Sportsman9

I understand that leg curls are tough on the kneecap. What else is there, to strengthen hamstrings off the bike? I think part of my problem is a muscle imbalance.

huskertko

Lunges, they are are a good all around lower body work out with some core benefits as well. Basically you just take a step forward and drop your back knee toward the ground, stand up and repeat on the other leg. As you progress you can carry dumbbells to intensify the work out..

benjamin_s

https://www.exrx.net/Lists/ExList/Thi...#anchor1942303

but if you lack weights/gym membership this is always a good one

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czf-1snzG2c

Carbonfiberboy 

Ride your bike. Try riding without using your quads, just your hams and hip flexors. Hold your upper body still. Do intervals that way. Or just do OLP.

MrIndy

Deadlifts, Romanian Deadlifts and Good Mornings are great for hamstrings and also strengthen the lower back. www.t-nation.com has good information about deadlifts and their variations.

Metzinger

Leg curls, or hamstring curls, are indeed discouraged by some. But the infamous patella destroyers are leg extensions. The opposite movement. Many get the two mixed up.
+1 on MrIndy's suggestions.

CapnC

Also +1 on MrIndy's suggestions, but for people who haven't spent much time in the weight room i would recommend the stiff leg deadlift. Very easy to perform, there isn't a whole lot to the movement:
Put a barbell on the floor
Grip it about shoulder width, with your feet in a narrow stance.
Keeping your legs and back straight, stand up with the barbell until you are fully erect.

https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/animalpak73.htm

palookabutt

Another alternative is an exercise ball -- $8-10 at your local K-mart/Target/clone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czf-1snzG2c

Sportsman9

Thanks for the suggestions.

lukewall

I have an exercise that I use as a warmup for my normal conditioning program.

You'll need a jump rope and ankle weights. You can start with 1lb weights or no weights and work your way up. Basically, I just skip rope and do leg curls with the ankle weights on. I have different variations to warm up different parts of my legs. Skip and leg curls for hamstrings, skip and squat for quads, skip and raise my knee to my waist for hip flexors. And all the skipping in general warms up my calves.

I generally work in 3 minute intervals/1 minute rest for 3 rounds to warm up. Just pick a variation and go at it for the round.

carbondale

Running.

JeremiahW037

+1 for running. I'm fairly new to biking but have been a serious distance runner for a while and starting getting injured because my hamstrings were so much stronger than my quads that it created muscle imbalances.

Creakyknees

"hamstring curl on ball"

one-legged will really challenge your core too, and it's more bike-specific. I've done thousands of them and they've never bothered my knees.

tadawdy

As long as we're talking muscle imbalances....

Start stretching your hamstrings. Now. Most people have tight ones, due to quad development, and sitting/standing for hours at a time. Not only will they make your legs stiff, but they cross the hip and attach to the pelvis (ischium). Tight hamstrings can hurt your back.

Wiggle

Deadlift (stiff-legged more so than standard)
-Possibly the best exercise you can do, period (squats are close).

Good Mornings (also trains back and core)
-Barbell on traps or upper back as in barbell squats, stick your butt back and lean forward til your torso is nearly parallel to ground. You want to keep correct spinal posture though, so only go as far as your flexibility allows.

Glute Ham Raises
-Pretty hard but good. Get down on your knees, secure your feet using something, lower body to ground pivoting at the knee, explode up into starting position. You'll need to cheat at these at first, and be careful to control your descent with a reverse push up type action or you may hit the ground at high speed

msincredible

Leg curls with dumbbells held between your feet or with ankle weights will be easier on your knees than on a leg curl machine.

Old Army

+1

These are a serious tough exercise. But work like a charm. The hardest thing about it is finding something to hook you heals under. Also, no weight required.

To maximize this exercise, minimize the push off and concentrate on raising up using your leg strength. The better you get at it, the less of a push off you use. And if you get to the point of not pushing off, you officially have cured your hamstring problem!

-Old Army

jarvik

https://beebleblog.com/2007/09/12/leg...ing-stretches/