No Pilates study in sprinters
We found no Pilates trial in sprinters or track athletes, published or registered. Pilates is a sensible extra on easy days, not a proven way to run faster or stay injury-free.
Source 1
Pilates guide
Pilates for sprinters: hamstrings and hip flexors, the trunk and pelvis, the lower back, recovery, what the evidence shows, and a class
Pilates can fit into a sprinter's week as trunk and hip control work on an easy day, but it isn't speed training and it hasn't been shown to prevent hamstring strains. Hamstring injuries are the commonest diagnosis among sprinters at international championships, and what protects hamstrings best in trials is strength work, including heavy lowering work such as the Nordic curl, not core work alone. Trunk control may matter for how the pelvis and hamstrings work at speed, but the evidence is early and comes mostly from footballers.
Pilates sits beside sprinting, strength and conditioning, your coach and, after an injury, your rehab, never in place of them.
This guide is for sprinters, hurdlers and other track athletes. It covers where sprinters get hurt, what the trunk, pelvis and hamstring research does and doesn't show, the hip flexors and the lower back, what core training does for sprint times, how to fit Pilates around track and gym sessions, a 25-minute off-track class, and the warning signs.
16 moves16 with 3D demosDoes it help?HamstringsHip flexors and backFitting it inThe classWarning signs
The short version
Hamstrings are the sprinter's injury
At 16 international championships, hamstring injuries were 17.1% of all injuries, about twice as common in men. At the 2018 European Championships, 71.7% of male sprinters and 45.6% of female sprinters who answered had had one in their career, and in Britain's elite squad hamstring strains cost more training days than any other injury.
The trunk and pelvis: a plausible idea, weak evidence
In footballers, more trunk and buttock muscle activity while sprinting went with fewer later strains, and a forward-tilted pelvis with more; these are risk factors, and applying them to sprinters is our reading. Athletes doing more core training had fewer championship strains, but there were only 5. After a strain, trunk stabilisation cut re-injuries in one tiny trial but not in a larger one. No trial shows core training alone prevents hamstring strains.
What does protect
Strength training cut sports injuries to under a third across trials, and stretching made no difference. Programmes with the Nordic curl halved hamstring injuries in pooled studies, though the effect is uncertain when only properly randomised trials are counted. Athletics' own prevention programme made no difference, but fewer than 1 in 10 athletes did it as asked.
Core training and speed
In athletes from other sports, trunk training improved 20 to 40 m sprint tests by a moderate amount, with very mixed results and no study in sprinters; older reviews called the benefit marginal. Speed comes from sprinting and heavy strength work.
Where Pilates fits
Once or twice a week on an easy day: trunk control while the legs move, the front and back of the hip, and one-leg balance, not in the hour before sprinting. No trial has tested it as recovery.
What sprinting asks of your body, and where sprinters get hurt
Each study counted injuries its own way, so each figure keeps its own group and measure.
At championshipsEmerging evidence
Across 14 international championships, sprints had the largest share of injuries (24% in men, 26% in women), with thigh muscle injuries the main diagnosis. Across 16, muscle injuries were 40.9% of all injuries and hamstring injuries 17.1%, at 22.4 per 1,000 registered men against 11.5 per 1,000 women. Hamstrings made up 43% to 75% of leg muscle injuries in competition in the sprints, hurdles, jumps and combined events, more in the faster events, and rates were higher in 100 m finals than in earlier rounds.
In squads and collegesEmerging evidence
At the 2018 European Championships, all 5 hamstring injuries during the championships were in sprinters. In Britain's elite squad (41% sprinters), hamstring strains were 12.5% of injuries and cost the most days, lower back problems were 43 injuries, and hip flexor strains only 7. In US college track and field, hamstring tears were the commonest injury (14.9% in men, 8.9% in women).
What happens in the hamstringEmerging evidence
Most reviews place the injury late in the swing of the stride, as the hamstrings slow the lower leg while being stretched at speed, with the long head of biceps femoris strained most. Some argue the muscle fibres are mostly holding then while the tendon stretches, and direct proof of the timing is still lacking. First-time strains in 18 elite sprinters were all in the long head of biceps femoris, and those reaching the tendon near the sitting bone took longer to recover.
Who is most at riskEmerging evidence
Across 78 studies, a previous hamstring strain (2.7 times the risk), a recent one (4.8 times), older age, a past ACL injury and a past calf strain were the clear risk factors; no core or flexibility measure was among them. In small sprinter groups, weaker lowering (eccentric) hamstring and hip extension strength, and weak hamstrings against the quadriceps, went with injury, and 58% of strains in one squad came in the first 100 hours of the season. Strains into the tendon came back more often.
What the evidence says
No Pilates trial in sprinters, risk-factor studies mostly in footballers, and stronger evidence for strength training.
No Pilates study in sprintersStrong evidence
Our searches found no Pilates trial in sprinters or track athletes, published or registered. The nearest is a trial in 32 young male distance runners, where 12 weeks of twice-weekly mat Pilates improved 5 km times; our Pilates for runners guide covers it.
The trunk, pelvis and hamstrings: risk factorsMixed evidence
In 60 amateur footballers, those who stayed uninjured had more buttock muscle activity in the front swing and more trunk muscle activity in the back swing of a maximal sprint. In another group, more forward pelvic tilt and side bending in swing went with later injury; in 7 cadavers, every 5 degrees of forward pelvic tilt lengthened the upper hamstrings by more than 1 cm; and in 126 professional footballers, a higher score on a sprint mechanics checklist, which includes how much the pelvis rotates, went with more sprint strains. These are links in footballers, and a 2026 review says the cause isn't established. A 6-week programme mixing pelvic control, mobility, strength and sprint drills reduced forward pelvic tilt and quickened split times in amateur athletes, but it measured running posture, not injuries, and the core part can't be separated. Applying all this to sprinters is our reading.
Core training and championship strainsMixed evidence
At the 2018 European Championships, athletes who did more core stability training had lower odds of a hamstring injury during the championships, but there were only 5 injuries, the analysis wasn't adjusted, and core training wasn't defined. The authors call it preliminary.
Source 3
After a strain: trunk stabilisation in rehabEmerging evidence
In 24 athletes, rehab with progressive agility and trunk stabilisation had far fewer re-injuries at a year than stretching and isolated strengthening (1 of 13 against 7 of 10). A follow-up trial in 29 found few differences from running and lowering strength work. Its trunk exercises were planks, side planks, bridges and one-leg balance. Askling's lengthening exercises got 56 elite sprinters and jumpers back to full training in 49 days against 86. All of this is rehab after an injury, not prevention.
Core work hasn't been shown to prevent strainsStrong evidence
A review found the trials of lumbo-pelvic training haven't measured stability at all. A 2023 analysis in football that credits programmes with core exercises with halving hamstring injuries counted FIFA 11+ and Nordic curl programmes, so it can't separate the core work.
What prevents hamstring injuriesEmerging evidence
Across 25 trials (26,610 people), strength training cut sports injuries to under a third, and stretching made no difference. Programmes with the Nordic curl halved hamstring injuries across 15 studies (8,459 athletes), but only 5 of them randomised to the Nordic itself, which leaves the effect uncertain. Athletics' own programme of 8 exercises twice a week (including planks on four sides) made no difference in 840 athletes, but only 8.8% did it as asked. We found no current World Athletics or UK Athletics hamstring guideline: the World Athletics medical manual online dates from 2006 and still recommends stretching.
Core training and sprint timesMixed evidence
Across 31 studies of 693 athletes, trunk training improved trunk endurance a lot, and 20 to 40 m sprint tests by a moderate amount (12 studies with very mixed results); more than 18 sessions did better. None was in sprinters, and no study measured race times. Trunk strength links only weakly with performance, an older review called core training's benefit marginal, and in 30 footballers, reformer or mat Pilates made no difference to sprint times against team training.
Hamstring flexibilityMixed evidence
Pilates increased hamstring flexibility in a review of 21 studies, with contradictory results in athletes, and gains faded within 2 weeks of stopping. Stretching hasn't been shown to prevent injuries.
What coaches prioritiseEmerging evidence
Brazilian Olympic sprint and jump coaches use core exercises but don't rank them among the most important; squats, Olympic lifts, ballistic exercises, hip thrusts and lunges are among their common choices.
Source 43
Hamstrings: where Pilates fits
The strength session comes first
Nordic curls, Romanian deadlifts and heavy leg strength belong in your strength session, and sprinting at full speed with full rest on the track; our sprint and hamstring workout has them. Pilates doesn't give you that lowering load.
What Pilates adds
Trunk control while the legs move, bridges and single-leg bridges for the back of the thigh, the front of the hip, and one-leg balance: the kinds of exercise the rehab trials used. It's sensible support work, not proven prevention.
After a strain
Follow our hamstring strain guide's stages before full-range kicks, saws or stretches. The 90/90 hamstring move is one of its lengthening exercises.
Hip flexors and the lower back
The front of the hipEmerging evidence
Front-of-thigh (rectus femoris) and hip flexor strains are typical of acceleration and top speed, but much rarer than hamstring strains: mainly from one British elite squad, 7 hip flexor strains against 62 hamstring strains. In British elite athletes over 9 years, 38 rectus femoris injuries took about 20 days to return from, and complete tendon tears during sprinting took much longer.
TeenagersEmerging evidence
In teenagers, a sudden sprint can pull a piece of growth plate off the front of the pelvis (an avulsion fracture): in 719 cases, the front of the pelvis made up nearly two-thirds and running was the commonest cause, and in 242 young athletes, running or sprinting was the commonest cause. It needs an X-ray the same day (below).
The lower backEmerging evidence
Half of athletes report back pain in a year (86 studies). Stress defects in the spine (spondylolysis) were found in 12% of track and field athletes across 8 studies. In a block start, the lower back produced a bigger turning force (torque) than any leg joint in 12 sprinters. No study gives back pain rates for sprinters alone.
Pilates and back painEmerging evidence
In adults with low back pain, Pilates eased pain and disability more than minimal treatment, at low to moderate certainty, but no more than other exercise. Back pain that's worse arching and lasts needs checking (below).
Source 51
Trunk control while the legs move
Dead bug, 2 × 8 each side (our Pilates for athletes class); single-leg stretch, 6 to 10 each side (the move page's dose); forearm plank, 2 holds of 20 to 30 s (our Pilates for basketball players class); leg pull front, 3 to 5 each side (the move page's dose); Pallof press, 2 × 8 each side (our Pilates for weightlifters class). Breathe all the way through.
The front of the hip
Standing band hip flexion, 2 sets of 10 each leg, and half-kneeling hip flexor stretch, 2 holds of 30 s each side (our Pilates for hip flexors class), a mild stretch and not just before sprinting; knee fold, 2 sets of 5 to 10 each side, every other day (the move page's dose).
The back of the thigh, in control
Single-leg glute bridge, 6 to 8 each side (our Pilates glute workout); shoulder bridge, 3 to 5 kicks each leg (the move page's dose); 90/90 hamstring, 2 sets of 12 slow straightenings each leg (our yoga after a hamstring strain class), stopping just before pain; single-leg kick, 6 to 8 each leg (the move page's dose); swimming, 2 to 3 sets of 20 to 30 seconds (the move page's dose).
3D demoSingle-leg glute bridgeIntermediate · No equipment
3D demoShoulder bridge (Pilates)Intermediate · No equipment
3D demo90/90 hamstring stretch (active knee extension)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoSingle-leg kick (Pilates one leg kick)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoSwimming (Pilates)Intermediate · No equipmentSide hips and one-leg balance
Side plank with leg lift, 2 sets of 10 each side (our Pilates for runners class); hip airplane, 2 sets of 5 slow turns each leg (the move page's dose), holding a counter; single-leg reach matrix, 1 round of 5 reaches each direction, each leg (our Pilates for hikers class).
Fitting it in
Easy days
Once or twice a week on an easy day or after an easy track session. Trunk training did better after more than 18 sessions, so give it 8 to 10 weeks (our reading).
Source 14
Not before sprinting
No long abdominal series or long static stretches in the hour before sprinting or racing (our suggestion); warm up for the track with our sprint and hurdles warm-up.
Source 52
Competition weeks
Keep to the breathing, balance and a few trunk moves, and let the track work and rest lead (our suggestion).
RecoveryEmerging evidence
No trial has tested Pilates as recovery. Active recovery and massage eased soreness across 99 studies, but an active cool-down is largely ineffective for next-day performance and doesn't seem to prevent injuries. A gentle Pilates session is a fine easy-day choice, not a recovery treatment.
What to change or leave out
After a hamstring strain
Follow the hamstring strain guide's stages before the saw, spine stretch and other long reaches; the saw's own page says stop if you feel a sudden sharp pain or a pop at the back of your thigh. No stretching into pain in the first weeks (our suggestion).
Source 44
Back pain that's worse arching
Keep the swimming and single-leg kick small, or use the bird dog instead, as their pages say, and get back pain on arching that lasts more than a couple of weeks checked.
Source 54
Hamstring cramp in bridges
Bend the standing knee more and walk the foot closer, as the shoulder bridge's page says.
A sore front of the hip
Keep hip flexor strengthening below any pinch, and see our hip flexor pain guide (our suggestion).
Classes to follow
Our 25-minute off-track class trains the trunk while the legs move, the front and back of the hip and one-leg balance; its structure is our own and untested. The sprint and hamstring workout, the sprint warm-up and the speed workout are the sport's own sessions and come first; the athletes class suits any sport, the hip flexors class is for the front of the hip, and the yoga class is for after a strain. Our yoga for sprinters guide covers yoga.
Off-track Pilates for sprinters: a 25-minute class for trunk control while the legs move, the front and back of the hip, and one-leg balance
A 25-minute off-track Pilates class for sprinters' easy days: trunk control while the legs move, hip flexors, the back of the thigh, side hips and one-leg balance.
25 minIntermediate17 movesBand, anchor point
Strength and hamstring workout for sprinters and hurdlers: the athletics prevention programme, Nordic curls and heavy legs
A 50-minute sprint and hurdles session: athletics' injury prevention programme, from planks to Nordic curls, then squats, split squats and Romanian deadlifts.
50 minIntermediate18 movesCardio machine, wall
Sprint and hurdles warm-up: drills, hips, build-ups and starts before training or a race
A 20-minute warm-up for sprinters and hurdlers: jogging, ankle circles, leg swings, hip mobility, skips, wall and arm drills, build-up runs and practice starts.
20 minBeginner12 movesCardio machine, wall
Sprint speed workout: drills, accelerations and flying sprints
A 45-minute speed session: running drills, five short accelerations and three flying sprints with full rest, then Nordic curls and calf raises.
45 minIntermediate11 movesCardio machine, wall
Both-sides Pilates for athletes: a 30-minute class for trunk endurance, hips, the back of the body and one-leg balance
A 30-minute Pilates class for athletes in any sport: trunk endurance, hips, the back of the body, rotation and one-leg balance, done equally on both sides.
30 minIntermediate18 movesWall
Stretch-and-strengthen Pilates for the hip flexors: a 25-minute class for the front and back of the hip
A 25-minute Pilates class for the hip flexors: pelvic control, hip flexor strength, the glutes and back of the hip, and a gentle pelvis-tucked stretch.
25 minBeginner16 movesBand, anchor point
Yoga after a hamstring strain: a 25-minute class with the lengthening exercises built in, and no deep forward folds
A 25-minute yoga class for the weeks after a hamstring strain: hamstrings working, not stretching, trunk and balance, and two lengthening moves from the trials.
25 minBeginner16 movesWall, dumbbellWhen to stop and get help
This is general information, not a diagnosis. A&E means accident and emergency; in the US, call 911 for 999, and use your doctor's urgent line or urgent care for NHS 111.
A sudden pain at the back of the thigh
Stop if you feel a sudden sharp pain, a snap or a pop at the back of the thigh during a stretch: it may be a hamstring strain. Get help from NHS 111 if it's very painful or getting worse, there's a lot of swelling or bruising, it hurts to walk or stand on the leg, or the leg feels very stiff. Our hamstring strain guide has more.
Same day: a pop near the sitting bone, a large bruise high on the back of the thigh, or you cannot put weight on the leg. The tendon may have pulled away from the bone, which needs assessing before you start these exercises.
Get help from NHS 111 if you think you've injured your hamstring and it's very painful, or the pain is getting worse; there's a large amount of swelling or bruising, or the swelling or bruising is getting worse; it hurts to walk or stand using the injured leg; your leg feels very stiff or is difficult to move; it's not feeling any better after treating it yourself; or you have a very high temperature or you feel very hot, but also cold and shivery, which could be signs of an infection.
Source 44
Pain from the back
Pain in the back of the thigh with tingling, numbness, or pain spreading below the knee: it may come from the back (sciatica).
Source 55
A teenager's hip
Same day: a teenager with sudden pain at the front or top of the hip bone after a sprint, kick or jump, often with a pop. A piece of growth plate can pull off the pelvis (an avulsion fracture), and it needs an X-ray the same day.
Back pain: call 999 or go to A&E
- Call 999 or go to A&E: loss of feeling or numbness around the genitals or bottom, new trouble peeing or controlling your bladder or bowels, changes in genital sensation during sex or problems with erections or orgasm, or pain, tingling, weakness or numbness in both legs. These are signs of cauda equina syndrome, which needs treating in hospital urgently. Don't drive yourself.
- Call 999 or go to A&E: back pain with chest pain, or back pain that started after a serious accident, such as a car crash.
Source 54
Back pain: get help the same day
Same day (GP or NHS 111): back pain and you feel hot, cold, shivery or generally unwell, or severe pain that starts suddenly or is getting worse quickly.
Back pain: see a GP or physiotherapist
- Back pain that hasn't improved after a few weeks of looking after it at home, stops you doing day-to-day activities, worries you, or you're struggling to cope.
- Unexplained weight loss, or a lump, swelling or change in the shape of your back.
- Pain that doesn't improve with rest or is worse at night, or pain that is worse when you sneeze, cough or poo.
- Pain at the top of the back, between the shoulders, rather than in the lower back.
Source 54
Back pain on arching
Back pain that is worse arching back and has lasted more than a couple of weeks can be a stress fracture of the spine (spondylolysis): get it checked.
Source 54
During Pilates: the back pain rule
Some discomfort during exercise is fine, and it does not mean you are doing damage: the WHO counts "hurt does not necessarily mean harm" among the messages people with back pain need. Aim for pain you would call mild to moderate, no more than about 5 out of 10. It should settle within an hour or so, and your back should be no worse the next morning. If it is worse, do less next time (fewer reps, a smaller range, a lighter load), not nothing.
Leg symptoms are the exception: stop or shrink any movement that sends pain, pins and needles or numbness further down your leg. If leg symptoms move back towards your spine, that is a good sign, even if your back aches a little more for a while.
Source 54
Chest pain or fainting: call 999
Call 999 if:
- You get sudden pain or discomfort in your chest that doesn't go away; it can feel like squeezing or pressure, burning or indigestion.
- The pain spreads to your left or right arm, or your neck, jaw, stomach or back.
- You have chest pain and feel sweaty, sick, light-headed or short of breath.
- Someone faints while exercising, can't be woken within 1 minute, or has chest pain or a pounding, fluttering or irregular heartbeat.
Unusual breathlessness
Call 999 or go to A&E (accident and emergency) straight away for severe difficulty breathing (gasping, choking or not able to get words out), a chest that feels tight or heavy, pain that spreads to your arms, back, neck and jaw, lips or skin turning very pale, blue or grey, or sudden confusion. If you're more short of breath than usual, or your heart is racing, fluttering or skipping beats, contact NHS 111.
Source 59
During a session
A joint pain that is sharp, gets worse during a session, lingers into the next day or changes how you move is a reason to use an easier version, and to see a GP or physiotherapist if it keeps happening (the rule in our plans).
Source 52
Stop the session if
You feel any pain or become unwell, as the NHS advises for its Pilates videos, and especially for chest pain or pressure, unusual breathlessness, dizziness or fainting. If you have a health problem, an injury or any symptoms, get advice from a healthcare professional, such as a GP, before you start.
Source 60
Myths
"A strong core stops hamstring strains"Mixed evidence
No trial shows that core or Pilates training on its own prevents them. The athletics signal rests on 5 injuries and an unadjusted analysis, and the football analysis counted Nordic and FIFA 11+ programmes.
"A strong core prevents all injuries"Strong evidence
Strength training prevented sports injuries in trials; core-only programmes haven't been shown to, and athletics' own programme, which included planks, made no difference when few did it.
"Pilates will make you a faster sprinter"Mixed evidence
Trunk training improved short sprint tests a little in athletes from other sports, with no study in sprinters and no race times, and Pilates made no difference to footballers' sprints against team training. Speed comes from sprinting and strength.
"Stretching your hamstrings prevents strains"Strong evidence
Stretching made no difference to injuries across trials, and flexibility wasn't among the clear risk factors in the largest review.
"Tight hip flexors cause hamstring strains"Mixed evidence
A forward-tilted pelvis lengthens the hamstrings in cadavers and went with injury in footballers, but no trial shows that stretching the hip flexors prevents strains.
"Nordic curls are proven to halve hamstring strains"Emerging evidence
Programmes including them did in pooled studies, but the effect is uncertain in properly randomised trials. They're still the best-supported single exercise, and they belong in your strength session.
"You need a reformer for real Pilates"Emerging evidence
The runners' trial used mat Pilates only, and a trial in footballers found mat and reformer Pilates gave similar results.
Read next
- Sprinting and hurdles
- How to sprint faster
- How to strengthen your hamstrings
- Hamstring strain
- Hip flexor pain
- Back pain
- Pilates for runners
- Pilates for athletes
- Yoga for sprinters
- Pilates for hip flexors
- Yoga after a hamstring injury
- The hamstrings
Show all 15 linksShow fewer links
Questions people ask
Is Pilates good for sprinters?
It can be a useful easy-day session for trunk control, the hips and one-leg balance. No study has tested Pilates in sprinters, and it doesn't replace sprinting, strength training or your coach.
Does Pilates make you run faster?
Not on its own. Trunk training improved short sprint tests a little in athletes from other sports, with none in sprinters, and a Pilates trial in footballers found no difference in sprint times against team training. Speed comes from sprinting and heavy strength work.
Does Pilates prevent hamstring strains?
It hasn't been shown to. Strength training and programmes with the Nordic curl have the best evidence; the core training link in athletics rests on only 5 injuries.
Is a strong core important for sprinting?
The trunk works hard in starts and at top speed, and footballers with more trunk and buttock muscle activity while sprinting had fewer strains. That makes trunk training sensible, not proven to protect you.
Is reformer Pilates good for sprinters?
It's another way to do the same trunk and hip work, and no trial has tested it in sprinters. In footballers, reformer and mat Pilates gave similar results, with no difference in sprint times against team training.
Is Pilates good for track athletes?
The same applies to 400 m runners, hurdlers and jumpers: no Pilates study in track and field exists. Distance runners can read our Pilates for runners guide, where a small trial improved 5 km times.
How often should sprinters do Pilates?
Once or twice a week on an easy day is our suggestion, and trunk training did better after more than 18 sessions. Not in the hour before sprinting or racing.
Can Pilates help tight hip flexors?
It can stretch and strengthen the front of the hip; front-of-thigh strains are much rarer than hamstring strains in sprinters. Our Pilates for hip flexors guide has a full class.
Can I do Pilates after a hamstring strain?
Follow our hamstring strain guide's stages first. Trunk stabilisation and lengthening exercises are part of the rehab that worked in trials. Stop at any sudden sharp pain or pop at the back of the thigh.
Should sprinters stretch their hamstrings in Pilates?
Gently, for mobility; stretching didn't prevent sports injuries in trials. The 90/90 hamstring move is a controlled, active option.
Does Pilates help a sprinter's lower back?
Pilates eased low back pain more than minimal treatment in adults generally, and back pain is common in athletes. Back pain that's worse arching and lasts more than a couple of weeks needs checking.
Is Pilates good recovery between sprint sessions?
It can be a gentle easy-day session, but no trial has tested it as recovery, and active cool-downs don't improve next-day performance.
Sources
- PubMed, Europe PMC and ClinicalTrials.gov · Our searches for Pilates studies in sprinters and track athletes: none found (November 2026)
- Edouard 2016 · Hamstring injury, the leading diagnosis at 16 international athletics championships (surveillance study, Br J Sports Med)
- Edouard 2022 · Hamstring injuries and training in 357 athletes at the 2018 European Championships (questionnaire study, Int J Environ Res Public Health; read in full)
- Kelly 2022 · Injuries in Britain's elite athletics squad over three seasons (cohort study, Int J Sports Phys Ther; read in full)
- Schuermans 2017 · Trunk and buttock muscle activity while sprinting and later hamstring injury in 60 footballers (cohort study, Am J Sports Med)
- Schuermans 2017 · Running posture and hamstring injury in footballers (cohort study, Gait Posture)
- Sherry 2004 · Trunk stabilisation and agility, or stretching and strengthening, after a hamstring strain in 24 athletes (randomised trial, J Orthop Sports Phys Ther)
- Silder 2013 · Two rehab programmes after a hamstring strain in 29 athletes (randomised trial, J Orthop Sports Phys Ther; read in full)
- Shield 2018 · Eccentric strength against lumbo-pelvic training for hamstring injuries (narrative review, Sports Med)
- Lauersen 2014 · Exercise to prevent sports injuries: 25 trials, 26,610 people (meta-analysis, Br J Sports Med)
- van Dyk 2019 · Programmes with the Nordic curl: 15 studies, 8,459 athletes (systematic review and meta-analysis, Br J Sports Med)
- Impellizzeri 2021 · A reanalysis of the Nordic curl trials (methods review, J Clin Epidemiol)
- Edouard 2021 · The athletics injury prevention programme in 840 athletes (cluster randomised trial, Int J Environ Res Public Health; read in full)
- Saeterbakken 2022 · Trunk muscle training and performance in athletes: 31 studies (systematic review and meta-analysis, Sports Med; read in full)
- Reed 2012 · Core stability training and athletic performance: 24 studies (systematic review, Sports Med)
- Yilmaz 2025 · Reformer or mat Pilates in 30 amateur footballers (controlled trial, PLoS One; read in full)
- Van Hooren 2018 · Do we need a cool-down after exercise? (narrative review, Sports Med; read in full)
- Edouard 2020 · Injuries by event group at 14 international athletics championships (surveillance study, Br J Sports Med)
- Edouard 2021 · Hamstring injuries rise with running speed at 13 championships (surveillance study, J Sci Med Sport)
- Edouard 2024 · Muscle injuries in sprint finals and earlier rounds (surveillance study, J Sci Med Sport)
- Boltz 2021 · Injuries in US college men's track and field (surveillance study, J Athl Train)
- Chandran 2021 · Injuries in US college women's track and field (surveillance study, J Athl Train)
- Chumanov 2011 · The hamstrings during the stride at sprint speed (modelling study, Med Sci Sports Exerc; read in full)
- Schache 2012 · Hamstring strain and force during sprinting in 7 sprinters (modelling study, Med Sci Sports Exerc)
- Danielsson 2020 · How hamstring injuries happen: 26 studies (systematic review, BMC Musculoskelet Disord; read in full)
- Kenneally-Dabrowski 2019 · Late swing or early stance? (narrative review, Scand J Med Sci Sports)
- Van Hooren 2017 · What the hamstrings do in the swing of fast running (critical review, J Sports Sci)
- Askling 2007 · First-time hamstring strains in 18 elite sprinters (cohort study, Am J Sports Med)
- Green 2020 · Risk factors for hamstring strains: 78 studies (systematic review and meta-analysis, Br J Sports Med)
- Sugiura 2008 · Strength and hamstring injury in 30 elite sprinters (cohort study, J Orthop Sports Phys Ther)
- Yeung 2009 · Muscle balance and hamstring injury in 44 sprinters (cohort study, Br J Sports Med)
- Pollock 2016 · Hamstring injuries into the tendon in elite track and field (cohort study, Br J Sports Med)
- Finatto 2018 · Pilates and 5 km running in 32 young male runners (randomised trial, PLoS One; read in full; a correction added an author)
- Mendiguchia 2024 · Pelvic tilt and hamstring length in 7 cadavers (lab study, Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc)
- Bramah 2026 · Sprint mechanics and hamstring injury in 126 professional footballers (cohort study, Br J Sports Med; read in full)
- Zhu 2026 · How hamstring strains happen in sprinting: 32 studies (scoping review, Front Physiol; read in full)
- Mendiguchia 2022 · Changing pelvic tilt in sprinting with a 6-week programme (controlled study, Int J Sports Physiol Perform)
- Askling 2014 · Two rehab programmes in 56 elite sprinters and jumpers (randomised trial, Br J Sports Med)
- Al Attar 2023 · Programmes with core exercises and hamstring injuries in football: 5 trials (meta-analysis, Sports Health; read in full)
- World Athletics (IAAF) 2006 · Medical manual, chapter 10: specific injuries (read in full)
- Prieske 2016 · Trunk strength and athletic performance: 16 studies (systematic review and meta-analysis, Sports Med)
- Vaquero-Cristóbal 2015 · Pilates and hamstring flexibility: 21 studies (systematic review, Nutr Hosp)
- Loturco 2024 · Strength training choices of Brazilian Olympic sprint and jump coaches (survey, J Hum Kinet; read in full)
- NHS · Hamstring injury
- McAleer 2022 · Front-of-thigh (rectus femoris) injuries in British elite track and field, 2010 to 2019 (cohort study, Scand J Med Sci Sports)
- Ferraro 2023 · 719 pelvic and hip avulsion fractures in teenagers (case series, J Pediatr Orthop)
- Moeller 2022 · 242 pelvic avulsion fractures in young athletes (case series, Clin J Sport Med)
- Wilson 2020 · Back pain in sport: 86 studies (systematic review and meta-analysis, Br J Sports Med)
- Tawfik 2020 · Stress defects of the spine (pars defects) in athletes (literature review, Global Spine J; read in full)
- Sado 2020 · The lower back and hips in the block start, 12 sprinters (lab study, PLoS One)
- Yamato 2015 · Pilates for low back pain: 10 trials, 510 people (Cochrane systematic review)
- NHS · How to warm up before exercising (with the NHS exercise video safety information)
- Dupuy 2018 · Recovery techniques after exercise: 99 studies (systematic review and meta-analysis, Front Physiol; read in full)
- NHS · Back pain
- NHS · Sciatica
- NHS · Hip pain
- NHS · Chest pain (past its review date: reviewed August 2023, review due August 2026)
- NHS · Fainting
- NHS · Shortness of breath
- NHS · Pilates for beginners (video, with safety advice)
Exercise education, not a personal prescription, and clinical review of these guides is pending. If you are pregnant, have a health condition or have had recent surgery, check with a doctor, midwife or physiotherapist before starting, and stop for sharp or increasing pain. Health disclaimer.