Is Your Hamstring Strength Limiting Your Performance?

Leg Presses, Leg Extensions, high knee lifts, jogging, and sprinting are just some of the exercises that are aimed at strengthening your quadriceps muscle (the top of your thigh). Very few, such as leg curls, target the lower part of your thigh, the hamstrings. This can be the single most limiting factor to overall performance - by limiting your running speed, jumping ability, and even causing painful pulls that can put you out of commission for weeks.

Ideally you want your leg extension (quadriceps) and your leg curl (hamstrings) scores to be the same, but a test score of 1625 middle and high school level athletes showed their leg curl scores were less than 50% of their leg extension scores! Experts say you need a minimum of 75% to prevent injury and 80% to 100% is recommended for you to reach your full potential.

For Leg Extensions, sit and grasp the handles on each side, and test each leg separately. You are trying to find your max, or the largest amount you can extend for one rep. Take the scores for each leg. For Leg Curls, lie on your stomach, connect your heel to the pad, and curl your leg towards your buttocks. Now, divide the right curl strength (say, 30 lbs.) by your right extension strength (say, 60 lbs.) and you get your ratio (30 / 60 = 50%). If your score was not at least 80%, you have some hamstring strength work to do. You may find your right is stronger than your left, or vice versa, in which case you must target the weaker leg specifically.

You can do Hamstring Curls at home with a Swiss Ball. Do a Two Legged Hamstring Curl for starters and work up until you can do a One Legged Hamstring Curl. You'll be amazed what this exercise will do for your speed, strength, and leap.