Been diagnosed with the infamous anterior pelvic tilt caused by a combination of tight, strong quads and extremely weak hamstrings which is causing SI joint problems which is mainly due to a spasming QL. Anyway, physio believes first point of call is to bring my hamstring strength up. This sounds easy in part as there’s a million and one things I could do however anytime I do hamstring work requiring my lower back, e.g. RDLs, SLDLs etc. my QL spasms and it brings my workout grinding to a halt. It’s also important to note I use my own gym (squat rack, barbell, weights, adjustable dumbbell handles and a few bands) so don’t have access to the stuff normally in a gym such as hamstring curl machines or GHRs.
So I’m asking for any suggestions to what I could do to build up hamstring strength without using lower back and any advice is welcome.
Get a gym membership and use a good leg curl machine, glute-ham raises, sumo leg presses, and reverse hypers. A hyperextension station can be used if you do them right, squeezing the glutes and hams to bring yourself up.
If you won’t go to a gym, then i guess leg curls lying on a bench with a dumbbell between your feet, or rig some kind of way to do GHR’s in your home gym.
There’s lots of swiss ball stuff you could be doing. Look up movements on Youtube.
Try High Step-ups using a sturdy desk or work bench or something like that. Anything above hip hight is good. You can do them while holding weight but it doesn’t take much.
Glute Bridges & Hip Thrusts, ala Brett Contreras, are glute dominant but it would probably be worth while to throw those in as well.
[quote]1 Man Island wrote:
Were you diagnosed with these causes or are they derived from your research? I ask because glute activstion is a big issue for most folks.[/quote
agree also imo swiss ball curls are the best,had hammie issues for year plating footie and the only thing that made any difference was swiss ball curls
Working with the “do it all at home” angle, get a light band or something if you don’t already have one and you can easily rig up a way to do lying leg curls with that.
And just a thought; the title says “building hamstring strength quickly”. I think it’s good to keep in mind that strength isn’t something you can build quickly
I have very weak hamstrings also, diagnosed by physical therapist. Blasting them only made me sore for a week. Gradual progression is helping, but they are still very weak .
One of the things my PT said that made a lot of sense was, it may take just as long to rehab as is took to damage yourself.
[quote]buckeye girl wrote:
Pick up a pair of furniture sliders like these http://www.amazon.com/Waxman-4704095N-2-Inch-Reusable-Sliders/dp/B001W6Q4VA/ref=pd_sim_hi_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=161BME1G1PTBMQKA7HKV (or actual Valslides) and use them for hamstring curls the same way you would do them on a ball. I prefer these because there are so many variations you can use as you progress. Plus you can use those sliders for things like push-ups, mountain climbers, lunges…for 10 bucks they’re a nice little addition to a home gym.
Glute ham raises. At first i couldnt even do a single full rep, now a few months later i can bang out sets of 15 with ease. They have not only increased hamstring strength, they have grown considerably and my deadlift has went up.
[quote]buckeye girl wrote:
Pick up a pair of furniture sliders like these http://www.amazon.com/Waxman-4704095N-2-Inch-Reusable-Sliders/dp/B001W6Q4VA/ref=pd_sim_hi_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=161BME1G1PTBMQKA7HKV (or actual Valslides) and use them for hamstring curls the same way you would do them on a ball. I prefer these because there are so many variations you can use as you progress. Plus you can use those sliders for things like push-ups, mountain climbers, lunges…for 10 bucks they’re a nice little addition to a home gym.
