This post follows the series describing how to design adequate routines for training the different body-parts. This chapter provides you with the general guidelines for proper hamstrings training.
In the quadriceps post, we already discussed the importance of training your legs for achieving a proportionate physique. However, some people tend to do only quadriceps dominant exercises when training legs, forgetting about the other muscles of the upper thigh. Of course, this is not recommended either, because you will ruin the muscular balance, which is not also an aesthetic problem, but also can lead you to injury.
The hamstring body-part comprises the major part of the back of the thigh and performs two major functions, namely hip extension and knee flexion, but also assists in knee rotation movements (medial and lateral rotation). The hamstring is made up of 4 different heads: the long head of the biceps femoris, the short head of the biceps femoris, the semimembranosus and the semitendinosus.
For proper development of the hamstrings, you'll need at least 2 or 3 exercises including movements for exercising the two major functions of the hamstrings: knee flexion and hip extension. The first is accomplished using leg curls, which is an analogous exercise to biceps curls. You can choose among seated, lying, or standing versions, though the one-legged versions have the added benefit of avoid muscle unbalances. Use always a full range of motion and squeeze your hamstrings at the top of the movement. You can vary your foot position (inward, neutral, or outward) to shift the focus among the different hamstrings heads.
The second is accomplished using stiff-leg deadlifts (or variations such as Romanian deadlifts). This is a power exercise that has demonstrated to be very effective for stimulating the hamstrings fibers, involving in addition other muscles such as the glutes or the lower back. This is an isometric exercise because the muscle contracts without significant movement (a.k.a. static tension). Proper form is essential when performing stiff-leg deadlifts, because bad form will put your lower back in a potentially injurious position. Bend at the hips while keeping your back straight and knees slightly bent during the whole movement. Do not fully stretch the legs at any point. As you descend, your butt should move back slightly and you should feel a stretch in your hamstrings. This form can be difficult to master, hence practice a lot and start using light weights.
Hamstrings are also involved to a certain extend when training other body-parts such as the quadriceps (e.g. when doing lunges) or the lower back (e.g. when doing hyperextensions or good mornings). For this reason, some typical workout splits place the hamstrings routine in the quadriceps day (for instance when these two parts are supersetted), while others advocate for splitting legs routine among several days and place hamstrings workout together with the lower back.
If you need more information for designing your hamstrings workout, you can read the article “Hamstring Paradigm!” by Charles Poliquin or the article “Training the Hamstrings and Calves!” included in the I.C.E. Training Program developed by Big Cat.
In the quadriceps post, we already discussed the importance of training your legs for achieving a proportionate physique. However, some people tend to do only quadriceps dominant exercises when training legs, forgetting about the other muscles of the upper thigh. Of course, this is not recommended either, because you will ruin the muscular balance, which is not also an aesthetic problem, but also can lead you to injury.
The hamstring body-part comprises the major part of the back of the thigh and performs two major functions, namely hip extension and knee flexion, but also assists in knee rotation movements (medial and lateral rotation). The hamstring is made up of 4 different heads: the long head of the biceps femoris, the short head of the biceps femoris, the semimembranosus and the semitendinosus.
For proper development of the hamstrings, you'll need at least 2 or 3 exercises including movements for exercising the two major functions of the hamstrings: knee flexion and hip extension. The first is accomplished using leg curls, which is an analogous exercise to biceps curls. You can choose among seated, lying, or standing versions, though the one-legged versions have the added benefit of avoid muscle unbalances. Use always a full range of motion and squeeze your hamstrings at the top of the movement. You can vary your foot position (inward, neutral, or outward) to shift the focus among the different hamstrings heads.
The second is accomplished using stiff-leg deadlifts (or variations such as Romanian deadlifts). This is a power exercise that has demonstrated to be very effective for stimulating the hamstrings fibers, involving in addition other muscles such as the glutes or the lower back. This is an isometric exercise because the muscle contracts without significant movement (a.k.a. static tension). Proper form is essential when performing stiff-leg deadlifts, because bad form will put your lower back in a potentially injurious position. Bend at the hips while keeping your back straight and knees slightly bent during the whole movement. Do not fully stretch the legs at any point. As you descend, your butt should move back slightly and you should feel a stretch in your hamstrings. This form can be difficult to master, hence practice a lot and start using light weights.
Hamstrings are also involved to a certain extend when training other body-parts such as the quadriceps (e.g. when doing lunges) or the lower back (e.g. when doing hyperextensions or good mornings). For this reason, some typical workout splits place the hamstrings routine in the quadriceps day (for instance when these two parts are supersetted), while others advocate for splitting legs routine among several days and place hamstrings workout together with the lower back.
If you need more information for designing your hamstrings workout, you can read the article “Hamstring Paradigm!” by Charles Poliquin or the article “Training the Hamstrings and Calves!” included in the I.C.E. Training Program developed by Big Cat.
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