Injuries involving the posterior thigh muscles (hamstring) are still very common among those practising sports where high-speed running is performed.

One of the strategies for trying to mitigate the risk of injury involves strength training with specific exercises involving these districts, such as those that Federico Donghi, head of the Training Department at the Mapei Sport Research Centre, shows us in this episode of Cubetti di Sapere.

When choosing which exercises to perform, it should be clear that different strengthening exercises for this specific musculature activate one or the other portion of the muscle more. In the study by Bourne and colleagues Impact of exercise selection on hamstring muscle activation it is reported that exercises in which the focus is on the hip in extension, such as the single leg glute bridge, activate the hamstring muscles of the lateral side more, while exercises in which the focus is on the flexion-extension of the knee, such as the nordic hamstring, activate the hamstring muscles of the medial side more.

Therefore, when choosing exercises to try to mitigate the risk of hamstring muscle injury, it must be remembered that the motto ‘one (exercise) for all (the hamstrings)’ does not apply, but the most suitable exercises must be selected in order to individualise the training stimulus as much as possible.