Exercise Spotlight: Slider Hamstring Curls

A fun and effective exercise for the hamstrings and glute muscles

Hamstring knee flexion exercise was another area of emphasis in my February “Five-Year Update” to my book. Slider hamstring curls target the distal end (foot/leg) of movement, while Nordic hamstring curls and glute-hamstring raises target more of the proximal (hip/torso) side of hamstring strength. The hamstrings are a two-joint muscle, acting to extend the hip and flex the knee. There is a knee flexion element in rowing, but it’s unloaded as the athlete comes up the slide into the catch position. This has been a valuable gap to fill with some simple strength training exercises.

I prefer using slider curl variations versus a seated leg curl or other isolated hamstrings exercises, because the slider incorporates the glutes through the hip bridge position. I am always looking for ways we can develop muscles as part of the bigger athletic systems, instead of isolating them from their muscular counterparts. Unlike hamstring curl machines, we can do slider curls with some pretty basic equipment. A standard inflated stability ball or physioball will do. If your floor is slippery enough, you can do slider curls with furniture pads, carpet sliders, or even just some cloth under the heels. There is also a wheeled product known as a “glute-ham slider,” or “roller,” or “glider,” depending on the brand. This is useful for a few other exercises as well, takes up a small amount of space, and can be purchased for under $150.

Watch my demonstration video for variations and key technique pointers:

• Keep pressure through the hindfoot and generally off the forefoot. This focuses on the hamstrings and glute muscles without the naturally stronger quadriceps taking over.

• Maintain the hip bridge position with a neutral spine throughout the exercise. Maintain the “rib-hip stack,” avoiding arching and flexing at the low back.

• Work toward achieving full range-of-motion (ROM), with the knees fully extended at the bottom position and fully flexed at the top position.

Slider hamstring curls work great in the “C-series” minor assistance exercise, after the “A-series” main work (squat/deadlift) and “B-series” primary assistance work (push, pull, and single-leg squat or hip hinge). I’ll often use them like a lateral/rotational hip exercise, or in place of one. Any level of athlete can do slider hamstring curls. Beginners may need to focus on the hip bridge position more at first, and do a smaller ROM to maintain the neutral spine. Progress with ROM before going to more challenging variations or adding strain with higher repetitions. A good place to start is 3-4 sets of 5-8 reps with attention to technique and ROM.

Once the athlete can do full ROM with good technique, progress to 3-4 sets of 8-15 reps or use a more challenging variation for lower reps. Add load with resistance bands of increasing tension, use just one leg for the lowering phase (two for the harder lifting phase), and finally do them with one leg only. I’ll also get creative with the set-and-rep design here, using methods like “50 reps for time,” “3-50 sets (3 sets to 50 total reps),” and cluster sets.