Brad McLean Hamstring Rehab - week 2

Lateral march

3 x 30

Carioca

3 x 1:00

Lateral in and out drill - no ladder required

3 x 1:00

Glute bridge march on bench with band hold

3 x 12

Half kneeling cable chop

3 x 24

B Stance RDL

6 x 12 @ 26.46, 30.86, 35.27, 39.68, 44.09, 48.5 kg

Criteria to progress (grade 2a hamstring phase 1)

Do not progress if: ✳️ next-day soreness or guarding ✳️ walking pain returns ✳️ running mechanics deteriorate

Running Drills - Side Skipping

3 x 1:00

Conquer the Brettzel by Surrounding the Dragon

1 x 1

Core activated hip flexor stretch

1 x 1

Dynamic Hamstring Stretch

1 x 20

Carioca

3 x 1:00

Lateral in and out drill - no ladder required

3 x 1:00

Single leg long lever hamstring isometric

3 x 20

Half-kneeling cable lift

3 x 24

Lateral wall load and lift

Criteria to progress (grade 2a hamstring phase 1)

Do not progress if: ✳️ next-day soreness or guarding ✳️ walking pain returns ✳️ running mechanics deteriorate

Aerobic Capacity (Cyclical)

Choose one, or a mix of all 3 for the session duration: 1️⃣ Bike 2️⃣ Incline treadmill walk 3️⃣ Rower (light) Intensity 4-5/10 - Comfortable but working. Nasal breathing possible Able to talk in full sentences Duration Week 1: 20–25 min Week 2: 25–30 min Week 3: 30–35 min Week 4: 30–40 min (cap) “Smooth, steady effort. You should finish feeling better than when you started.”

Thorax, Neck and Shoulder Reset Circuit

(1–2 rounds, not fatiguing) 1️⃣ Crocodile Breathing 4–5 slow breaths Cue: “Let the ribs soften into the floor.” 2️⃣ Brettzel 2.0 2 reps per side 2 breaths at end range Cue: “Turn the chest, breathe out.” 3️⃣ Seated Thoracic Rotation 4 reps per side Cue: “Rotate through the ribs.” Note: This circuit is about opening options, not stretching hard. Stop well short of fatigue.

Goblet Squat

5 x 6 @ 35.27, _ , _ , _ , _ kg

Trap Bar Deadlift

5 x 5

Chest-Supported DB Row

5 x 8

SA Band Row & Reach

3 x 6

Glute bridge march on bench with band hold

3 x 6

DNS star plank with reach

3 x 20

Farmers carry

3 x 40

Movement prep - Continuous Linear Elastic Density

Watch the videos below. 1️⃣ Ankling Drill Dosage: 15 m each Purpose: Progress ankle stiffness into rhythmic contacts Prepare leg tendons for repeated short ground contacts Coaching Cues: “Quiet feet.” “Short contacts.” 2️⃣ Straight-legged shuffle (low amplitude) This is very similar to the ankling drill but it moves forward a little more, with slightly bigger leg swings forward. Dosage: 10 m each Purpose: Introduce faster front-side mechanics Prepare for continuous elastic work without running Coaching Cues: “Tall posture.” 3️⃣ Wall Load & Lift Dosage: 8 reps / side Purpose: Reinforce force orientation Maintain postural discipline before continuous work Coaching Cues: “Push the wall away.” “Own the stance leg.” “Smooth rhythm.” 4️⃣ Low-Amplitude Pogos (Prep) Dosage: 2×15 Purpose: Final tissue primer for continuous SSC Increase stiffness without fatigue Coaching Cues: “Bounce tall.” “Minimal knee bend.”

Phase 2 Return-to-field-sports running

Set up a rectangle of about 50m on the long side and 30m on the short side. Jog the long sides, then side skip the short sides. Complete 6 laps only first time. This is about 600m of continuous load on the body at forces of approximately twice the body weight. It's not high volume at all, but the objective is to prove that jogging does not aggravate the injury on this day. We'll pack the conditioning now with walking and movement drills.

Walk and movement circuit

3 to 5km of walking. Intermittently, add any of these exercises: ✳️ core activated hip flexor stretch - 1 rep = 3 breaths ✳️ inchworm and push up - 3 reps ✳️ crossover walk - 6 steps ✳️ any of the 3 drills you did in phase 1 - side skipping, carioca or in-and-out drill while moving laterally.

Movement prep - Continuous Linear Elastic Density

Watch the videos below. 1️⃣ Ankling Drill Dosage: 15 m each Purpose: Progress ankle stiffness into rhythmic contacts Prepare leg tendons for repeated short ground contacts Coaching Cues: “Quiet feet.” “Short contacts.” 2️⃣ Straight-legged shuffle (low amplitude) This is very similar to the ankling drill but it moves forward a little more, with slightly bigger leg swings forward. Dosage: 10 m each Purpose: Introduce faster front-side mechanics Prepare for continuous elastic work without running Coaching Cues: “Tall posture.” 3️⃣ Wall Load & Lift Dosage: 8 reps / side Purpose: Reinforce force orientation Maintain postural discipline before continuous work Coaching Cues: “Push the wall away.” “Own the stance leg.” “Smooth rhythm.” 4️⃣ Low-Amplitude Pogos (Prep) Dosage: 2×15 Purpose: Final tissue primer for continuous SSC Increase stiffness without fatigue Coaching Cues: “Bounce tall.” “Minimal knee bend.”

Phase 2 Return-to-field-sports running

Set up a rectangle of about 50m on the long side and 30m on the short side. Jog the long sides, then side skip the short sides. Complete 6 laps only first time. This is about 600m of continuous load on the body at forces of approximately twice the body weight. It's not high volume at all, but the objective is to prove that jogging does not aggravate the injury on this day. We'll pack the conditioning now with walking and movement drills.

Walk and movement circuit

3 to 5km of walking. Intermittently, add any of these exercises: ✳️ core activated hip flexor stretch - 1 rep = 3 breaths ✳️ inchworm and push up - 3 reps ✳️ crossover walk - 6 steps ✳️ any of the 3 drills you did in phase 1 - side skipping, carioca or in-and-out drill while moving laterally.

Glute bridge march on bench with band hold

3 x 12

Half kneeling cable chop

3 x 24

B Stance RDL

6 x 12 @ 26.46, 30.86, 35.27, 39.68, 44.09, 48.5 kg

Band-Assisted Nordic Hamstring Curls

2 x 5

Criteria to progress (grade 2a hamstring phase 1)

Do not progress if: ✳️ next-day soreness or guarding ✳️ walking pain returns ✳️ running mechanics deteriorate