Thats what makes him injury prone!
Both the glutes and the hamstrings do similar things in movement. And if the glutes are weak, the hamstrings take over and do more work than they can. Then you get a pull. So get those glutes functioning and your hamstrings will thank you for it.
Read about glute function at my latest articles. Part 1, Part 2
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