I have tried this exercise before and think its great. I am thinking of trying it this time with a snatch grip. However, should I keep my knees locked or a slight bent to engage more hamstrings? See the link below to what I am describing. Essentially its a barbell hyperextension but is considered a deadlift accessory
Hi,
Since you are working the hip extension function of the hamstrings during this exercise. If you try the back raises with locked or close to knees then then you’ll probably feel a greater stretch and tension through the hamstrings. The angles are kinda different but think the difference between a Stiff Leg Deadlift and Romanian/Conventional. If you are looking to work all the functions of the hamstrings Glute Hame Raises on a Glute Ham Developer is what you’re looking for.
hopefully this turns you into a beast like Pete Rubish
I use slight knee bend. I try to think about “Pulling” with my heels, to keep pressure on my hamstrings.
If I lock my knees out, I find myself kind of almost standing on my toes, over extended, and using a ton of lower back. Almost pulled over the bar, in a position I would never want to be in deadlifting.
With a slight knee bend, it feels more natural to pull the bar towards myself, and to use hamstrings to extend at the hips, instead of using tons of lower back, and over extending.
Snatch grip sounds like it could be cool. 10’s or 25 plates instead of 45s can also give you a longer ROM. But could be a hassle if you’re StrongStrong.