| Training hamstrings. Not too many athletes actually enjoy leg day but they do understand that training hamstrings is vital both for athletic performance and physique development. Most people associate the lower body with movements like squats, leg presses, deadlifts, and calf raises. While there is no reason to knock any of those movements, there does seem to be a disconnect when it comes to exercises and training that focuses on the back of the leg, otherwise known as the hamstrings. There are three common mistakes that are common and if you want complete and strong legs, you need to fix these errors now. |
By Roger Lockridge
Training Hamstrings: Not Training Them Hard Enough
Lots of people start training hamstrings as a way to warm up the knees and to get blood moving to the legs or they throw them in as a finisher after blasting the quads with several different movements. If you’re an athlete that plays a sport that involves running or jumping, the hamstrings are vital to maximize your performance. If you’re a physique athlete, hamstring development can either win or lose a contest for you. To help you increase the intensity of training them, you should group your leg day into smaller segments like hamstrings and quadriceps similar to how athletes train biceps and triceps on arm day.
Training Hamstrings: If You Just Do Leg Curls, You’re Doing It Wrong
While all the versions of the leg curl are great, you need more than those to get the job done completely. Standing, seated, and lying leg curls are all hamstring exercises but they place emphasis on the bottom area which is around the knee. There is a whole section of the muscle that goes up the back of your thigh to your glutes which are barely activated. To complete your hamstring training, you should be incorporating movements like Good Mornings and Reverse Hypers into your plan.
Don’t Cheat the System by Skipping Individual Work
It can be real convenient to make sure that you do hamstring movements with both legs at the same time so you can shave a few minutes off of your workout but what you’re actually doing is failing to reach your full potential. I’d bet you focus on arm movements that focus on the left or right like dumbbell movements. That same principle should apply when it comes to your legs and in this case, the hamstrings. Make each leg do work on its own so you can maximize their development. They will be even stronger working together if you do this.
Give This Plan a Go & Results Will Show
This hamstring specific workout can help you correct all of these mistakes now so you can make progress and improve not only the back of the legs but overall development and fitness. If you take photos and track your work, you should notice positive results in around six weeks. Rest for 90 seconds between sets.
Good Mornings – 2 warm up sets of 8-10 reps, 5 work sets of 5 reps.
Single Stiff Legged Deadlift – 1 warm up set of 8 reps, 3 work sets of 6-8 reps.
Single Lying Leg Curl – 1 warm up set of 10 reps. 3 work sets of 8 reps.
