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Hamstring training?
- Thread starter msboss
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Straight leg dead lift is awesome for thick hams, and a nice shaping excersise for your ass..hard to explain proper technique. The hands shoulder width apart, feet close together, maybe a fist width apart....Palms facing in (both). You drive heels of your feet into the floor as you lift, and squeeze glutes...ANY HELP???
There is NO DOUBT that the sitffleg deadlift, properly done, is the best mass movement for the hams BY FAR!
Problem is almost nobody knows how to do them.
Most reach way down with the arms and have minimal hip pivit.
THE KEY is to pivit at the hip.
This is how you do them......first of all you will need wrist straps once you are working this exercise hard.
Shoulder width grip, both palms facing towards you. Keep the back straight ALL THE TIME. PIVIT at the hip and stick you buttt backwards and bend over. DO NOT reach down with the arms as you bend over AT THE HIP. Keep the bar close to your legs all the time. Legs are very slightly bent(unlocked). A few can do this movement safely with locked knees. Go down ONLY to slightly below the knee and I don't care if you have the flexibilty to put your elbows on the floor. If you go deep you will screw up your back sooner or latter as this opens up the lumber spine way too much.
Before doing each rep take a deep breath and hold it as you go down, stick your chest out and either flatten your low back or slightly arch it...... and then exhale after the sticking point is past on the way up.
Try the movement without a bar.....just pivit at the hip and try to feel the hamstring stretch as you go down. Full stretch occurs somewhere between hands at knee level to hands at mid shin level. Some can go to mid shin but it is risky IMHO.
If you are going down to shoe top level then you are NOT getting more ham stretch but are just reaching down with the arms and rounding the low back...BAD IDEA.
If you are doing them correctly then you should be able to lift almost as much as you squat.
RG
Problem is almost nobody knows how to do them.
Most reach way down with the arms and have minimal hip pivit.
THE KEY is to pivit at the hip.
This is how you do them......first of all you will need wrist straps once you are working this exercise hard.
Shoulder width grip, both palms facing towards you. Keep the back straight ALL THE TIME. PIVIT at the hip and stick you buttt backwards and bend over. DO NOT reach down with the arms as you bend over AT THE HIP. Keep the bar close to your legs all the time. Legs are very slightly bent(unlocked). A few can do this movement safely with locked knees. Go down ONLY to slightly below the knee and I don't care if you have the flexibilty to put your elbows on the floor. If you go deep you will screw up your back sooner or latter as this opens up the lumber spine way too much.
Before doing each rep take a deep breath and hold it as you go down, stick your chest out and either flatten your low back or slightly arch it...... and then exhale after the sticking point is past on the way up.
Try the movement without a bar.....just pivit at the hip and try to feel the hamstring stretch as you go down. Full stretch occurs somewhere between hands at knee level to hands at mid shin level. Some can go to mid shin but it is risky IMHO.
If you are going down to shoe top level then you are NOT getting more ham stretch but are just reaching down with the arms and rounding the low back...BAD IDEA.
If you are doing them correctly then you should be able to lift almost as much as you squat.
RG
Thanks so much. I have always gone down past my knees. Thought I had to. Maybe this is why my hamstings were never up to par with my quads. I will try not going down so far and see what the results are. While I've got your attention, what's your opinion on laying DB leg curls.?I've never done them but see alot of people doing them.Realgains said:There is NO DOUBT that the sitffleg deadlift, properly done, is the best mass movement for the hams BY FAR!
Problem is almost nobody knows how to do them.
Most reach way down with the arms and have minimal hip pivit.
THE KEY is to pivit at the hip.
This is how you do them......first of all you will need wrist straps once you are working this exercise hard.
Shoulder width grip, both palms facing towards you. Keep the back straight ALL THE TIME. PIVIT at the hip and stick you buttt backwards and bend over. DO NOT reach down with the arms as you bend over AT THE HIP. Keep the bar close to your legs all the time. Legs are very slightly bent(unlocked). A few can do this movement safely with locked knees. Go down ONLY to slightly below the knee and I don't care if you have the flexibilty to put your elbows on the floor. If you go deep you will screw up your back sooner or latter as this opens up the lumber spine way too much.
Before doing each rep take a deep breath and hold it as you go down, stick your chest out and either flatten your low back or slightly arch it...... and then exhale after the sticking point is past on the way up.
Try the movement without a bar.....just pivit at the hip and try to feel the hamstring stretch as you go down. Full stretch occurs somewhere between hands at knee level to hands at mid shin level. Some can go to mid shin but it is risky IMHO.
If you are going down to shoe top level then you are NOT getting more ham stretch but are just reaching down with the arms and rounding the low back...BAD IDEA.
If you are doing them correctly then you should be able to lift almost as much as you squat.
RG
msboss
msboss said:
Any form of leg curl is okay but inferior to either the stiff leg dead or the deep squat for hamstring developement.
If you are going to do leg curls then it is best to do them BEFORE the SLDL so as to pre fatigue the hams. Then the fresh low back will push the hams very hard in the stiff leg dead.
Going deep just wrecks your form and opens the back to undue stress. You also have to reduce the weight used and this reduces the load on the powerful hams.
You may be one of the few that can do them to mid shin without injury...try them to this point and then try them to just below the knee and see which one works best for you.
RG
msbossTry this super set......
Do 8-10 slow hard reps in the leg curl(hold at top) and then jump into full range of motion back extensions(slowly and hold at top)without any rest(hold a weight with arms or barbell across neck). Do this 2-3 times and you will REALLY work the hams, and low back too.
If you do this then scip the SLDL's in the workout.
BUT include deep squats BEFORE you do the super sets.
RG
Do 8-10 slow hard reps in the leg curl(hold at top) and then jump into full range of motion back extensions(slowly and hold at top)without any rest(hold a weight with arms or barbell across neck). Do this 2-3 times and you will REALLY work the hams, and low back too.
If you do this then scip the SLDL's in the workout.
BUT include deep squats BEFORE you do the super sets.
RG
Yep, I must agree with the majority here, straight leg deadlifts are a killer. Ive stopped doing them becuase its putting too much strain on my lower back, but I still find them the most effective exercise.
If you do it with a bar instead of dumbelles it also works well - what I do is hold the bar, fingers facing me, and then drop the bar forward so my body leans over, just make sure that your back is straight
If you do it with a bar instead of dumbelles it also works well - what I do is hold the bar, fingers facing me, and then drop the bar forward so my body leans over, just make sure that your back is straight
BatZgirl said:Yep, I must agree with the majority here, straight leg deadlifts are a killer. Ive stopped doing them becuase its putting too much strain on my lower back, but I still find them the most effective exercise.
If you do it with a bar instead of dumbelles it also works well - what I do is hold the bar, fingers facing me, and then drop the bar forward so my body leans over, just make sure that your back is straight
Have you tired doing them to about knee height only with a big hip pivit and sticking the butt staight back while keeping the back straight or slightly arched?
Another alternative is to do them inside a "trap bar"...perhaps you have seen one...they are a triangular shaped bar that designed by top power lifter Doug Gerard . The grips to the bar are on the side by your hips. The bar was designed for deadlifting of various kinds but can be used for shrugs too.
If they still bother you then you may have to stick with full squats, leg curls and back extensions for the low back and hamstring.
RG
Thanks
Thanks Realgains,
I havent seen that trap bar around at my gym but will defiantely look out for it -
I still do deadlifts, just rarely because like I said it puts too much pressure on my lower back, but hey if there is a solution to my problemo, why not hey???
Thanks hon
Realgains said:
Have you tired doing them to about knee height only with a big hip pivit and sticking the butt staight back while keeping the back straight or slightly arched?
Another alternative is to do them inside a "trap bar"...perhaps you have seen one...they are a triangular shaped bar that designed by top power lifter Doug Gerard . The grips to the bar are on the side by your hips. The bar was designed for deadlifting of various kinds but can be used for shrugs too.
If they still bother you then you may have to stick with full squats, leg curls and back extensions for the low back and hamstring.
RG
Thanks Realgains,
I havent seen that trap bar around at my gym but will defiantely look out for it -
I still do deadlifts, just rarely because like I said it puts too much pressure on my lower back, but hey if there is a solution to my problemo, why not hey???
Thanks hon
Realgains said:
Have you tired doing them to about knee height only with a big hip pivit and sticking the butt staight back while keeping the back straight or slightly arched?
Another alternative is to do them inside a "trap bar"...perhaps you have seen one...they are a triangular shaped bar that designed by top power lifter Doug Gerard . The grips to the bar are on the side by your hips. The bar was designed for deadlifting of various kinds but can be used for shrugs too.
If they still bother you then you may have to stick with full squats, leg curls and back extensions for the low back and hamstring.
RG
Thanks again.Similar threads
