How To - Hamstring Curl

The monkey foot is one of the gnarliest tools I've used for targeting the hamstring. It makes it significantly more intense and doing it standing is actually really good. So great, easy position. I like to stand on a plate so I can get my leg into full extension here. It's not necessary though. I'm going to use the plate here.

So there's a couple of ways I'm going to teach you to do this both ways. You want to prevent your leg from swinging back and forth. So the first one, keeping your knee a little bit more forward to the body and just flexing the heel up toward the glute is going to help get activation distally in the hamstring.

So the lower part of your hamstring here. Now, if you really want to step it up, hinge forward slightly. You're going to extend your hip back, squeezing that glute, making sure that your pelvis stays nice and neutral, so I'm not arching my back to get my leg extended. I'm using the glute, getting it extended here, no movement in the back, and then I'm going to flex the knee.

Bringing that heel to the glute and try not to let my knee shift forward or backward. So I'm getting it as extended as possible, holding onto something for support here, and then slowly flexing the knee and letting it drop down slow. Now, if that's too difficult, maybe you cramp up a little bit, doing a little massage beforehand, maybe a little bit of stretching.

Can help reduce the cramping. Cramping is a sign that you need to strengthen it. So you want to keep working those positions, but if it's too intense cramp wise, then start with yourself. Upright knee forward. Again, you're not letting that knee move. The pelvis isn't moving and you're flexing that knee and you're going to feel this distally closer to the knee, whereas this one is going to hit the whole hamstring.