In January, 43-year-Old Venus Williams suffered a hamstrings injury at the 2023 ASB Classic. Williams revealed the extent of the hamstring injury on her YouTube Channel. In the sit-down video, she said that she knew something was seriously wrong when she experienced pain and difficulty walking after the match. An MRI later revealed tears in the hamstring attachment, leading to her decision to withdraw from the tournament.
She expressed her initial feelings of being overwhelmed by the injury and the prospect of going through rehabilitation once again (Venus Williams has had several injuries throughout her tennis career. One of which was a knee injury in 2008 that required surgery). However, she had since started the slow process of rehab and was focused on regaining confidence in her body. Williams expressed her hopes to return on the tennis court but emphasised the importance of taking the necessary time to rest and recover. She encouraged fans to join her on her journey back to health and tennis.
So here we are…a hamstring routine we can trust! When a world champion shares her workout routine or any detail remotely close to the magic that makes her great, we bring out our notepads and take notes you hurrrd?! read on to learn why and how Venus Williams trains her hamstrings and a sample workout plan to incorporate in your routine.
Venus Williams educates fans on the importance of training the hamstrings
In her recent YouTube video, Williams demonstrates the beginner friendly exercises she regularly performs as a baseline to maintain strong hamstrings. Going from the ease in which she carries out the moves you can tell she’s dedicated a lot of time to rehabilitating and strengthening her hamstrings.
She begins with making the point that we often focus on popular muscle groups like biceps, triceps and quads, but we shouldn’t neglect training our hamstrings as they are a crucial part of our overall strength and balance.
“I know a lot of people — get in the gym and they do biceps and some triceps and maybe some quad extensions but not a lot of people are paying attention to their hamstrings”
Williams explained the Importance of strengthening our hamstrings:
“Why should we do that [train hamstrings]? why is it so important? because you want to be able to have a balanced body — if your quadriceps are much stronger than your hamstrings it can cause imbalance which can then cause knee problems and if your hamstrings are just weak, that can also contribute to knee problems. So, don’t just focus on those body areas that are really common you know that are easy to attack but remember you got to do the whole body so that way we’re strong in every sense and then we’re not having these imbalances.”
She elaborated on the fact that having a balanced body is crucial for overall fitness and preventing injuries. If your quadriceps (the muscles on the front of your thighs) are significantly stronger than your hamstrings, it can create an imbalance that puts excess weight and stress on your knees. On the other hand, weak hamstrings can also contribute to knee problems. Therefore, it is important to give equal attention to all muscle groups, including the hamstrings.
Williams stated that hamstring workouts are suitable for anyone looking to build their hamstring muscles for overall lower body strength or aesthetics.
“…especially if you’re the kind of athlete too who’s doing explosive sports then you’re really going to want that support and if you are not necessarily exploding, you’re just going to get honestly really beautiful glutes from it so it’s worth it.”
Here are the top 4 hamstring exercises Venus Williams incorporates in her training routine:
- Hamstring glute bridge
- Single leg deadlift
- Hamstring curl with the physio ball
I usually do glute bridges on the sofa or bed and deadlifts while cooking, as a little here and there adds up. In place of a physio ball, I lie face down and curl with a pillow, cushion or dumbbell placed between my feet. What I like about the three exercises is that they can easily be adapted for home and gym workout sessions. If you have weak knees, you may notice a significant improvement in a short time of performing these exercises. This was the case for me after my fifth child.
Here’s a sample workout plan incorporating the hamstring exercises she shared:
Day 1:
– Hamstring Glute Bridge: 3 sets of 10 raises, hold for 10 seconds at the end of each set.
– Single Leg Deadlift: 3 sets of 10 reps on each leg.
– Hamstring Curl with Physio Ball: 3 sets of 10-12 reps.
Day 2: Rest
Day 3:
– Hamstring Glute Bridge: 3 sets of 10 raises, hold for 10 seconds at the end of each set.
– Single Leg Deadlift: 3 sets of 10 reps on each leg.
– Hamstring Curl with Physio Ball: 3 sets of 10-12 reps.
Day 4: Rest
Day 5:
– Hamstring Glute Bridge: 3 sets of 10 raises, hold for 10 seconds at the end of each set.
– Single Leg Deadlift: 3 sets of 10 reps on each leg.
– Hamstring Curl with Physio Ball: 3 sets of 10-12 reps.
Day 6: Rest
Day 7: Rest
Note: Make sure to warm up before each workout and cool down/stretch afterwards. Adjust the weight/reps as needed to challenge yourself. If you’re a beginner, start with lighter weights or bodyweight exercises and gradually increase the intensity as you progress. Additionally, you can incorporate other exercises targeting different muscle groups for a well-rounded full body workout routine.
SN: Williams generously shares insight to her training on her Youtube Channel. Occasionally she throws in big sis advice that’ll have you all ears in. it helps that she’s easy to listen to and has the sweetest demeanour. You should checkout her channel.
