The hamstrings are a body part which is ignored by many bodybuilders, and underdeveloped in most of them. Even some athletes with some bulging thighs will often sport hamstrings that honestly look as if they have never trained them a day in their life. Hamstrings are a muscle group which do not respond all that well to heavy weight, as they are small and cannot grow to the new dimensions we see with other body parts. The trick to training hamstrings is to fill them with as much nutrient-rich blood as possible. Here is a routine which does just that.
Lying leg curls
Start your leg biceps workout with four sets of this tried and true movement. Complete four sets of 10 to 12 repetitions. Don't worry about reducing any weight - yet.
Seated leg curls
Provided your gym has one of these, complete 4 sets. With each set, complete your first 10 repetitions to failure, then reduce the workload by 40% and complete 6 to 8 more repetitions.
Stiff-leg deadlifts
Once again, complete 4 sets. With each set, complete your first 10 repetitions to failure, then reduce the workload by 40% and complete 6 to 8 more repetitions. Use the small 10 pound plates on the bar that you can slide off easily, assuming you have two 45-pound plates on the bar first. At the conclusion of this movement, you should be pretty much fully spent and ready for some nice relaxing stretching. You're not quite there yet.
Lying leg curls
Start your leg biceps workout with four sets of this tried and true movement. Complete four sets of 10 to 12 repetitions. Don't worry about reducing any weight - yet.
Seated leg curls
Provided your gym has one of these, complete 4 sets. With each set, complete your first 10 repetitions to failure, then reduce the workload by 40% and complete 6 to 8 more repetitions.
Stiff-leg deadlifts
Once again, complete 4 sets. With each set, complete your first 10 repetitions to failure, then reduce the workload by 40% and complete 6 to 8 more repetitions. Use the small 10 pound plates on the bar that you can slide off easily, assuming you have two 45-pound plates on the bar first. At the conclusion of this movement, you should be pretty much fully spent and ready for some nice relaxing stretching. You're not quite there yet.
Standing static hamstring flexing
Stand still and practice flexing the hamstrings for 60 seconds at a time, with 60 seconds of rest between sets. Complete 5 of these sessions before moving on to the final movement.
Lying leg curls
Complete 4 sets. With each set, complete your first 10 repetitions to failure, then reduce the workload by 40% and complete 6 to 8 more repetitions. Finally, reduce the workload by another 20 percent and just stop counting reps. Let the burn arrive.
If you are able to place hamstrings on their own day, you will certainly see gains. Otherwise, they should be placed on a day exactly 72 hours after you train front thighs, and trained with an unrelated body part, such as shoulders or biceps. This will prevent the muscle group from having its pump, or your efforts, stolen away from a thigh or calf workout immediately before or after training hamstrings.
Hamstring training is difficult because it's very tough to accurately gauge the progress you are making with this muscle group. Even when you are able to absolutely destroy them, as with this workout above, you never quite know if they are growing, or just getting sore. The use of many compound movements for thighs can also help with their development. Lunges and squats are notorious for building up both the hamstrings as well as the thighs. Mix it up, and remember the goal isn't to have amazing hamstrings. For most people, that will never happen. Your goal should be to achieve very good hamstrings, which complement the rest of your physique (which consists of amazing body parts). Hamstrings are a foundation muscle group, and you need to build them to a very solid level.
Stand still and practice flexing the hamstrings for 60 seconds at a time, with 60 seconds of rest between sets. Complete 5 of these sessions before moving on to the final movement.
Lying leg curls
Complete 4 sets. With each set, complete your first 10 repetitions to failure, then reduce the workload by 40% and complete 6 to 8 more repetitions. Finally, reduce the workload by another 20 percent and just stop counting reps. Let the burn arrive.
If you are able to place hamstrings on their own day, you will certainly see gains. Otherwise, they should be placed on a day exactly 72 hours after you train front thighs, and trained with an unrelated body part, such as shoulders or biceps. This will prevent the muscle group from having its pump, or your efforts, stolen away from a thigh or calf workout immediately before or after training hamstrings.
Hamstring training is difficult because it's very tough to accurately gauge the progress you are making with this muscle group. Even when you are able to absolutely destroy them, as with this workout above, you never quite know if they are growing, or just getting sore. The use of many compound movements for thighs can also help with their development. Lunges and squats are notorious for building up both the hamstrings as well as the thighs. Mix it up, and remember the goal isn't to have amazing hamstrings. For most people, that will never happen. Your goal should be to achieve very good hamstrings, which complement the rest of your physique (which consists of amazing body parts). Hamstrings are a foundation muscle group, and you need to build them to a very solid level.
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