Extreme Hamstrings: High-Tension Hamstring Training
By
Erick Minor
Hamstring injuries are common among sprinters. One of the biggest challenges
that I face as a strength coach is helping an athlete overcome a hamstring
injury and at the same time improving performance. I currently train Darvis
Patton, 2008 Beijing Olympic 100-meter finalist, and Leonard Scott, 2006 Indoor
World Champion 60-meter sprint. Both of these athletes have experienced serious
hamstring injuries. The following information will shed some light on my
techniques and protocols for building bullet-proof hamstrings.
Anatomy of a hamstring injury
You must first understand the function of the hamstring and where the most
stress is placed on the hamstring in order to correct and prevent injury. The
hamstrings are a group of three posterior thigh muscles responsible for knee
flexion and hip extension. During high-speed sprints, the hamstrings’ main role
is to rein hip flexion and initiate hip extension.
Most hamstring injuries occur during the powerful eccentric contraction of
the late swing phase.
This is when the front thigh is almost parallel to the ground during high
speed sprinting. There is tremendous stress on the hamstring at this phase
between the eccentric and concentric contraction.
So, my philosophy is to increase the strength of a muscle where it is the
most vulnerable. This idea is called accentuation, and I first read about this
in Vladimir Zatsiorsky’s book,
Science and Practice of Strength Training.
The problem with most hamstring training programs is the emphasis on
concentric dominant exercises. As you may know, we are stronger eccentrically
than concentrically, so most concentric dominant exercises don’t place enough
load on the hamstrings to prevent injury. The emphasis on concentric training is
due to, in my opinion, an overemphasis on rate-of-force development.
The following exercises, which are staples for most sprinters, are what I
consider concentric dominant exercises. Those exercises are power cleans, power
snatches, and box jumps. These concentric dominant, explosive exercises are
ineffective at preventing hamstring injury due to the lack of eccentric stress.
You may be thinking, what about explosive exercises? You must train fast to be
fast, right? Nope.
In my opinion, sprinting is by far the most effective explosive/plyometric
exercise for sprinters. There is no gym exercise that can duplicate the speed of
limb movement during a full out sprint. My primary goal for all my sprint
athletes is to prevent injury by addressing muscular weakness and imbalances and
improving performance by increasing maximal relative strength.
Word of caution
This article is not intended to address biomechanical issues (posture, pelvic
tilt, etc.) or acute injuries. Structural issues should be addressed by a
qualified professional prior to implementing a maximal strength program.
The following exercises are not intended for beginners or novice trainees.
These exercises place a tremendous amount of stress on the hamstrings in the
stretched position.
Operating principles
- Resistance training should be performed after morning sprint sessions.
My athletes typically do their track workout at 10:00 am followed by lunch
at noon and then resistance training at 2:00 pm.
- Heavy hamstring work should be performed before an off day. This is of
vital importance as the season gets closer. Sprinters should always do track
speed work on fresh legs.
- The hamstrings require intense, high tension work to make a difference.
Light training will do nothing for improving sprint performance.
- Listen to your body. Adjust volume as necessary but never decrease
intensity below an eight rep max for most hamstring exercises.
- Never sacrifice good form for heavier loading.
- Use high intensity, moderate to high volume during the off-season and
high intensity, low volume during competition periods. Low intensity (eight
or more reps) is of minimal value to fast-twitch athletes such as sprinters.
The following exercises are advanced movements for pain-free,
post-rehabilitation athletes.
Trap bar deadlift: This exercise is one of my favorite exercises. It
is a tremendous posterior chain exercise and is easier to teach than the
standard deadlift.
Keep the arms perpendicular to the ground and the shoulders a few inches in
front of your knees.
Drive with the legs. Don’t let the hips rise before the shoulders. Lower the
weight to the floor on each repetition. Do not bounce the weight on the floor.
Caption: Figure 1, Leonard Scott
Modified Bulgarian split squat with emphasis on the hamstring: This
exercise is similar to a basic rear leg elevated split squat. The only
difference is the front shin remains almost perpendicular and the torso comes in
contact with the thigh during the eccentric phase of the exercise. This is a
very effective single leg hamstring exercise.
Figure 2, Darvis “Doc” Patton
Modified Romanian deadlift, eccentric enhanced: Perform a standard
bent-knee deadlift for the concentric phase. Perform a Romanian deadlift for the
eccentric phase. Maintain a neutral spine throughout the exercise. Lower the
weight to the floor on each repetition. Typically, most athletes can deadlift
more weight than they can Romanian deadlift. This allows for significant
overload of the hamstrings. We use either the trap bar or a straight barbell for
this exercise.
Glute hamstring raise, advanced with eccentric overload: This is by
far the most challenging hamstring exercise I’ve ever used. Proper positioning
of the legs is vital to experience optimal results. Your knees should be on top
of the pad with the shins horizontal to the floor. Perform the concentric phase
of the glute hamstring raise without a load. Then, have a partner hand you a
dumbbell or kettlebell and perform a slow (minimum three seconds), controlled,
eccentric contraction. Place the weight on the floor and repeat for the desired
number of repetitions. We do no more than six reps for this exercise.
Caption: Figure 3, Glute hamstring raise
Reverse hip extension, single leg: This exercise requires the use of
an Atlantis or PowerLift reverse hyper machine. Position yourself on the machine
as directed. Place the trailing leg on a plyobox or high step. Position the pad
so that you can keep the knee slightly bent. Perform partial reps maintaining
tension on the hamstring.
Caption: Figure 4, Leonard Scott
The following leg routines were designed for 2008 Beijing Olympics 100-meter
finalist Darvis “Doc” Patton. These routines were used during the 2008
off-season.
| Legs #1, Tuesday |
| Order |
Exercise |
Sets |
Reps |
Tempo |
Rest |
| A |
Trap bar Weight sequence: 315, 335,
355–375 |
4 |
3 |
31 X 1 |
3 minutes |
| B |
Modified Bulgarian split squat with
dumbbells Weight sequence: 65, 70, 75–80 |
3–4 |
4–6 per leg |
30 X 1 |
90 seconds per leg |
| C1 |
Hip flexion, cable Weight sequence: 70,
80–90 |
3 |
8–10 |
|
90 seconds |
| C2 |
Reverse hip extension, one leg alternating
Weight sequence: 90, 100–125 |
3 |
6–8 per leg |
|
2 minutes |
| Legs #2, Friday |
| Order |
Exercise |
Sets |
Reps |
Tempo |
Rest Int. |
| A |
Modified Romanian deadlift |
3–4 |
3 |
31 X 1 |
3 minutes |
| B |
Split squat, barbell |
2–3 |
4–6 per leg |
20 X 1 |
3 minutes |
| C1 |
Glute hamstring raise, advanced |
3–4 |
4–6 |
30 X 1 |
2 minutes |
| C2 |
Hanging leg raise |
3–4 |
8–10 |
|
2 minutes |
Repeat each routine 4–6 times before changing exercises and protocols. The
duration of the routines depends on progress. If you are still increasing the
load after four weeks, continue the routine for another two weeks.
Darvis “Doc” Patton improved his 100-meter sprint time from 10.11 seconds in
2007 to 9.89 seconds in 2008.
Erick Minor has been a full-time strength coach and personal trainer since
1997 and a certified sports massage therapist since 1996. He has worked as a
strength coach and sports massage therapist in clinical (chiropractic) and
commercial settings. He is currently the owner of Dynamic Barbell Club
(www.dynamicbarbell.com), a private sports performance and personal training gym
located in Fort Worth, Texas. Erick has personally trained hundreds of
individuals seeking improved sports performance or aesthetic enhancement. Also,
he currently trains professional athletes from the MLB and track and field. As
an athlete, Erick has competed since 1992 in powerlifting and bodybuilding.
Recently (2007), he competed in Strongman.
Elite Fitness Systems strives to be a recognized leader in the strength
training industry by providing the highest quality strength training products
and services while providing the highest level of customer service in the
industry. For the best training equipment, information, and accessories, visit
us at www.EliteFTS.com.
