Damn lagging hammies!

[Max32]

Whats the good word yall? Wanted to see if yall had some tips on hamstrings. My quads have always been a stronger point, I need to bring out my sweep a bit more, but lack of "hang" to the hammie and belly to the muscle especially in side poses is killing me! Obviously, knowing how to pose and bring back knee into front leg helps, but only so much....

Right now, I am hitting hams 2x per week at about 6-9 sets per day, Monday (after back) and Thursday (with quads). I try to incorporate romanian deads with dbells one day and heavier barbell version the other, along with various curls, and though I wish I did, I do not have access to a reverse hyper machine. As far as stimulus from other leg movements, strength has always been there, along with squat depth...though my stance is shoulder width or narrower, for the quad sweep. I can handle 500 on free for 10-12 reps on sets if I start with squats, otherwise I pre-exhaust and use 405 for sets of 15 at the end, which I (and my joints) like a lot better....

The only thing I have been changing as of late is to add smith "duck squats" or super wide stance feet pointed out at 45 degrees sumo style squats to try and incorporate more hamstring recruitment right after main squat exercise...other than that, any and all advice is GREATLY appreciated guys, thank u!

 

[boondocksmuscle]

Have you always trained them 2x per week or is this something new you've been trying?

I would try some DB leg curls, sumo leg press, goodmornings and maybe some box squats too.

 

[inoverdrive]

Personally I think you are overtraining them. As of exercises the most effective thing I have done was stiff leg deadlifts with a deep stretch at the bottom. Thing is you have to really concentrate on your hams or else you end up working your lower back to much instead of your hams.

 

[Max32]

Personally I think you are overtraining them. As of exercises the most effective thing I have done was stiff leg deadlifts with a deep stretch at the bottom. Thing is you have to really concentrate on your hams or else you end up working your lower back to much instead of your hams.

I just recently started the 2x week protocol....I may opt for one day of only 1 rest pause set as opposed to 2 regular days...

 

[Max32]

Have you always trained them 2x per week or is this something new you've been trying?

I would try some DB leg curls, sumo leg press, goodmornings and maybe some box squats too.

db leg curls have always made me cramp, though I would love to be able to do them I do want to interchange the sumo smith squats with the sumo leg press occasionally as well.....

 

[Big Bapper]

What way do you point your toes when doing leg curls.

 

[Max32]

What way do you point your toes when doing leg curls.

Towards shins, even tried the other way back in the day for gastrocs...but for hammies, always towards shins, even put 5 lb plates under toes on dbell romanians..

 

[Fa Seeshus]

i've trained them 2x a week, but get better results off of 1x a week and then sprinting on another day.

alot of your hams are straight fast-twitch muscle. that is why they sometimes don't respond to higher volume and frequency

 

[Big Bapper]

Towards shins, even tried the other way back in the day for gastrocs...but for hammies, always towards shins, even put 5 lb plates under toes on dbell romanians..

Try them like this, start with your toes pointing away from your body at the start of the movement. As you lift the weight bring your toes stright till you get to contraction.

 

[Phidias]

Try them like this, start with your toes pointing away from your body at the start of the movement. As you lift the weight bring your toes stright till you get to contraction.

I often do that too, BP. Sound advice.

 

[maldorf]

Towards shins, even tried the other way back in the day for gastrocs...but for hammies, always towards shins, even put 5 lb plates under toes on dbell romanians..

If you dont point your toes away from your shins, extending your feet out, you will be incorporating your gastrocs into the movement. By flexing the calf and extending your feet out you are taking the gastrocs out of the movement as much as you can. the gastrocs are a 2 joint muscle and also act at the knee joint. Ever notice how you can do much more weight when you point your toes toward your shins, flexing your tibialis anterior? I sometimes would do leg curls with my calves flexed, feet extended out away from shins, to failure and then if you flex your foot toward your shin you can get out 3 or 4 more reps because the gastrocs are chipping in.

 

[tatteredxangelx]

Deadlift off a box. deepens your range of motion by making you sink your hips lower. Go heavy, but don't break form ... squeeze the glutes at the top. A reverse hyper won't put mass on your hamstrings ... it just helps to teach your body how to pull with your whole posterior chain

 

[CHAPS]

What rep ranges are you using? Charles Poliquin suggests higher reps hip extension exercises (stiff legged deadlifts, good mornings etc), and lower reps knee flexion exercises (leg curls, glute-ham raises etc). So try 10reps+ for stiff legged deadlifts and 8 reps or below for leg curls. Also i find kneeling and standing leg curls peak my hams more, and if you have a glute-ham raise at your gym then get on that thing, amazing exercise for hams. Here is a good article for hams, you should be able to take away alot of good info from it: **broken link removed**

 

[forcedreps13]

U might want to try this movement, however you will need someone to spot you. Place yourself on a flat bench with just your knees on the bench, your feel should be hanging off the back of the bench. Your spotter will position him/herself behind maintaining a firm grip around your ankles. You will then lean forward, ONLY bending at the knees, not your lower back. Make sure that you are going forward enough to be able to come back up to the starting postion. I hope this is enough info to give you a visual of what I'm talking about

 

[Max32]

U might want to try this movement, however you will need someone to spot you. Place yourself on a flat bench with just your knees on the bench, your feel should be hanging off the back of the bench. Your spotter will position him/herself behind maintaining a firm grip around your ankles. You will then lean forward, ONLY bending at the knees, not your lower back. Make sure that you are going forward enough to be able to come back up to the starting postion. I hope this is enough info to give you a visual of what I'm talking about

I do these from time to time with a flat bench near a pulldown station to hold ankles in place...