Exercise physiologist Allison Westfahl starts off this 3-part Workout of the Month with eccentric hamstring strength exercises. Eccentric strength refers to your body’s ability to slow down a concentric contraction (a shortening of your muscle). You can feel this when your foot comes down in the exercise.
Building eccentric strength is especially important for runners. Most of us footstrike 5-6 times our body weight, and if that happens too quickly all that force can go up the kinetic chain. This can show up in chronic injuries like plantar fasciitis, patellar tendinitis, or proximal hamstring tendinopathy.
Try these exercises that you can do in a simple, at-home routine every day to improve your eccentric hamstring strength. Then move on to Part 2 for Rotational Core Strength.
