10 Best Hurdle Hops Alternatives for Hamstring Power
What can I do instead of Hurdle Hops? Use broad jumps, box jumps, kettlebell swings, Romanian deadlifts, or Nordic hamstring curls to load the hamstrings and upper legs. Emphasize a hip hinge: push hips back, keep a neutral spine and land softly with knees slightly bent to maintain the stretch-shortening cycle.
Original Exercise: Hurdle Hops
How to Perform Hurdle Hops
- Set up a row of hurdles or other small barriers, placing them a few feet apart.
- Stand in front of the first hurdle with your feet shoulder width apart. This will be your starting position.
- Begin by jumping with both feet over the first hurdle, swinging both arms as you jump.
- Absorb the impact of landing by bending the knees, rebounding out of the first leap by jumping over the next hurdle. Continue until you have jumped over all of the hurdles.
Pro Tips
- Category: Plyometrics
- Force: Push
- Movement type: Compound
Best Hurdle Hops Alternatives
1. Cable Deadlifts
82.3% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Move the cables to the bottom of the towers and select an appropriate weight. Stand directly in between the uprights.
- To begin, squat down be flexing your hips and knees until you can reach the handles.
- After grasping them, begin your ascent. Driving through your heels extend your hips and knees keeping your hands hanging at your side. Keep your head and chest up throughout the movement.
- After reaching a full standing position, Return to the starting position and repeat.
2. Clean Deadlift
79.7% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Begin standing with a barbell close to your shins. Your feet should be directly under your hips with your feet turned out slightly. Grip the bar with a double overhand grip or hook grip, about shoulder width apart. Squat down to the bar. Your spine should be in full extension, with a back angle that places your shoulders in front of the bar and your back as vertical as possible.
- Begin by driving through the floor through the front of your heels. As the bar travels upward, maintain a constant back angle. Flare your knees out to the side to help keep them out of the bar's path.
- After the bar crosses the knees, complete the lift by driving the hips into the bar until your hips and knees are extended.
3. Clean
73.8% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- With a barbell on the floor close to the shins, take an overhand (or hook) grip just outside the legs. Lower your hips with the weight focused on the heels, back straight, head facing forward, chest up, with your shoulders just in front of the bar. This will be your starting position.
- Begin the first pull by driving through the heels, extending your knees. Your back angle should stay the same, and your arms should remain straight. Move the weight with control as you continue to above the knees.
- Next comes the second pull, the main source of acceleration for the clean. As the bar approaches the mid-thigh position, begin extending through the hips. In a jumping motion, accelerate by extending the hips, knees, and ankles, using speed to move the bar upward. There should be no need to actively pull through the arms to accelerate the weight; at the end of the second pull, the body should be fully extended, leaning slightly back, with the arms still extended.
- As full extension is achieved, transition into the third pull by aggressively shrugging and flexing the arms with the elbows up and out. At peak extension, aggressively pull yourself down, rotating your elbows under the bar as you do so. Receive the bar in a front squat position, the depth of which is dependent upon the height of the bar at the end of the third pull. The bar should be racked onto the protracted shoulders, lightly touching the throat with the hands relaxed. Continue to descend to the bottom squat position, which will help in the recovery.
4. Band Good Morning (Pull Through)
73.1% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Loop the band around a post. Standing a little ways away, loop the opposite end around the neck. Your hands can help hold the band in position.
- Begin by bending at the hips, getting your butt back as far as possible. Keep your back flat and bend forward to about 90 degrees. Your knees should be only slightly bent.
- Return to the starting position be driving through with the hips to come back to a standing position.
5. Double Kettlebell Alternating Hang Clean
72.9% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Place two kettlebells between your feet. To get in the starting position, push your butt back and look straight ahead.
- Clean one kettlebell to your shoulder and hold on to the other kettlebell.
- With a fluid motion, lower the top kettlebell while driving the bottom kettlebell up.
6. Band Good Morning
71.8% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Using a 41 inch band, stand on one end, spreading your feet a small amount. Bend at the hips to loop the end of the band behind your neck. This will be your starting position.
- Keeping your legs straight, extend through the hips to come to a near vertical position.
- Ensure that you do not round your back as you go down back to the starting position.
7. Band Straight Leg Deadlift
69.7% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and place the band around your feet.
- Hold the band with both hands, palms facing your body, and keep your arms straight.
- Engage your core and maintain a slight bend in your knees.
- Slowly hinge forward at your hips, keeping your back straight and chest lifted.
- Lower the band towards the ground while keeping your legs straight.
8. Dumbbell Clean
68.1% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand with an overhand grip.
- Bend your knees and lower your hips into a squat position, keeping your back straight and chest up.
- Explosively extend your hips and knees, driving through your heels to jump off the ground.
- As you jump, shrug your shoulders and pull the dumbbells up towards your shoulders, keeping them close to your body.
- Catch the dumbbells at shoulder height, with your elbows pointing forward and your palms facing up.
9. Ball Leg Curl
68% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Begin on the floor laying on your back with your feet on top of the ball.
- Position the ball so that when your legs are extended your ankles are on top of the ball. This will be your starting position.
- Raise your hips off of the ground, keeping your weight on the shoulder blades and your feet.
- Flex the knees, pulling the ball as close to you as you can, contracting the hamstrings.
- After a brief pause, return to the starting position.
10. Barbell Good Morning
65.7% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart and the barbell resting on your upper back.
- Keeping your back straight and your core engaged, hinge forward at the hips, pushing your buttocks back as if you were trying to touch the wall behind you with your glutes.
- Lower your torso until it is parallel to the ground, feeling a stretch in your hamstrings.
- Pause for a moment, then return to the starting position by squeezing your glutes and pushing your hips forward.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Why You Might Need a Hurdle Hops Alternative
You may substitute hurdle hops because of impact concerns, joint pain, limited equipment, or a goal shift from explosiveness to strength. Plyometrics stress the Achilles, knee, and lumbar spine via high ground reaction forces, so lower-impact options reduce eccentric overload. Choose movements that still recruit hip extensors and hamstrings—e.g., RDLs for eccentric loading or kettlebell swings for powerful hip extension. Technique cue: hinge at the hips with a braced core and a neutral spine to maximize hamstring activation and protect the lumbar region.
How to Choose the Right Substitute
Select a substitute based on goal (power vs hypertrophy), current load tolerance, and available equipment. For power, pick plyometric options like broad jumps or box jumps and cue an explosive hip drive; for muscle growth, choose RDLs or Nordic curls and prioritize slow eccentric control to increase time under tension. Consider biomechanics: favor hip-hinge patterns to emphasize hamstring and glute activation, and reduce knee-dominant squatting if you want greater posterior-chain stimulus.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles does Hurdle Hops work?
Hurdle hops primarily target the hamstrings and glutes through explosive hip extension and the quadriceps via knee extension during landing. The exercise also engages the calves and core to stabilize the pelvis and control the stretch-shortening cycle during takeoff and landing.
What is the best bodyweight alternative to Hurdle Hops?
Broad jumps are the best bodyweight alternative for power; they use the same hip-extension pattern and stretch-shortening cycle. Cue an aggressive hip drive, swing the arms, and land softly with hips back and knees bent to maintain hamstring activation and reduce impact.
Can I build muscle without doing Hurdle Hops?
Yes. Build hamstring muscle with resistance exercises that emphasize the hip hinge and eccentric loading—Romanian deadlifts, single-leg RDLs, and Nordic hamstring curls increase time under tension and promote hypertrophy. Focus on progressive overload and controlled eccentrics while keeping technique: push hips back, maintain a neutral spine, and feel the stretch in the hamstrings.
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