The Sicilian Crunch put me on the map many moons ago. Consider this as the reverse action. It’s a negative-accentuated glute-ham raise emphasizing the knee flexion component. If you have access to this machine in your gym, give it a shot. Do 4 sets of 2-4 reps with an 8-second lowering. Expect your hamstrings to…
Stretching can be used as a diagnostic to test for possible impingement of spinal nerves. Straight leg raising, for instance, is often performed to stretch the hamstrings and calves, but it can also test for sciatic nerve irritation as outlined in the text Modern Principles of Athletic Training by Daniel Arnheim. “Straight leg raising (affected…
The Inevitable Truth Whether it’s during competition or training, injuries are bound to happen. It’s part of the game. If you play with any form of intensity for long enough, you’ll be nursing something eventually. Let’s take a look at the top injury in sports and in the gym. The #1 Athletic Injury I’m sure…
Back in the mid-1950s, Dr. Arthur Steindler introduced the concept of open kinetic chain (OKC) and closed kinetic chain (CKC) movements. In a nutshell, an OKC movement is any movement where the terminal segment (i.e., the distal end of the extremity of interest) is free to move in space, and a CKC movement is any…
A good way to get strong on the Nordic hamstring curl is to use accommodating assistance from a lat pulldown machine but done in a special manner. Here’s how it works. Kneel on the seat facing away from the machine, and secure the back of your ankles against the knee support. Instead of using the…