For Athletes
How to Increase Hamstring Strength for Soccer & Lacrosse Players

Introducing Slider Leg Curls to increase hamstring strength for soccer and lacrosse players. Check out Tierney, a sophomore in high school on Long Island giving them a try.

So we know increases in hamstring strength are likely to lead to decreased chances of ACL tears and hamstring pulls, especially in female athletes.

That said, here is one of my favorite ways to strengthen up those hamstrings and help to bulletproof us as we head intro spring training season.

Key points:

  • As the heels come in, the hips go up.
  • As the heels go out, the hips go down.

Tierney does a great job of this in the video above. We don’t want to see the hips remain high the entire time (big back arch = no good), or the hips stay low the whole time (no glutes = no good).

You might see this done on a stability ball or on a slide board, and both are great options. But as athletes increase hamstring strength, I like to move to these Slider Leg Curls.

By placing the sliders on the rubber floor, there’s more friction and the hamstrings need to activate and overcome that resistance.

As a rule of thumb, ball first, slideboards second, sliders on floor third for progressions.

Another way to look at it is: Slippery surface slideboard or stability ball options are awesome for slow lowering drills and working eccentric strength. Rough surface and sliders are awesome for concentric strength.

Lacrosse athletes – give it a shot and let me know what you think!

If you’re interested in another exercise for soccer and lacrosse players, check out these hamstring-strengthening Single-Leg Deadlifts.