Why Warm Up The Hamstring Muscles?

It is essential to warm up the muscles of the hamstrings prior to performing challenging exercises as it helps prevent injuries. A muscle needs to be ready to contract under load before it is challenged, this is why we warm up the muscle. Not only does warming up the muscle prevent injury, it also improves performance, without a proper warm up, it will be extremely hard to perform to your full potential. The warm up is an excellent time to cue beginner and intermediate individuals who are still learning how to hinge correctly.

Differentiating Between Warming Up the Hamstring Muscle and the Hinge Technique

When we work the muscles of the hamstrings, the majority of the time (not all the time) we are moving through the hinge movement pattern. The hinge movement involves bending the knees and hips slightly, then lowering the chest to the floor while keeping an arched lower back and keeping the hips high.

The hinge movement is technically challenging and therefore needs to be warmed up prior to performing the movement with weights. That is why I have provided two styles of warm up exercises for the hamstrings, one that puts emphasis on just the muscles of the hamstrings and another that warms up both the muscles and the technique of the hinge pattern.

If I am performing a hamstring heavy session for myself or one of my clients I will usually perform one exercise that strives to warm up just the muscle and one that aims to warm up the muscle and the technique.

Warming Up The Hamstring Muscle

Warming Up The Hinge Technique