Single Leg Eccentric Slideboard Leg Curl
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Single Leg Eccentric Slideboard Leg Curl
I love this exercise as a tool to rehabilitate and prevent hamstring strains. My goal is always to work toward this progression following success with eccentric and concentric variations.
It’s important to state that training the hamstring directly IN CONJUNCTION with pelvic/core stability and progressive speed and agility training is necessary to prevent hamstring injuries. When it comes to injury reduction it’s essential to build a balanced program that focuses on more than just the target muscle but all the of the systems around it that can also affect its function. Studies have actually demonstrated that isolated hamstring work alone is ineffective to rehabilitate hamstring injuries.
Eccentric focused drills have been shown to be an effective tool to reduce the likelihood of hamstring strains. Considering that most hamstring injuries in the bicep femoris occur during late swing phase when eccentric forces peak it makes sense that eccentric hamstring strength would be so valuable in prevention of hamstring strains.
However, a foundational piece of hamstring strain prevention that is often overlooked is pelvic stability. An anteriorly tilted pelvis will place high eccentric loads on the hamstring, increasing likelihood of strain. Poor functioning pelvic stabilizers can contribute to anterior tilt and drive hamstring tension and injury. With this in mind it’s pivotal that we cue proper pelvic position during drills like the one shown above. Practicing drills like slideboard leg curl or Nordic Curls with poor pelvic positioning and will often do more to cause an injury than prevent it.
What To Do: Cue the client into a “ribs down” position prior to executing the drill by using an exhalation. This will set them up in a more optimal position to use the glutes, hamstrings and obliques during the drill and lessen the dependence on spinal extensors. Any loss of positioning should result in termination of the drill.
When it comes to preventing hamstring strains the devil is in the details. Bad positioning = bad muscle function. It’s not enough to just do an exercise but you also have to do it well.