#Hamstring curl machine how to

Walk your feet back to the start position when you can walk them out no further.ĭrive your heels into the floor each step to keep tension through the hamstrings.

Walk your feet out inch by inch while maintaining your hip angle – this will gradually extend your knee and keep increasing the demands on the hamstrings.

Extend your hips so that you are up on your traps and heels, with a 90 degree knee angle still.

Lay with your back on the floor, with your hips resting, toes pointed up and knees bent to 90 degrees.

8.Good MorningĪ more beginner-friendly at-home option is glute bridge walkouts. Struggling to feel your hamstrings? Read our article Can’t Feeling Hamstrings In Romanian Deadlifts? Try These 5 Tips.

Move the bar back up by driving your hips forward and keeping the bar close to your legs.ĭon’t simply chase load if it is causing your form to break down or for load to shift away from your hamstrings.

Descend until your torso is parallel to the floor.

Allow a slight bend in the knee throughout the range of motion.

Begin to descend the bar by shifting your hips back as if you are closing a draw behind you.

Take a stance around shoulder width apart and hold the barbell in front of you – use straps if grip is an issue as I prefer to use a double overhand here.

These are fantastic for training the hamstrings, glutes, lower back and carry over well for conventional deadlifters. These are similar to the conventional deadlift but have a greater focus on the hamstrings overall and typically use less load. The Romanian deadlift is another staple exercise in my lower body training. Therefore, it’s important to follow the technique points I’ve listed below to get the most out of any leg curl alternative.

You will need to modify the technique slightly for these types of exercises in order to target the hamstrings to a greater extent. With that said though, not any hip extension exercise will do. So naturally, since a leg curl trains knee flexion (bending the knee so that the heel kicks the buttocks), we should look for alternatives that train this same movement pattern.Īs well, hip extension exercises (any movement that lengthens the front of your hip) can also target the hamstring and provide a wider range of exercises to choose from when seeking a leg curl alternative. Leg curls train the hamstrings, so the primary goal of a good alternative is exercises that also train the hamstrings.īut, what does the hamstring do? The hamstrings function as a knee flexor and a hip extensor.

#Hamstring curl machine how to

In this article, I will discuss what makes a suitable leg curl alternative, how to perform each of these and even share some of my tips on how to make them more effective in your program. These alternatives come from a range of machine, dumbbell, cable, band and at home alternatives. Whatever your issue, there is an alternative to suit your needs. However, not everyone has access to one, or maybe your progress has stalled after using them for months on end. The leg curl is a staple leg day exercise and one of the most common exercises for hamstring training.