The Straddle

Muscles worked

The muscles under tension are the hamstrings, which extend the hip and bend the knee, frequently at both joints in the same repetition.

A stretch loads them at the far end of the range they normally work in, so the position you hold is itself the resistance.

Nothing travels, but holding the position is not the target muscle’s job alone: the adductors steady the thigh against the pull away from the midline; the calves control the ankle and hold the heel position.

Every exercise for:HamstringsAdductorsCalves

How this movement works

Nothing travels once you are in position. The muscle holds a length under tension instead of working through a range, so effort is measured in seconds rather than repetitions — and the honest progression is more time in a good position, not a deeper one forced early.

It is filed under stretching, so the target is range of motion rather than force — a position you can settle into and breathe in, held long enough for the tissue to give.

What you need

These train the hamstrings too, using equipment this one does not:

• Vertical Swingdumbbell
• Wide Stance Stiff Legsbarbell
• 90/90 Hamstringbody only
• Alternating Hang Cleankettlebell
• Ball Leg Curlexercise ball

Difficulty

Listed at beginner level: the pattern is simple enough to pick up without coaching, and a position that goes wrong mid-set is obvious enough to correct on the next repetition.

Of the 86 hamstrings exercises in this database, 37 are listed at beginner level.