Why are hamstring injuries so common in sports like football, basketball, and soccer? And when we say common, we mean athletes keep reinjuring them again and again.
Sure, the easy answer is sprinting. Quick turns, explosive cuts, sudden stops and starts—they are all part of the game. But it’s not as simple as just saying, “That’s how it goes.”
Maybe we need to take a closer look at why hamstring injuries happen in the first place, and how to prevent them. It starts with understanding what the hamstring actually does and how to train those muscles properly.
In this article, we’ll break down exactly how to recover from a hamstring injury and rebuild your strength. We’ll walk through injury prevention hamstring exercises, including the best workout that’s been clinically proven to reduce the risk of future injury.
So let’s get into it.
Understanding Hamstring Injuries
Let’s start with the basics: What exactly is the hamstring?
The hamstrings are a group of three muscles on the back of your thigh: the biceps femoris, semitendinosus, and semimembranosus. These muscles work together to help you extend the hip, bend the knee, and rotate the lower leg.
In short, hamstring muscles are critical to almost every explosive movement in sports; especially sprinting, jumping, and quick directional changes.
The hamstrings also work in sync with the glutes to power your stride and stabilize the knees. Whether you are chasing down a fast break, cutting across the field, or exploding off the line, your hamstrings need to be firing at 100%.
What Causes Hamstring Injuries? Hamstring injuries typically happen when the muscle is either overstretched or overloaded.
Let’s take the first case: a sudden overstretch. Picture a basketball player landing from a rebound with their legs too wide apart. If the hamstring stretches too far, too fast, it can strain or tear.
The second common type happens during high-speed running. We have all seen it before—a football player or sprinter suddenly pulls up mid-stride, grabbing the back of their thigh. That’s often a strain from a powerful eccentric contraction; when the hamstring is trying to decelerate the leg as it extends forward.
Depending on how serious the injury is, you may be looking into different recovery timelines.
Types of Hamstring Injuries
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Grade 1 – Mild Hamstring Strain: These are usually caused by overstretching or tiny tears in the muscle fibers. There’s minimal strength loss, and recovery typically takes up to 3 weeks.
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Grade 2 – Moderate Hamstring Strain: These are a partial tear in the muscle. You’ll feel pain, swelling, and weakness. Strength and range of motion are limited. Recovery can take 4 to 8 weeks.
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Grade 3 – Severe Hamstring Strain: This is a full muscle tear. There’s a complete loss of function, bruising, and significant pain. Full recovery may take 2 to 4 months, depending on how well the treatment works.
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Grade 4 – Complete Tear or Tendon Rupture: In some cases, surgery is needed to reattach the tendon. Recovery from a Grade 4 hamstring injury can take up to a year.
Importance of Hamstring Strength for Athletes
Hamstring muscles allow athletes to run, jump, pivot, accelerate, and decelerate. In other words, they power everything that makes you explosive on the field or court.
Strains usually occur when the hamstring is both working hard and fully stretched at the same time. That’s exactly what’s happening in plays like:
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A sprinter reaching forward at top speed.
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A soccer player stretching for the ball with an extended leg.
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An NFL kicker or punter swinging through a powerful kick.
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Any move where the hip is bent, the knee is extended, and the hamstring is trying to control or reverse that motion quickly.
All this means that strong hamstrings can shape your future as an athlete.
Let’s look at the data. According to the American Journal of Sports Medicine, athletes who return to play within a month after a hamstring injury still face a 60% or higher chance of reinjury. That risk stays elevated for up to a year.
Reinjury is the most common complication. Athletes who have had one hamstring strain are two to six times more likely to suffer another.
And here’s another insight: recovery takes longer for athletes over 30. So as your career progresses, preventing hamstring injuries becomes more and more important.
The Benefits of Hamstring Workouts
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Improved balance and control for quick changes of direction, cuts, and sudden stops.
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Increased speed and power—strong hamstrings give you faster sprints and more explosive jumps.
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Greater eccentric strength, which helps prevent injury during deceleration, awkward landings, and high-speed movements.
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Faster recovery and fatigue resistance, keeping your legs fresher and ready to go longer.
Up next, let’s walk through the best hamstring workouts for recovery and prevention. We have a specific exercise you can’t miss.
Effective Hamstring Workouts for Injury Recovery
Hamstring rehab should begin as soon as it’s safe. The goal is to regain mobility first, then gradually rebuild strength and control.
In the early rehab phase, athletes focus on hamstring stretches for restoring range of motion, flexibility and strength. Then, what our team of physical therapists recommend is to progress to controlled lengthening. This refers to slow, eccentric contractions where the hamstring resists as it lengthens.
Single Leg Glute Bridge
This one’s a twist on the classic glute bridge. By lifting one leg, you increase the load on the supporting side, which activates the glutes, hamstrings, and deep core stabilizers. It’s a great exercise for building hip stability, posterior chain control, and correcting imbalances between legs.
How to do it:
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Lie on your back, one knee bent, the other leg straight.
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Press through the heel of the bent leg and lift your hips up.
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Keep your core tight and your hips level—no wobbling.
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Pause at the top, then lower down with control.
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Switch legs and repeat.
Swiss Ball Hamstring Curl
This one’s all about control and coordination. Using a Swiss ball forces your hamstrings and glutes to stay active throughout the entire movement, while your core works to keep your body stable. It’s one of the best hamstring exercises for building strength and flexibility.
How to do it:
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Lie flat on your back with your heels on a Swiss ball and arms down at your sides for support.
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Press through your heels and lift your hips into a straight bridge—your body should form a line from shoulders to heels.
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Bend your knees to curl the ball toward your glutes, keeping your hips lifted.
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Pause briefly at the top, then slowly extend your legs to roll the ball back out.
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Stay in control—no collapsing at the bottom. Repeat.
Double Leg Eccentric
This move builds eccentric strength, that’s the hamstring’s ability to resist force while lengthening. That’s a big deal for injury prevention, especially during sprinting and sudden deceleration.
How to do it:
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Lie on your back with your heels on sliders (or socks on a slick surface).
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Press through your heels and lift your hips into a bridge.
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Slowly extend your legs, sliding both feet away from your body while keeping your hips up.
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Once extended, drop your hips down to reset.
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Repeat the movement with control.
Romanian Deadlifts
A staple in any hamstring strengthening program. This exercise targets the entire posterior chain, especially the hamstrings and glutes, using a slow, controlled hip hinge. It helps rebuild strength and teaches proper movement mechanics—essential for sprinting and jumping.
How to do it:
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Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells or a barbell in front of your thighs.
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Hinge at the hips, pushing them back while keeping your back flat and knees slightly bent.
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Lower the weight down your legs, staying close to the body until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings.
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Drive through your heels and squeeze your glutes to return to standing.
Walking lunge
This exercise strengthens the hamstrings, glutes, quads, and hips, while it also improves coordination, balance, and movement control. It mimics real athletic patterns, so it's ideal for return-to-play rehab.
How to do it:
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Step forward with one leg into a long stride.
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Lower into a lunge—both knees should bend to about 90 degrees.
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Push through your front heel and bring the back leg forward into the next lunge.
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Continue walking forward, alternating legs with control and steady form.
Roman Chair Hip Extension
This movement hits the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back. It improves hip control, posture, and the ability to resist fatigue during long games or training sessions.
How to do it:
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Secure your feet in a Roman chair or GHD machine.
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Cross your arms or place your hands across your chest.
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Hinge at the hips to lower your torso forward in a straight line—don’t round your back.
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Squeeze your glutes and hamstrings to raise your torso back to neutral.
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Avoid overextending at the top—stay controlled throughout.
Quick pull backs
This exercise trains fast hamstring activation, which is critical for sprinting, cutting, and sudden change-of-direction moves. It’s often used in the later stages of hamstring rehab to rebuild speed and reactive control.
How to do it:
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Attach a resistance band around your ankle and anchor it securely behind you.
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Stand tall, keeping your knees slightly bent and core engaged.
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Quickly pull your heel toward your glutes—like mimicking the back-side of a sprint stride.
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Control the return to starting position.
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Repeat for reps with speed, precision, and good form.
Single leg deadlifts
This exercise builds balance, hamstring strength, and posterior chain control. It challenges your stability while training the hamstrings to work independently, just like they do in sprinting or cutting.
How to do it:
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Stand on one leg with a slight bend in the knee.
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Hinge at the hips, extending the opposite leg straight behind you.
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Keep your back flat and reach toward the floor with both hands or a light weight.
Drive through your standing heel to return to upright—don’t rush it. -
Switch sides and repeat.
Nordic Hamstring Curls: The Best Hamstring Exercise
This is the one. Nordic hamstring curls are the most effective hamstring strengthening exercise out there. Studies consistently show that athletes who include Nordics alongside regular hamstring workouts experience fewer injuries and less severe strains.
You’ll find them in nearly every high-level recovery and injury prevention program. They are incredibly effective at developing eccentric strength, which is key for sprinting, deceleration, and avoiding reinjury.
But a heads-up: your rehab won’t start here. These are advanced. Your physical
How to do it:
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Kneel on a soft surface with your ankles anchored or held down.
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Keep your hips extended—no bending—and slowly lower your torso forward.
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Use your hamstrings to resist the fall as long as you can.
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Catch yourself with your hands at the bottom if needed.
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Push back up or reset and repeat.
Get The Best Treatment for Hamstring Injuries
At Performance One, we help athletes recover stronger and stay injury-free for the long haul. Our team of expert physical therapists and trainers works every day with a community that’s active, and plans to stay that way.
No hamstring injury is stopping us. And we’ll make sure it doesn’t stop you.
For over 20 years, we have worked with pro athletes, young up-and-comers, weekend warriors, and anyone who just wants to move better and feel great. From football to track to rec league hoops, they all come here—for real results and a community that’s got their back.
Want to bounce back stronger and faster from that hamstring injury? Schedule a session and join us. You’ll find more than rehab—you’ll find a place that helps you keep performing at your best.