My hamstrings are too weak!

[lokal0209]

Hi Coach,

I'd like to have your opinion on this:

I'm Dominik from Germany, 21 years old, 6'4", 216 lbs. I play basketball and have to practice 4 times a week. Right now my week looks like this:

Monday: basketball
Tuesday: weightlifting (heavy squat/press or bench/chins or pulls) + basketball
Wednesday: Coordination Stuff
Thursday: basketball
Friday: weightlifting (light squat/press or bench/ power clean)
Saturday: game
Sunday: weightlifting (medium squat/press or bench, deadlift)

My weights are as follows:

Squat 120kg, 264 lbs
Bench 85kg, 187 lbs
Deadlift 160kg 352 lbs
Press 65kg 143 lbs
Power Clean (technique is still to master) 62,5kg 137 lbs

So the big problem is due to the large amount of hours I spend playing basketball my quads are way to strong for my hamstring, so from time to time my patella tendon inflames and I have to give it some time. So I need to put some extra hamstring work in my plan, but I don't know where and what to to for them.

I hope you can help me with this as much as Starting Strength lifted my performance on the court!

Greetings,
Dominik

[Mark Rippetoe]

A more logical, satisfying explanation is that basketball is causing your tendinitis. Blaming a muscle imbalance -- especially when your numbers indicate no such imbalance -- is a typical "physio" thing to do.

[lokal0209]

So what's your advice now? Just stop playing basketball and focus on weightlifting? There must be something I can do against it.

[Steve Hill]

And it may also be that he's not squatting properly. I had an athlete who participated in a quad-dominant sport (cycling) and was doing lunges, leg extensions and high-bar squats. Simply eliminating all the silly froo-froo exercises and getting him doing a low-bar squat (properly) and his knee tendinitis issues went away, because even 20-year-olds have a limit, and he had reached his.

Post a video of your squat, OP.

[lokal0209]

So here are the videos of me squatting:

[Mark Rippetoe]

Yes, I can see how these squats might bother your knees, and why your hamstrings might be weak. There are no fewer than 500 posts about this problem on this board. SEARCH FUNCTION.

[lokal0209]

So just to get you right..

Is it "just" a knees out hard problem I have to fix?

[Mark Rippetoe]

No. It's more than that.

[Ravin S]

[QUOTE=lokal0209;362546]So here are the videos of me squatting:QUOTE]

You would probably benefit from familiarizing yourself with the concept of "TUBOW".

[skipbeat]

Watched the first two reps of set 3. Your knees are travelling forward at the bottom, way too far. your knees shouldnt keep going forward beyond 1/3-1/2 of the rep down. search "knees traveling forward"