Partner-Resisted Hamstring Curl
Trains the Hamstrings.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Mechanic
- Isolation
- Force
- Pull
- Level
- Beginner
How to do it
- Lie face-down on a mat or bench with the legs straight, and have a partner kneel at your feet.
- The partner holds one ankle with both hands, ready to resist.
- Curl the heel towards the glutes against the partner's resistance, as they hold back enough that the movement is slow and steady.
- At the top, the partner pulls the leg back down while you resist, letting it straighten slowly.
- Keep the hips pressed into the mat throughout.
- Finish the set on one leg before swapping.
Common mistakes
- Uneven resistance. The partner resists steadily on both the curl and the return; a jerky pull makes the hamstring grab and let go.
- Lifting the hips off the mat. They stay down; a rising hip means the lower back is helping the curl.
- The partner resisting so hard the leg cannot move. The curl has to travel; the resistance is enough to make it slow, not to stop it.
- Letting the leg drop on the return. The partner pulls and you resist; a leg that flops straight has skipped half the work.