The hamstring has long been a muscle that was both under appreciated and difficult to fully develop. Everyone knows how to develop big quadriceps, which is the muscle group that gets all the attention. However, the hamstring is just as big a muscle group as the quadriceps and can be targeted by both compound and isolation exercises. Using these exercises twice a week as a part of your lower body routine can build and define the back of your leg.
Squat and Leg Press
The squat is the gold standard of lower body training. A truly compound exercise, the squat activates the quads, hamstrings and glutes. Because of this, the squat is an appropriate lift to begin a workout with so that all muscles are warmed up before being isolated. Squat to or slightly below parallel, as higher squats are both dangerous to the knee and only target the quads. The leg press can be used as a substitute to the squat if necessary due to injury, but is best used as a follow up lift. Move your feet as high up on the foot pad as possible, because this position moves more of the load from the front of the legs to the back of the legs.
Lunge
Lunges are the first true isolation of the hamstring and can be done with both a barbell or dumbbells. In addition, you can step forward, backwards, or can even perform the lunges in a continuous walk. The key is to split the legs as far as possible and lower the back knee until it almost touches the floor before standing again. Focus on pushing yourself up with the back of your leg and not the front. Keep your chest up and your back as straight as possible, because bending at the waist adds to the load on the front of the leg.
Single Leg Squat
This is a combination movement somewhere between a squat and a lunge. Using a bench behind you, reach back and rest one foot on the bench. Keep the laces of your shoe facing down and hop out on the forward leg as far as possible. You will squat down as if you are trying to touch your back knee to the ground. This will keep the load on the hamstrings and will keep the front knee from going out in front of the toes. This move will be awkward at first and may be performed with very light weight.
Leg Curls
As the main isolation movement of the hamstrings, leg curls can be done standing using a band, seated using a machine, or lying on your stomach using either a machine or a dumbbell placed between the arches of the feet. It is easy to make the mistake of using your glutes during this movement. Instead, use the hamstrings to pull the weight up.
Stiff Leg Dead Lift
Also known as Romanian Dead Lift, this lift has a misleading name. The legs are not locked out and stiff. Instead, maintain a slight knee bend throughout the lift. While bending at the waist, you will lower the bar until you feel a slight stretch in the hamstrings, then pull the bar up as you stand, using your legs to pull you to an erect position. Keep your head and eyes up to help prevent lower back injuries. This lift can be dangerous if done with a heavy weight or incorrect technique so focus on doing the correct movements slowly.
References
- Bodybuilding.com; "Hamstrings"; Matt Weik; 2010
- Bodybuilding.com; "Hamstring Development"; Coach Davies; 2010
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