Hamstring Muscles:
The hamstring muscle group consists of;
Biceps femoris
Semimembranosus
Semitendinosus
It is located on the back of the femur bone.
Your hamstrings are your running muscles. They allow you to move forward, fast!
It is a hip extensor, meaning when you are bending down at the hip the hamstring muscles will allow you to stand back up.
It is also a Knee flexor, which means your hamstring muscles allow you to bend your knees.
This muscle group is often injured when playing sports that require a lot of running.
It is very important to stretch your hamstring muscles after doing a lot of running to keep the muscle limber which will help decrease the chance of injury.
A great stretch for the hamstrings:
Lie on your back and bend one leg.
Pull the other knee towards your chest, then slowly and gently straighten your raised leg.
Try your best to point your heel up to the ceiling.
Let's Review:
Your femur bone, your longest & strongest bone in your body, has two muscle groups that move it.
Tto the front of the femur bone are your quadriceps muscles.
To the back of the femur bone are your hamstring muscles.
Your hamstring muscles allow you to run.
Your quads stop you when you are finished running.
Your hamstring muscles allow you to bend your knee.
Your quad muscles allow you to put your foot back on the ground.
Your quad muscles allow you to bend down at the waist.
Your hamstring muscles allow you to stand back up.
Your quads are strong muscles that are very powerful.
Your hamstrings are long, lean muscles that need extra special attention when they have been doing a lot of running because they can get really tight and are easy to damage if that happens.
