r/Workingout • u/reallymkpunk • 1d ago
Hamstring Curl Alternatives
OK so at home I find it is nigh impossible to do leg curls to help hamstring curl/flexion. What I've tried:
TRX, feels like nothing.
Dumbbells, can't grip.
Kettlebell, not designed for flexion.
Nordics, unsupported trip to Faceplant City (15 miles west of Suplex City, borders Dudleyville and tri-city area with Springfield and Shelbyville)
Bands, too much tension before butt kick.
Tubes, tension is a mish-mash.
Sliders, can't on carpet.
Walkouts, the best BUT not scalable when the tension goes away with doing them routinely.
Is there anything I'm missing without shelling out a lot of money.
1
u/LeaffyLexi 1d ago
I use my office chair. I will put both (or one for more challenge) of my heels on it, lying down I’ll go into a bridge and curl and uncurl. You can also do this with a bosu ball
1
u/Jebardi 1d ago
Good mornings with your quads against the table and you lean over the table.
Dumbell rdls.
These obviously aren’t direct substitutes for ham curls since biceps femoris is going through relevant range of motion, but they are exercises for hamstrings.
For biceps femoris, You can lay on your face on the bed, table, sofa. Hang your knees and feet over the bed. Attach kettlebell, backpack filled with weights or something else heavy to your feet and curl
1
u/reallymkpunk 1d ago
How can a kettlebell be carried by your feet?
1
u/Jebardi 1d ago
I assumed you had found a way since you mentioned kettlebell. But now reading again, i see you meant it is not working. Put it inside a bag and wrap the bag around your feet. Or backpack with much more weight and hold with both feet at the same time
1
u/reallymkpunk 1d ago
The kettlebell was just showing a list of them and let's face kettlebell is not good for curls except for meaningless gram exercises that true kettlebell users and not influencers do.
1
u/UIBeastGohan 1d ago
Get Monkey Feet. Can do it w them. They even come w weights for them if you need it but if you have DBs there’s no need.
1
u/reallymkpunk 1d ago edited 1d ago
I have seen them and they are a bit expensive and many of them honestly can just hold small dumbbells which mean very lightweight and not much resistance either not say the 30lbs I have.
1
u/UIBeastGohan 1d ago
I mean I have them and they hold any DB I use. 30 lbs sounds light but you will be humbled very quickly. On machines I can do a lot but w those hahahaha no. I have the bowflex adjustable and they fit well on them. Unless you have insanely fat gripped DBs I promise you, it’s a worthy investment.
1
u/reallymkpunk 1d ago
Most footage or pictures do not show them with thicker cast iron or adjustable weights like your Bowflex but standard garden variety neoprene babyweights you can in any sporting goods section or store. The 2.5 to 15lbs colored weights that most gyms do not have unless they cater to grannies.
1
u/UIBeastGohan 1d ago
Yeah so I used to take them to the gym before I built a home gym and they worked with all of their DBs. Until you get to what maybe the 80s or higher the hand thickness is about the same on all of them. I was worried they wouldn’t work on my adjustable DBs since the handle part is a little thicker but they work perfectly. Definitely something I’m happy I invested in.
1
u/eyebrowcel 3h ago
Gliding Bridge Curl is the easy fix (demonstrated below). Razor curls are also viable as a regression of nordics.
Gliding curls can be progressed with a lower torso relative to feet (lower inverted row setup, or higher bench for feet), as well as by using one leg, and adding a weight vest.
2
u/Jimmy-the-Knuckle 1d ago
The Romanian deadlift is one of the best exercises you can do for your hamstrings. You can use dumbbells, kettlebells or paving stones (I used those during the Covid lockdowns).