Hamstring Muscle Cramps (WEAK GLUTES!)

Put the science back in every workout you do here…
Hamstring muscles are one of the most common muscles to cramp during sports or training. The cause is actually not often what people think it is. In this video, I show you the real reason why hamstring muscles (and most muscles for that matter) cramp and seize up when using them.
In the case of the hamstrings, the muscles in the back of your leg are often the source of cramps because they are trying to do the job that a primary muscle is not doing. Here, we are talking about the glutes. The glutes primary role is to forcefully extend the hip during locomotion. They are also powerful drivers of lower body explosiveness for activities like sprinting and jumping. That said, the glutes are often the most overlooked and dysfunctional muscle group in our bodies.
Neurologically the glutes are often turned off due to our propensity to sit on our asses all day long…literally. It’s a case of use it or lose it. If you don’t actively train your glutes, you will likely find that they become much more inefficient at firing with good muscle control which leads them to look further down the kinetic chain for help - to the hamstrings.
Glute amnesia is the term most often used to describe the scenario where your glutes are either incredibly weak or just neurologically turned off and ill equipped to fire on demand. Given that you will still need to perform hip extension to complete many exercises you do in the gym, your body will find a way to get it. Here is when it looks to the hamstrings for help. The problem is that your hamstrings are not strong enough or mechanically at the greatest advantage to help.
When the hamstring muscles try to do more than they are equipped to do, the result is a cramping that is present to try and add extra strength and support to the task at hand. The issue with this type of support is that it comes with pain as well. As anyone that has ever had a hamstring muscle cramp can tell you, it ain’t comfortable! It’s hard to stand up let alone be productive when your hamstring muscle is in spasm.
If you start to focus really hard on driving your lower body compound movements from the glutes first, you will start to build the mind muscle connection and awareness needed to neurologically turn these muscles back on and put the hamstring back in their proper position as supporting muscles.
If you want to start training like an athlete and put the science back in your strength training programs, be sure to head to and get the ATHLEAN-X Training System. Stop letting muscle cramps and muscle imbalances get in the way of your progress in the gym and out on the field.
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