Hello theElore family!
Hope you all have been keeping well not only in the gym but in your busy lives as well!
Before I begin, I have some sad news. This will unfortunately be my last blog post for theElore. I am in the process of starting a new job and have some new commitments on the weekend which will take a lot of time away from writing the blogs. More on that later but without further adieu let’s jump into the last muscle of the GETBIG Series, the underrated hamstrings!
Anatomy
The hamstrings are a group of muscles (Semitendinosus, Biceps Femoris – long and short head, Semimembranosus) that lie behind the thigh. It is essential for stabilization of the leg, and extension of the knee, thigh and hip flexors. Many common leg injuries in the gym and in sports are usually hamstring tears or pulls. This is because men and women focus too much on the quadriceps and leave little to no direct training of the hamstrings. Yes, your hamstrings are worked in compound lifts such as the leg press, deadlift, squats etc. however this is not enough direct volume and usually results in weak hamstrings.
Exercises
Below are my top three favorite exercises to strengthen those hamstrings. To be honest I have no clue who named them hamstrings and why. I find that to be very haram as I am only halal.
1. RDL (Romanian deadlift)
The deadlift is a conventional full body exercise however a slight variation in form can make it a hamstring only exercise. The best thing about this is that you do not need heavy weight. This exercise is all about tempo rather than weight.
This is the form as it’s a bit technical:
Start with the bar at your hips with a pronated grip (palms facing down and towards you).
Your back should have a slight arch and knees slightly bent.
Lower the bar (keep it close to your body), keep your legs as straight as possibly with a slight knee bend.
Lower till you reach the maximum stretch in your hamstring which should be just below the knee.
Use your hips and feet to stand back upright.
2. Lying Leg Curls
This is a killer burnout hamstring exercise. I like to do this near the end of my workout to get more volume and direct training in.
I see many people get this exercise wrong, with specific attention to where the bar sits on the leg. People either have the bar too low or too high. It should sit just a few inches below the calf muscle. Word of caution don’t go too heavy on this. You easily tear or pull your hamstring. Just lift light – moderate weight with proper tempo and focus on the eccentric portion of the exercise. With hamstrings it's more about the stretch and time under tension than anything. If you do not have access to this machine, it can be done with dumbbells as well by holding a dumbbell with your feet.
3. Kettlebell One Legged Deadlift
Isolation leg exercises should be incorporated into your training as well. It promotes equal and balanced strength distribution in your legs which will help you increase the weight your legs can take on squats and deadlift.
The common mistake with this exercise is being too loose. The entire upper body should be stiff and once again the movement should be slow and controlled.
If you play any competitive sports you want to make sure you have strong hamstrings. Hamstring injuries can keep you out of training and competitive sports for months. Avoid all that by putting in proper work to prevent these common injuries.
Most importantly remember, always warm up. Spend 3-5 minutes on the bike, try and touch your toes etc. Get your muscles warmed up before lifting and working out!
And that brings us to the end! I sincerely hope the advice and tips I have given you over the past months has helped you or will continue help you in your training. I want to thank you for all the feedback, questions and support you all have shown. I highly appreciate it and I wish you all the best of luck in your future training. I am still accessible to questions, shoot me a DM (@huuusss_p) and I am more than happy to help if I can!
Huge thank you to Mobeen and Aftab for giving me a platform to share my knowledge and experience. Continue to support these guys as they are doing and will continue to do great things! 😊
Hopefully one day I’ll return to a part 2 podcast and link up with you all again! Very soon.
Much love and respect,
Hussain
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