Squats, Quarter Squats, Ham Curls?

That doesn't sound right to me, but what do I know.

Did she perform a structural analysis to determine if you have an imbalance? If not then she's just guessing.

Excluding one area and isolating another is a great way to develop the opposite imbalance.

Why not use compound movements that involve the hamstrings, glutes and quads such as a deep squat.

If the concern is soreness interfering wth running then why run at all? Running interferes with running...especially hard running.

What exercises is she having you do? The hamstrings function both as a knee flexor AND as a hip extensor. This powerful hip extension can be seen in the running stride, especially sprinters, as such the hamstring has been called the "speed muscle".

If you truely have an imbalance I would suggest this:

A1) Squat 2 sets of 10, submax

A2) Leg Curl 2-1 (ie: Curl the weight with two legs, slowly let it back down with 1) 2 sets of 4-6

A3) RDL 2 sets of 10, submax

Most people, not just runners, tend to be very quad dominant just due to daily activities like walking. Optimally the hamstrings should be 80% as strong as the quads, but this will vary greatly across difference sports and it can be as high as 100% as strong as the quads. Most untrained people are closer to 60%. To determine strength ratio you'll need a seated leg curl and a seated leg extension and they need to be of the same brand. Just make sure you are working through an equal range of motion and through proper form. Warm up with a couple light sets then select a weight on the leg extension in which you can perform around 5 repetitions to failure. This may take a couple tries, make sure to rest a good 2-3 minutes between attempts. If finding this "5 rep max" takes more than 5 total sets (including warmup) then try again another day. Once you find your "5 rep max" on the leg extension do the same for the leg curl.

Alan

I agree with you Alan. I just wanted to see if I was missing something there.

As a note, the program was created for a whole team and hence there was no analysis of whether any of the athletes have muscle imbalances or not, so it is purely an assumption made by the coach (a throwing/weight lifting coach at that).

The two leg specific exercises that the coach has given us are:

Machine Hamstring Curls (M-Hams) + Swiss Ball Hamstring Curls (SB Hams): 4x [10 @ 60% + 8]

With various other core and upper body exercises.

The coach has also stated that he knows distance runners don't like to work legs so she's cut back on them but seems to think we like to work on our arms?!?!? Is it just me or do most runners not particularly like to work on arms haha

Your coach is an idiot.

Hamstring curls will only lead to injuries, do complex movements as Alan said. Full(Ass to Grass) squats hit the glutes and hamstrings very well.

I disagree with Alan though and would say that 10 reps is not needed. Keep it within 6 or lower with heavy weight for bigger strength, less muscle mass gains.

Curious as to why you would recommend sets of 10 Alan?

From a Clyde Hart interview:

I usually don't. Hamstrings are a very fast twitch dominant muscle group and are greatly benefited from heavier weights lower reps in the 4-6 range. As a beginner though you'll increase strength quicker with repetitive effort. So, 2-3 weeks at 2 sets of 10 reps as an "introductory period" then crank it up and drop the reps to 4-6 for 1 work set (1 warmup, 1 work set)

Stability Ball Leg Curls are a fun "functional" alternative, I'd suggest natural glute ham raises if you can do them and if you can find a place to do them. I usually stick my legs under the back support of a 45 degree leg press so to have something to "anchor" the ankles to. Problem is that most distance runners lack the strength in the hamstrings to do a natural glute ham raise. I know I couldn't do them back in my marathon days.

Alan