Banded Hamstring Slides
How to Do It
Lie on your back, heels on sliders or a towel, optionally with a band adding tension. Bridge the hips up, then slide the heels out by straightening the legs while keeping the hips lifted, then curl the heels back in toward the glutes under control. Keep the hips high throughout.
Why It Works
Loads the hamstrings eccentrically as the legs straighten (lengthening under tension) and concentrically on the curl back, training knee-flexion hamstring strength and eccentric control — a key protector against hamstring strain.
Hockey Transfer
Builds eccentric hamstring strength and control that protects against the strains common in explosive skating and sprinting, and supports the knee-flexion/leg-recovery phase of the stride.
Coaching Cues
- "Hips stay high"
- "slide out slow, curl in strong"
- "control the stretch"
Common Mistakes
Hips dropping as the legs extend; rushing the eccentric; using the low back instead of the hamstrings
Progression / Regression
add band resistance or single-leg
smaller range or feet-on-floor curls
Primary Muscles
Energy System
Strength/neural
Put it to work
on the ice.
This exercise is part of a fully periodized 12-week off-ice program — built by a sport scientist who coaches at the national level.
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