The Slip-and-Slide Thigh Glide

Trail Log · Movement Breakdown

Okay, this one requires a wooden floor — or any smooth surface, really — and something slippery under your heel. A towel works great. A paper plate works if you're feeling rustic. The point is, you're about to turn your floor into a very low-budget ice rink, and your hamstrings are going to be the main event.

You lie on your back with your legs stretched out, one heel parked on your slippery apparatus. Then you bend that knee and slide your heel toward your butt, keeping the other leg perfectly straight and out of the drama. It's like you're doing a very controlled, very horizontal moonwalk with one foot. The towel slides, the heel glides, and your hamstring has to do all the pulling because there's no machine, no cable, and no momentum to help out.

When you reach full knee flexion — heel close to your glute, knee bent as far as it'll go — you reverse the movement and slide that heel back out to the starting position. The return trip should be just as controlled as the approach, because letting your leg snap back is how you turn a productive exercise into an unplanned visit to the physical therapist. This movement is absolutely fantastic for strengthening the hamstrings in their shortened position, which is a range that most exercises completely skip. It's simple, it's low-tech, and it requires nothing more than a floor, a towel, and a willingness to look slightly absurd while lying in your living room.