Hamstring Walkout
The Elite Hockey Drills app builds drills like this into your personalized off-ice program, week by week. Your first week is free.
How to Do It
Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat on the floor. Drive hips up into a bridge position — same as a glute bridge. From the top, walk both feet forward — sliding the heels away from your body. Walk as far as you can while keeping the hips elevated and the back flat. Once at maximum extension, walk back in to the start. Keep the hips up the entire time — they must not sag.
Why It Works
The hamstring walkout eccentrically loads the hamstrings through their full length — from the hip to the knee — which is the exact injury mechanism of a hamstring strain (high-speed running or explosive skating stride at full extension). Eccentric hamstring strength is the primary protective factor against hamstring tears, and the walkout builds it without any equipment at all.
Hockey Transfer
Eccentric hamstring control — major injury prevention for hockey sprinters. Three sets × 5 reps. Slow and controlled — the walk-out is where the hamstring loads, the walk-back is where the core works.
Coaching Cues
- "Walk heels out while in bridge"
- "Maintain hip height"
- "Walk back in"
Common Mistakes
Hips dropping as feet walk out — the hamstrings must hold the hips up. If they drop, shorten the range. Too fast — slow and controlled eccentric loading is the entire point. Only doing the walk-out without the walk-back — the concentric return also matters. Skipping it because it seems too easy at short range — going to full extension is genuinely hard.
Progression / Regression
Single-leg hamstring walkout — one foot elevated, walk out on a single leg.
Short-range walkout (feet only go out 15-20cm) until full-range hip-hold is achievable.
Primary Muscles
Energy System
Strength/neural
Put it to work
on the ice.
The Elite Hockey Drills app builds exercises like this into a personalized off-ice program — created by a sport scientist and former national-team coach. Your first week is free.
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