Every Regression Counts…

How to progress a bodyweight hamstring curl

I want to point out some details on how to progress a bodyweight hamstring curl.

But first, let’s establish BASICS.

It’s more basic for the hamstrings to go uphill and/or sprint than it is to do a hamstring curl exercise.

It’s also more basic for the hamstrings to help (the glutes and lower back) pick things up than it is to do a hamstring curl exercise.

Humans have always been going uphill, sprinting, and picking things up.

They haven’t always been doing hamstring curl exercises.

But they also haven’t always been taking sports to the extremes of knee demand.

And in modern times we’ve broadly stopped going uphill and/or sprinting.

So even for the average person, a hamstring curl becomes a basic remedy, in my eyes, for healthier knees, hamstrings, and running abilities.

With that background established, let’s now look at exact technique progression…

If you go to a gym with a hamstring curl machine, you’re in luck and you may never need the rest of the information in this article! A hamstring curl machine measures your exact progress and scales from very low to very high levels.

However: In home gyms, in young athletes (who are among the highest cases of knee surgeries!), and in older people, hamstring curl machines are rarely used.

Fortunately, every person reading this can access a hamstring curl exercise, right now, which scales from very low to 1 in a million strength levels.

Let’s start from the bottom of ability and equipment access.

A piece of cardboard on a smooth surface can get the job done. Hamstring rollers are quite affordable and portable as far as exercise equipment goes.

Your HANDS can assist you to get going.

Next is your HIPS. If you lie all the way down each time, you get an extra boost from your hips.

Therefore, if you do not touch your hands to the floor, and you do not touch your butt to the floor - without bending your hips - you have an incredibly strict hamstring curl!

For most people, I believe this is enough.

For more extreme demands, you can further challenge yourself by slowly lowering down one leg at a time.

And in the pursuit of world-class hamstring strength, you could even rebuild the original process of hand and hip assistance, one leg at a time. (To be clear, single leg with hand and hip assistance is realistic for most athletes, but getting to strict reps would be very rare. By the end of filming the previous levels, I couldn’t do just one strict single leg rep!)

This is good!

We now have levels for my entire family.

Funny enough, my 3-year-old daughter wanted to try this and it sort of proved the point of how accessible this is.

She didn’t do proper reps, but I validated her just the same.

She’s got time - and when it comes to exercise, I would say the same to just about anyone:

Establish and then cultivate your basics. Don’t rush in terms of days and weeks. Enjoy your workouts, and I’ll bet your abilities wind up sharper over months and years.

Yours in Solutions,

Ben

For further ATG Basics program help ($19 to $99/mo) and the custom equipment I make for my coaching: ATGonlinecoaching.com

To see if I’ve certified an ATG coach near you: map.ATGforcoaches.com