The Best Hamstring Exercises
For Muscle Development
Before i show you the these hamstring exercises we are going to have a look at the muscles that make up the back of your legs.
The hamstring is one of the three posterior thigh muscles, or to the tendons that make up the borders of the space behind the knee. It is basically the muscle which covers the entire back of your leg from the knee up to the buttocks.
The hamstring is often referred to as the 'leg biceps' and its action is that similar to the muscles on the arm.
The Best Hamstring Exercises
The ultimate weight lifting exercise for the hamstring is the Stiff Legged Deadlift which is basically lifting and weight and then putting it back down again.
How to do Deadlifts
1. Start Position: Assume a shoulder width stance, knees inside arms and feet flat on floor.
2. Position shoulders slightly over bar and grab bar. Begin pull by extending the knees.
3. Keep angle of your back constant and lift bar straight up. Keep bar close to the body and keep shoulders directly over the bar.
4. Return to starting position.
Deadlifts are one of the best hamstring exercises for strength and muscle development. It also works the lower back and arms, and is a general compound exercise which should be included in all workout programs.
You can do this exercise with a barbell as shown or with dumbbells. Both variations are good at building muscle and strength.
If you have access to a gym then they usually have a variety of exercise machines to choose from. Although i generally do not use a lot of machines, when it comes to training the hamstrings they are great for isolating the individual muscles.
The Lying Leg Curl
This is a great exercise for isolating the hamstring muscles and most gyms have one of these machines. They either work on a pin selection system where you pick the weight you want. The other variation normally involves stacking weight plates at the end of the machine. Either one works just as well.
Lie face down on bench with pad adjusted to fit behind ankles. If machine does not angle upper torso downward, it is recommended that a pillow be placed underneath stomach.
Remember to keep hips in contact with bench at all times. Do not hyperextend the low back. The above video shows an excellent example of this exercise.
For full leg development then you need to add one of these exercises to your weight lifting workout. If you want stretching exercises for your hamstrings then you should download this free training program.
You get a 30 day complete strength and conditioning workout.
Download (Download right click 'save as' to download)
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