As a fitness editor, there's nothing I love more than a weird and wonderful workout challenge. Try doing 50 walking planks a day for a week, or 10,000 steps a day for a month. I decided to try hamstring curls next and add 50 to my weekly routine.

The simple hamstring curl targets the muscles on the back of the thigh, including the semitendinosus, semimembranosus, and biceps femoris muscles that make up the hamstrings. These muscles work together to bend the knee and move the thigh. The hamstring curl (leg curl) is a simple exercise that involves bending the knees and moving the heels toward the glutes while keeping the rest of the body still. It is generally done on a leg curl machine, but there are ways to do it without going to a gym.

Hamstring curls are a great exercise for runners, but what would 50 a day do to my legs? I decided to find out. As a reminder, it is important to give your muscles time to recover after loading, so it is not recommended to work the same muscle group every day. If you are doing an exercise for the first time or returning to exercise after an injury, it is recommended that you check your form with a personal trainer before adding reps or weight.

Looking for more workout tips. Here's how this writer did biceps curls every day for a week, and here's how a fitness writer tried 50 Arnold presses a day on her shoulders for a week.

As I mentioned in the introduction, I focused primarily on variations that did not involve going to the gym. Here are a few options:

Standing Hamstring Curl: This is the simplest hamstring curl. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and shift your weight to your left leg. Bend the right knee, raise the heel up to the right hip, and slowly lower the foot back down to its original position. Complete all reps on one side before moving to the opposite leg.

Prone Hamstring Curl: To perform hamstring curls in the supine position, use a long resistance band and wrap it around something stable. Lying on your stomach, loop the resistance band around one heel with your ankle flexor. Pull against the resistance band to lower your heel down to your hip. Pause, then straighten your legs back to your starting position.

Dumbbell Hamstring Curl: To perform the dumbbell hamstring curl, hold a dumbbell between your legs and curl up both legs toward your glutes, then lower back to the starting position. If dumbbells are not at hand, a set of optimal ankle weights may be used.

As a runner, strong legs are important for getting faster and avoiding injury, but here is what I learned after a week of 350 hamstring curls:

Like many runners, I have weak glutes, and when I When I did my first 50, I quickly realized how quadriceps dominant I was as a runner. I decided to add a resistance band and do prone hamstring curls. I am right-handed, so I tend to lead with my right leg, but when I do single-leg hamstring curls, I find that my left leg is weak.

If you are looking for a great set of resistance bands for training at home, you can find them here. You will need longer bands for this exercise.

Some of these one-week challenges can leave you fed up with the exercise by day two. The fun thing about hamstring curls is that you can mix things up each day. One day I did standing hamstring curls with a set of ankle weights, another day I did leg curls with dumbbells between my legs and even a yoga ball. Resting my feet on the ball, I lifted my hips and feet off the floor and rolled the ball into my glutes. One day I even went to the gym and did it on the leg curl machine, but I preferred to use resistance bands and weights.

This is a movement that can be easily adjusted and modified at home or in the gym.

I found that using resistance bands and weights helped to increase the load on the hamstrings during this exercise. When using heavy weights, it is important to think about pressing your navel against the mat so that your back does not bow and strain your spine.

By the end of the week, I could definitely feel this movement in my hamstrings. I will definitely add hamstring curls to my leg workouts in the future, as no physio would recommend working the same muscle group every day, but for now I'm looking forward to taking a break.

Looking for more leg day inspiration. Check out this 7-move kettlebell leg workout to build bigger legs.