Best Exercises for Hamstrings

By Steve Silverman

As athletes get older, they find that warm-up exercises will help them prevent injuries such as pulled hamstring muscles. Most of these activities are stretches that will pay off by helping athletes avoid injuries as the competition begins. This is important for golfers, who use their legs to supply a significant portion of power in the golf swing.

Hamstring Stretch

Lie down on the floor on your back and bend your knees at a 45-degree angle. Grab your right leg behind the thigh and pull your upper leg close to your chest. Hold the stretch for about 3 seconds. Return to the starting position. Do this 10 times and then switch legs and repeat the set. Take a 30-second break and then repeat the set.

Hamstring Curls

Get on all fours while on the ground. Extend your right leg until it is parallel to the ground. Bend your right leg until your right heel is as close to the buttocks as you can get it. Do this 10 times and then switch legs and do this with your left leg. Take a 30-second break and repeat the set.

Bridge With Stability Ball

Lie down on the floor on your back and place your feet on a stability ball. Put your hands on your hips and press up. As you lift your hips, you should feel a slight pressure on your hamstrings. Hold the lift for 3 seconds and then return to the starting position. Do this 10 times, take a 30-second break and repeat the set.

About The Author

Steve Silverman is an award-winning writer, covering sports since 1980. Silverman authored The Minnesota Vikings: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly and Who's Better, Who's Best in Football -- The Top 60 Players of All-Time, among others, and placed in the Pro Football Writers of America awards three times. Silverman holds a Master of Science in journalism from the Medill School of Journalism.