As a runner, I don’t take my hamstrings for granted. With spring marathon season creeping closer as we head into the new year, I’m not messing around when it comes to ticking off regular strength work to support my 2026 running goals.
In my latest training block I’ve been using Runna, one of the best running apps, to stay on top of the strength and conditioning side of marathon training. What I like is that the strength workouts are designed to support running specifically, rather than throwing in generic strength moves that might build some muscle but do little for injury prevention, or leave your legs too fatigued to hit your paces.
One move I’ve really come to enjoy, and feel the benefits of, is the single-leg isometric hamstring hold. It’s a bit of a mouthful, but it’s a low-maintenance exercise you can do almost anywhere. I’ve used it in the gym with a bench or block, and at home with nothing more than the sofa.
How to do a single-leg isometric hamstring hold
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
- Place the heel of one foot on a bench, step, box, or sturdy chair. Lift the other leg so it is off the ground.
- Press through the heel on the raised surface and lift your hips up into a bridge position.
- Squeeze your glutes and hold at the top for 20 to 30 seconds.
- Keep your hips lifted and your body as still as possible, focusing on driving your heel down.
- Slowly lower your hips back to the floor with control.
- While holding the bridge, gently tilt your pelvis upward toward the ceiling to engage your glutes and keep your lower back in a strong, flat position.
Benefits of single-leg isometric hamstring hold
This is one of those exercises that looks fairly unassuming, but the longer you hold it, the more your hamstrings have to work. Balancing on one leg with your hips lifted builds strength without the kind of heavy fatigue that can linger into your next run. I’ve found it particularly useful during marathon training, where you want strength work to support your mileage, not compete with it.
While I feel this exercise most prominently in my hamstrings and glutes, it also asks your hips to stay nice and healthy in the background. Keeping your pelvis level and controlled helps support hip stability over time, even if it’s not the main sensation you notice during the hold. It’s a quieter benefit, but one that still matters for runners.
There’s also a steady core challenge running through this exercise. To stop your hips dropping or rotating, the exercise requires you to stay braced through your midsection. Combined with the banded side plank variations I’ve been using in this training block, this kind of work helps your hips hold up better as fatigue builds, so running feels more controlled at the point where form often starts to slip.
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