Hamstring Stretching

• The hamstrings are one of the most commonly strained muscles in the body. If you enjoy watching sports, you've probably seen a track and field runner or football player suddenly begin to limp or "pull up lame" in the middle of a sprint. This is almost always due to a pulled hamstring. Maintaining the flexibly of the hamstrings is imperative to prevent muscle and tendon sprains. Before and after you work out your hamstrings, you should spend some time stretching.
  
  To stretch the hamstrings, stand and cross your feet. With your feet crossed, bend down and attempt to touch the floor while keeping your legs straight. The hamstring of the back leg (the leg that you didn't cross in front) will experience a deep stretch. Hold the stretch for at least 15 seconds, and then switch to the other leg. Refrain from stretching so deeply that you feel pain--stretching should cause minor discomfort, but not pain.
  
  

Wall Sits

• A wall sit is a terrific leg exercise that does not require any equipment, and works the hamstrings and quadriceps. To do a wall sit, find a wall or other sturdy vertical surface in a low area of your office. Next, turn around and place your back to the wall, and then bend at the knees, leaning your back into the wall for support. Your goal is to bend at the knees until they come to a 90-degree angle, so that you look as if you are sitting on a chair that is pulled up to the wall. Hold the wall sit for 30 seconds to a few minutes as you are able, and then place your hands on the wall to take pressure off your legs, and stand back up. You can shift your weight from one leg to the other as you hold the wall sit to vary the resistance of the exercise.
  
  

Back Leg Raises

• The hamstrings are most powerfully targeted when you bend at the knee and move your heel toward your buttocks. To do a back leg raise, begin by finding a waist height surface to support yourself, like a desk, table, chair or railing. Stand beside the surface and place a hand on it for support. Next, raise the leg closer to your supporting hand off the ground and lean slightly forward. Extend the leg straight back behind you, and as you extend, bend at the knee. Once the leg is fully bent, all it to open and swing back to the original position.
  
  Back leg raises may take a while to fatigue the hamstrings of those in better shape. You can use an exercise resistance band to add to the difficulty of the exercise if necessary, by looping it around the heel of the leg and fastening the other end to a sturdy object, or simply stepping on it with your support leg.