Top Moves For Each Bodypart...HAMS.

 Tom Platz...the greatest legs of all time.

The Hamstrings "Here" are a completely forgotten bodypart when it comes to the average person and training.  Most men ignore them completely (which is why washed-up weekend warriors playing flag football almost always pull the muscle) and most women are so worried about the adductor/abductor machines that they ignore the rest of their legs.  The hamstrings make up an important part of the posterior chain and therefore should not be ignored.  Why do think sprinters have such great legs?  Because in a sprint, the hamstrings along with the glutes are involved heavily.  You will never see an elite sprinter who does not have a well-developed posterior chain.  Why do you think YOUR girlfriend enjoys watching the Olympics?  POSTERIOR CHAIN FELLAS!  Sprints may actually be number 1 on this list, but since we are talking about moves in the gym, we will leave them out for another blog.  (Nothing against sprints, I do them often, and they will turn boys into men.)  So how can we develop that fantastic look?


1.  Romanian Deadlift:  RDL's ARE the ultimate developer of the hamstrings in the gym.  They are very similar to a normal Deadlift except that your legs remain only slightly bent the entire time.  The rep should be powerful and you should feel the hamstrings working during the negative and positive portion of the rep.  (Eccentric and Concentric for any Fitness Police)  You can load up heavy on this move too.  My high is 350lbs for 5 reps...at 160lbs...and of course no one believes it...IT IS THE INTERNET.  But I will have videos up soon.  But, RDL's are the go-to move for your hamstrings and posterior chain in general.

2.  Glute/Ham Raise:  Now, I do not really ever feel THIS in my glutes...but in my HAMSTRINGS is whole different story.  I did not do this move until about two years ago and now it is a staple in my programs.  This is a great hamstring isolator and will tell you how strong your hamstrings really are.  The rep should be smooth with minimal push at the bottom of the exercise.  Those with GREAT strength will be able to come up without a push.

3.  Bulgarian Deadlift:  Maybe not the official name, but what I call THEM.  BDL's allow you truly work the Hamstrings.  The reps again should be controlled and not all herky-jerky.  On the way up, concentrate on not standing all the way up to keep tension on the Hamstrings.  That continues tension will make the muscles work overtime and lead to stronger, and better looking Hamstrings.  I started to use this move this year.  Again, you will also have involvement from the glutes too.

Now, you are probably asking, what about leg curl?  Leg Curl is a very effective move for hamstring isolation.  Is it going to translate to performance?  Probably not.  But for physique sculpting, it can be used, but should not be the basis of a hamstring training.  Now how are you gonna target your hamstrings?

Perform RDL's Doggcrapp Style...load a barbell with a weight that will allow you possibly 7-10 reps max...perform one set to failure...rest 20 seconds...perform another set to failure....rest 20 seconds...repeat one more set to failure.  Game over. Your rep count should be something like 8, 4, 2.

Perform Glute Ham Raises in sets of 5.  Perform 4-6 sets and rest only 30 seconds in between sets.  This is know as rest-pause training.  You do not want to reach failure early on but you may reach it on the later sets.  Really focus on the negative portion of this movement.