How about simplifying the program to Romanians and Nordics (programmed specifically to what phase you’re in) and sprints? Hits all 4 heads whilst translating extremely well to athletic performance. Not to mention making the hamstrings stronger in the lengthened position thus making people stronger and more stable in that anterior bias. There’s tons of variation for Romanians and nordics (uni vs bilateral, split stance, explosive vs tempo’d, eccentric, isometric, rotational, etc) not to mention the synergistic recruitment of the calves with Nordics which is incredibly important for sprinting as you must maintain ankle stiffness in plantar Flexion.
I like RDLs and Nordics, and for a while thought they were the same or better than bridge variations. But after years of testing and training athletes with hamstring strains I realized there's more to it. The long lever bridge position is a stimulus specifically to the proximal hamstring that differs significantly from other exercises. The strain loading is high while compression load is low. Also strength is much more joint angle specific than I initially realized. That's why I can test an athlete who can RDL 400+ but still has a strength deficit in the long lever position (less than 2.0x system mass) and has issues with recurrent hamstring strains. In those cases we need to get more specific because the general strength isn't getting it done. The nordic curl checks some boxes on the joint angle loaded for some if they can actually control the deeper positions but that's not a lot of athletes. And even if so if they're not ever getting a sustained load (ex: 20 seconds+) in those positions they're not getting the stress relaxation and tendon stimulus aspect. All this said, general strength and solid hinging can be enough for most athletes, but sometimes it is beneficial to dig deeper.
@@TheMovementSystem I see now, thank you! Follow up questions if you don’t mind 😅Based on what you said, would you only progress these specific exercises for the athlete whom you programmed them for, or would you gradually replace them with the more traditional strength ex’s (I.e., RDL+Nordic) as they got stronger/pain free functional prox hamstrings? Or would you keep the exercises and just add RDL+nordics on top? Also, I’ve seen a lot of videos of athletes, particularly American football players, doing alternating paused plyo foot-elevated single leg hamstring bridges. I’m wondering if you’ve ever incorporated this, as the fundamental movement is quite similar to what you show in this vid (just more explosive) and if there is a strength guideline you follow to do so. Thanks for the informative response!
@@Ash.Torontolol when you into it like them you get familiar with the lingo. Im self taught. I love this shit. But you mad funny with the nerd talk comment. I had to respond. Peace
First off, Thank you for posting thoughtful, helpful videos. To me, it seems like addressing the length/tension relationship between the hip flexors and the upper hamstring would be the first step in this progression, i.e. - kneeling hip flexor stretch. couch stretch, couch stretch with focus on tensing the targeted leg's glutes. Then move on to activating the hammy's further with 90-90 wall, progression of bridges, etc..
Simple and on the targeted, thank you! I would add that specific focus can be made. Focus on BF by pulling through outer heel, and focus on SMT by pulling through the ball of the feet. Works uni/bilaterally 💪.
I just tuned up to your channel, and I find it super instructional as well as simple and not over complicated. Great Job! Now, almost 5 months ago, I injured my Hamstring tendons, complete rupture off the bone, all 3... proximal avulsion. After surgery I've been rehabilitating them properly but I'm now at a point that I want to make sure the tendons are stronger, also to get more range of motion with confidence since I'm a high level surfer, even at 50 years of age, I still compete and surf at a high level. I want to make sure I recover to a 100% and actually be stronger. I can do the single leg bridges at around 45 degree angle with the 30 second holds. 3 reps. Any recommendations on what to continue to work on will be greatly appreciated! Thanks for the info you are sharing! Blessings.
It would be interesting to get your take on developing hamstring flexibility, for working with athletes such as dancers, gymnasts, and martial artists. Specifically, developing strength while also maintaining or improving on flexibility.
Thanks for sharing! Very insightful! At what point during the session would you recommend doing the long duration isometrics? Towards the start or the end?
Hey Matt, I’m about 5.5 months post-op from Meniscus and ACL Reconstruction surgery. I’ve just recently started jogging (2 weeks ago) and my hamstring is really feeling it (hamstring graft so affected hammy is very weak). I think I’ve always had weak hamstrings and glutes in general and I’m determined to make them a lot stronger. I know each person’s situation and response to rehab is different. However, I just wanted to know if you have any general advice suggestions for someone like me (31, generally very fit, runner/weight lifter/soccer player). I will start with step one as described in this video and work my way up to strengthen the hamstrings. Is there any other exercises I can do for both glutes and hamstrings (+ anything else) that may help me with my recovery/strengthening specific to ACL rehab? What are some things I need to look out for that may indicate my muscles/knee are being overworked? How can I train my running gait better? Also, it appears I’ve developed some Achilles tendinitis (non-operated leg), any exercises to help with this? Thank you so much for any suggestions you may be able to give. Would also take suggestions for related recovery/rehab programmes if you have any available.
Is it known in what position a hamstring stain occurs? Intuitively it would seem to happen when the leg is fully extended behind the body and the approach of this video and exercises shown seems to support that. However I have read that it typically occurs when the leg is extended in front of the body prior to landing. Any research on this?
Most commonly it is the late swing phase (in front of the body) when the hamstring is preventing further knee extension as well as initiating hip extension.
@@TheMovementSystem Thank you for the clarification. Yet it seems that the exercises- whether for tendon training or max strength -such as the long lever bridge and iso bridge stress the hamstring behind the body.
If you look at most top sprinters they have the most pronounced pelvic tilt you see in sports. It’s especially noticeable in female sprinters. There must be a reason in time and recoil due to the increase in tension otherwise the sports science would coach the opposite pelvic condition surely?
The faster an athletes potential the more risk for an hamstring injury. A slow athlete don't pull a hamstring. It doesn't matter much how strong the muscle is. I saw athletes doing perfect full nordics, heavy single leg RDLs, single leg bridges,... but as they ran >10m/s the risk increases drastically.
This is not true, it's not a matter of being fast or slow, there's a lot of factors to consider, when I was at my fastest 10.6s at 100m my hamstrings were much more resilient and healthy than when I was running 11.2s
@@user-ki4xw2rb8q Everything is about force absorption abilities and balance between the muscle tissue and tendons. Older slower people tend to get hurt just because they can’t handle the amounts of force they are dealing with. As for track athletes and frequent sprinters it might be more of a balance issue between tissues and not just a force absorbing problem. When we sprint a lot our tendons can become very dense and strong, but if not balanced enough that can cause extensive tension onto the muscle tissue and thus cause hamstring pulls and tears to be more likely. That is why sprinters in general may have “tighter” hamstrings, and why it might seem to some (like @Leonidas-eu9bb here) why fast sprinters have a tendency to pull hamstrings. They may just need to do a better job of balancing their tendon training and muscle tissue training.
Yea at that point proximal hamstring is solid and it’s just about force production. Typical hamstring movements like Nordics, RDLs, machine curls, etc. I also like long lever bridge position pushing into a barbell. Like a hip thrust but for the hamstring.
working on rehab for a year plus long high hamstring tendonopathy how often would you do isos and the max strength work? and how much pain during those do you consider acceptable? should I also be doing more traditional sets/reps of hamstring curls (3x8?) thanks!
Is it okay to do hamstring exercises like long lever bridges or step ups, before a Plyo / sprint workout where you’re slowly reintroducing sprinting at day 40% or would you strengthen / rehab the hamstring separately?
Why is the man on treadmill heel striking without being immediately corrected? Heelstrike is both the least efficient and the most mistaken running method, as the ankle, foot and toes are completely unused. Inefficient, and over time causing increased abnormal stress on vertebrae.
that arrgument at the beginning is just ???? i you can't reach your toes or flex for hip 90 degrees with legs straight, then it is because the hams are TOO LONG ??? LOOOL Feeling tight means tight. Yet, there is more to it (fascia), but that's basically it... and you mention it only implicitly lateron: muscles have different parts from proximal to distal. any part can be strong and/or flexible while others are weak and/or stiff or tight. As you recommend targeted strength training, targeted flex training is helpful as well
One of the best sprinting & longevity videos ever
ALL FOR FREE!!!
thank u fam❤❤❤
This is consistently the best channel for this content. I appreciate this so much. It is clear, specific, and easily understood.
How about simplifying the program to Romanians and Nordics (programmed specifically to what phase you’re in) and sprints? Hits all 4 heads whilst translating extremely well to athletic performance. Not to mention making the hamstrings stronger in the lengthened position thus making people stronger and more stable in that anterior bias. There’s tons of variation for Romanians and nordics (uni vs bilateral, split stance, explosive vs tempo’d, eccentric, isometric, rotational, etc) not to mention the synergistic recruitment of the calves with Nordics which is incredibly important for sprinting as you must maintain ankle stiffness in plantar Flexion.
I like RDLs and Nordics, and for a while thought they were the same or better than bridge variations. But after years of testing and training athletes with hamstring strains I realized there's more to it. The long lever bridge position is a stimulus specifically to the proximal hamstring that differs significantly from other exercises. The strain loading is high while compression load is low. Also strength is much more joint angle specific than I initially realized. That's why I can test an athlete who can RDL 400+ but still has a strength deficit in the long lever position (less than 2.0x system mass) and has issues with recurrent hamstring strains. In those cases we need to get more specific because the general strength isn't getting it done. The nordic curl checks some boxes on the joint angle loaded for some if they can actually control the deeper positions but that's not a lot of athletes. And even if so if they're not ever getting a sustained load (ex: 20 seconds+) in those positions they're not getting the stress relaxation and tendon stimulus aspect. All this said, general strength and solid hinging can be enough for most athletes, but sometimes it is beneficial to dig deeper.
@@TheMovementSystem I see now, thank you! Follow up questions if you don’t mind 😅Based on what you said, would you only progress these specific exercises for the athlete whom you programmed them for, or would you gradually replace them with the more traditional strength ex’s (I.e., RDL+Nordic) as they got stronger/pain free functional prox hamstrings? Or would you keep the exercises and just add RDL+nordics on top? Also, I’ve seen a lot of videos of athletes, particularly American football players, doing alternating paused plyo foot-elevated single leg hamstring bridges. I’m wondering if you’ve ever incorporated this, as the fundamental movement is quite similar to what you show in this vid (just more explosive) and if there is a strength guideline you follow to do so. Thanks for the informative response!
Tf is this nerdish talk lol
@@Ash.Torontolol when you into it like them you get familiar with the lingo. Im self taught. I love this shit. But you mad funny with the nerd talk comment. I had to respond. Peace
@@hardbodytraining100 lol being in my last year of medical school i thought id understand this lingo but naah lol
I'm particularly interested in step #3. Maybe in future videos you can go into more detail. Thanks for your input.
Great content. Keep it simple, keep it specific.
Great, and very timely for this Masters (old) Long Jumper! A bit more video demonstrating Step 1 & 3 would have been great.
First off, Thank you for posting thoughtful, helpful videos.
To me, it seems like addressing the length/tension relationship between the hip flexors and the upper hamstring would be the first step in this progression, i.e. - kneeling hip flexor stretch. couch stretch, couch stretch with focus on tensing the targeted leg's glutes. Then move on to activating the hammy's further with 90-90 wall, progression of bridges, etc..
I would appreciate a little longer time showing athletes and talking about technique of the excercise while they are doing it. Thanks
Simple and on the targeted, thank you!
I would add that specific focus can be made. Focus on BF by pulling through outer heel, and focus on SMT by pulling through the ball of the feet. Works uni/bilaterally 💪.
I always flex my quads to loosen my hamstrings. Antagonistic muscle groups have local nerve connections to loosen the spindle nerves.
I just tuned up to your channel, and I find it super instructional as well as simple and not over complicated. Great Job!
Now, almost 5 months ago, I injured my Hamstring tendons, complete rupture off the bone, all 3... proximal avulsion.
After surgery I've been rehabilitating them properly but I'm now at a point that I want to make sure the tendons are stronger, also to get more range of motion with confidence since I'm a high level surfer, even at 50 years of age, I still compete and surf at a high level. I want to make sure I recover to a 100% and actually be stronger.
I can do the single leg bridges at around 45 degree angle with the 30 second holds. 3 reps. Any recommendations on what to continue to work on will be greatly appreciated!
Thanks for the info you are sharing! Blessings.
Fire content 🔥🔥🔥
My right hamstring has just felt "off" for a while now. 4:20 This exercise felt great and like I was really activating my hamstring so thank you!
Great vid! maybe a vid on exercises for the quads,specifically the rectus femoris to aid sport performance?
It would be interesting to get your take on developing hamstring flexibility, for working with athletes such as dancers, gymnasts, and martial artists. Specifically, developing strength while also maintaining or improving on flexibility.
Great video! This past track season I tore my hamstring in the 100m and I have anterior pelvic tilt wish I knew this before running this past year
Thank you for this excellent video!
Excellent Podcast, thank you!
My understanding is the doctors before that are playing with us , a common occurrence
This is great! Can you do a video explanation on how to execute and program the hip iso push?
A bathroom scale is a force plate.
Thanks for sharing! Very insightful! At what point during the session would you recommend doing the long duration isometrics? Towards the start or the end?
Actually for the long duration holds I think either can work
Would like to see a lateral speed program similarly to this
What should be the frequency of training
Can we have a 4-step system for bulletproof knees please? 😂
Knees over toes guy has the answers
Hey Matt, I’m about 5.5 months post-op from Meniscus and ACL Reconstruction surgery. I’ve just recently started jogging (2 weeks ago) and my hamstring is really feeling it (hamstring graft so affected hammy is very weak). I think I’ve always had weak hamstrings and glutes in general and I’m determined to make them a lot stronger.
I know each person’s situation and response to rehab is different. However, I just wanted to know if you have any general advice suggestions for someone like me (31, generally very fit, runner/weight lifter/soccer player).
I will start with step one as described in this video and work my way up to strengthen the hamstrings. Is there any other exercises I can do for both glutes and hamstrings (+ anything else) that may help me with my recovery/strengthening specific to ACL rehab? What are some things I need to look out for that may indicate my muscles/knee are being overworked? How can I train my running gait better?
Also, it appears I’ve developed some Achilles tendinitis (non-operated leg), any exercises to help with this?
Thank you so much for any suggestions you may be able to give. Would also take suggestions for related recovery/rehab programmes if you have any available.
good.
Is it known in what position a hamstring stain occurs? Intuitively it would seem to happen when the leg is fully extended behind the body and the approach of this video and exercises shown seems to support that. However I have read that it typically occurs when the leg is extended in front of the body prior to landing. Any research on this?
Most commonly it is the late swing phase (in front of the body) when the hamstring is preventing further knee extension as well as initiating hip extension.
@@TheMovementSystem Thank you for the clarification. Yet it seems that the exercises- whether for tendon training or max strength -such as the long lever bridge and iso bridge stress the hamstring behind the body.
If you look at most top sprinters they have the most pronounced pelvic tilt you see in sports. It’s especially noticeable in female sprinters. There must be a reason in time and recoil due to the increase in tension otherwise the sports science would coach the opposite pelvic condition surely?
After raising your foot do you add weight
Would single leg hamstring curl iso half at the same angle be any good for 30-40s? I’ll also consider the long lever bridges
What’s a wall 90 drill?
How many times a week for steps 1-3?
So strength train your hamstrings? Leg presses any good for that? I have a profound anterior tilt and horrible front hip pain
The faster an athletes potential the more risk for an hamstring injury. A slow athlete don't pull a hamstring.
It doesn't matter much how strong the muscle is. I saw athletes doing perfect full nordics, heavy single leg RDLs, single leg bridges,... but as they ran >10m/s the risk increases drastically.
Slow people pull hamstrings all the time. Just go watch old slow guys playing softball. Always happening.
This is not true, it's not a matter of being fast or slow, there's a lot of factors to consider, when I was at my fastest 10.6s at 100m my hamstrings were much more resilient and healthy than when I was running 11.2s
@@user-ki4xw2rb8q Everything is about force absorption abilities and balance between the muscle tissue and tendons. Older slower people tend to get hurt just because they can’t handle the amounts of force they are dealing with. As for track athletes and frequent sprinters it might be more of a balance issue between tissues and not just a force absorbing problem. When we sprint a lot our tendons can become very dense and strong, but if not balanced enough that can cause extensive tension onto the muscle tissue and thus cause hamstring pulls and tears to be more likely. That is why sprinters in general may have “tighter” hamstrings, and why it might seem to some (like @Leonidas-eu9bb here) why fast sprinters have a tendency to pull hamstrings. They may just need to do a better job of balancing their tendon training and muscle tissue training.
Thanks so much. Is it OK to do these exercises with a hamstring strain?
To tolerance
After mastering all of these movements, are there more advanced movements you would recommend for athletes trying to push themselves even further?
Yea at that point proximal hamstring is solid and it’s just about force production. Typical hamstring movements like Nordics, RDLs, machine curls, etc. I also like long lever bridge position pushing into a barbell. Like a hip thrust but for the hamstring.
How about long lever bridge valslide curls, maybe even single leg?
working on rehab for a year plus long high hamstring tendonopathy
how often would you do isos and the max strength work? and how much pain during those do you consider acceptable? should I also be doing more traditional sets/reps of hamstring curls (3x8?) thanks!
Is the hamstring injury which is high up and connected to the glute similar? It’s almost part glute injury. Same protocol ? Thanks.
hey coach is it bad to stretching post workout ?
Is it okay to do hamstring exercises like long lever bridges or step ups, before a Plyo / sprint workout where you’re slowly reintroducing sprinting at day 40% or would you strengthen / rehab the hamstring separately?
Why is the man on treadmill heel striking without being immediately corrected?
Heelstrike is both the least efficient and the most mistaken running method, as the ankle, foot and toes are completely unused. Inefficient, and over time causing increased abnormal stress on vertebrae.
Sets, reps, and rest for isometrics before progressing to harder movement?
I stretch my hamstrings for range of motion.
How much sets of 20-30s of the bridges?
2-4 sets
I understand the progressions, but I'd have preferred to see the exercises demonstrated a bit more with voice-over. (I am a coach, gut not of running)
Love your videos matt but please make them a little bit louder.
I recommend turning the volume up. The sound of video is perfect!
The audio is absolutely perfect on my iPhone…
that arrgument at the beginning is just ???? i you can't reach your toes or flex for hip 90 degrees with legs straight, then it is because the hams are TOO LONG ??? LOOOL
Feeling tight means tight. Yet, there is more to it (fascia), but that's basically it... and you mention it only implicitly lateron: muscles have different parts from proximal to distal. any part can be strong and/or flexible while others are weak and/or stiff or tight. As you recommend targeted strength training, targeted flex training is helpful as well
Why wouldn’t you actually show what you mean, describe and teach the first part? It is not clear. Annoying!
Not a reply, an addition. Same goes for step 3. Why bother putting the information out there if you aren’t going to teach it?