How to get your hamstrings to activate – FAST

So I was in the pumpkin patch, and noticing lots of little screaming happy kiddos, and one of them had a Brazilian soccer jersey on….which reminded me of a fantastic Brazilian soccer drill I was once taught. In that drill, one partner stands behind a kneeling partner. The kneeling partner squeezes the outsides of the ankles and heels of the standing partner as he/she is pushed on the back (gently, or quickly if you have a “mean” partner!) from the back. 

Man-o-man, that push coupled with the squeeze jacks up your core and hamstrings and glutes FAST! 

Or…you collapse on the floor or ground in front of you instead. 🙂 

Your goal as the kneeling partner (and I suggest putting something like a yoga mat or pillow for padding under your knees) is to have your core and hams and glutes decelerate the push. 

It should look something like my client Gary:

You do not have to travel very far forward. In fact, you most likely won’t. However, the goal is not how far you can travel forward without collapsing, but instead how much can you get those glutes and hammies to kick in and decelerate the fall.

What if you don’t have a partner and not living in Rio? No problem! Grab a handy post or door jam/doorway instead like my client Cliff did below. 

I explain it more in this video (and I use a tractor tire for my post! Let your imagination and ingenuity run wild!) 

If your low back hurts, try the handy dandy snake breathing technique as you squeeze in the post with all of your might. (Snake breathing: teeth together, tongue up against back of teeth, exhale thru teeth making a hissing sound to engage core to help back relax) 
Please let me know in the comments below what you think of the Brazilian hamstring exercise!