An excellent body weight exercise that looks like nothing, but feels like hell when done well. The exercise can be done on the floor, with the heels hooked under something reasonably heavy. However, if the thing lifts a bit, this does not matter since it will encourage the hamstrings and bottom to get out of bed.
I recommend starting with the hands crossed behind, over the backside, and then progressing on to hands crossed on the chest as in the video, with the final progression of hands behind the head. Main points:
- At first the hips will move backwards. So if you either don’t get the exercise or find it easy, as you lower down, make sure your nose is travelling forwards and away from your knees. As you lift, try to keep the crown of the head travelling away from your knees.
- Tip from the hips and when you come up again, make sure you lift from the hips and not the middle of the back, which results in snaking your way up and the exercise feeling very easy. It isnt’.
- As you tip over, widen the buttocks. Helps engage them. It isn’t recommended to eat beans the day before doing this exercise.
- Low guts draw in.
- As you come up, keep the head in neutral, but look up with your eyes.
- Since the hamstrings are fast twitch fibres, 8 reps max.
- It is a hamstring exercise and not a calf exercise.