Building Bigger Hamstrings
Best Exercises for Ham Growth
By Ron Harris
You would never accept having big, thick triceps on the other side of biceps that wouldn’t even look buffed on a 10-year-old boy, right? That would be having half an arm, and such an imbalance would be joke to all who saw it. The odd thing is that a great many of you out there in the gyms have the lower-body equivalent of this mismatch – half a leg. Since it’s common to live in denial of this fact, don’t take my word for it. Drop your pants and look at your reflection sideways in a full-length mirror. If you can draw a straight like from the bottom of your butt to the back of your knee, you are in dire need of some hamstrings, pronto. Help is on the way, because MD would never let you suffer too long. Properly developed hams add a look of power and virility to the leg; almost making you look like a racehorse. And we all know how chicks feel about horses, don’t we? Listen up and your hams will be on the road to growth today.
The primary function of the hamstrings is leg flexion, or bringing the heel toward the glutes. In many ways it’s similar to the function of the biceps of the upper arms, even having two main segments, which is why hams are sometimes referred to as the “leg biceps.” Leg curls work this function very well, and the most common type is the lying leg curl machine. Begin with your body firmly in contact with the pad. This is where it should remain. Adjust the roller pad so that it is about an inch over your heels. Your kneecaps should be hanging just over the edge of the pad. There are usually handles to hold onto to assist in keeping your upper body stable. Now curl the weight up slowly and squeeze your hamstrings at the top. Visualize them curling up into a ball just like your biceps do during a preacher curl. Lower slowly and feel the hams stretch. Pause for a brief second at the bottom and repeat for 8-10 reps.
One downfall of most lying leg curl machines is that while you can get a great stretch at the bottom, it is often difficult to emphasize the squeeze at the end of each rep. This is where the seated leg curl shines. With most models, the movement curve is such that it is actually easy to hold the weight down at the bottom and flex your hamstrings. You will also find likewise that getting a full stretch at the top is often not possible. This is why I recommend using both lying leg curls and seated leg curls at various times or even during the same workout. At first that may seem redundant, but once you have compared the feel of each you will understand the logic behind it.
Standing leg curls are the equivalent of dumbbell concentration curls for the biceps. Working one leg at a time, they allow you to totally isolate the hamstring and achieve a searing pump. Not much weight is needed to do the job right on these, so start light and only use more weight if your form is impeccable.
Most trainers do just leg curls for the hamstrings, but they are missing out on the other function of the hamstrings – hip extension. Complete development of the hams is not possible if you leave these out. I have to be up front and tell you from experience as a former personal trainer that this is probably the most difficult of all exercises to master correct technique on. Before you even pick up the lightest bar or pair of dumbbells, try this. Stand in front of a mirror and bow down, keeping your knees locked and maintaining eye contact with your reflection throughout. Here’s the catch: you have to keep a slight arch in your lower back and bend forward from the hips, not the lower back. Your lower back must never be allowed to round, not even a little. Once you do that, you expose your lower back to injury. This is what most people have a hard time with. Once you can do this, select a light bar or pair of dumbbells. Absolutely do not attempt heavy weights when you are first learning how to do stiff-legs! Here’s another tip. You often see people bending down and trying to touch their toes with the bar. These misguided folks, unless they are super-flexible martial artists or contortionists, are usually rounding the lower back. You should actually feel a full stretch of the hamstrings when the bar descends just under your knees.
Good mornings are really just stiff-leg deadlifts, except that instead of holding on to a bar, you rest the bar across your traps as in a squat or lunge. The two exercises are virtually interchangeable, so try them both and see which you prefer. Again, watch that lower back and keep a slight convex arch in it.
1. Don’t Train Hams After Quads
The reason so many lifters have decent quads and flat, wimpy hamstrings is because they wait until they have finished all their exercises for quads to start in on hams. Really, how much energy can you possibly have left after squats, leg presses, and leg extensions? Unless you are part Energizer Bunny, you are pretty much wiped out by a successful quadriceps workout. If your hams really lag behind, consider training hamstrings first on leg day. If the prospect of having your quad workout compromised is too much to bear, another option is to train hams on an entirely separate day. I have seen both of these simple changes result in almost miraculous improvement in the leg biceps within a period of just two or three months.
2. Train Hams Just as Hard as Quads
It’s a common sight to see a guy going all-out on squats, struggling mightily until you think a blood vessel in his forehead is going to pop and splatter all over the mirror in front of him. But how often do you see anyone working this hard on leg curls or stiff-leg deadlifts? Too many men coast through their hamstring exercises like they are stoned and grooving to the Grateful Dead. No wonder good hams are so hard to find. Challenge yourself to use more weight in good form, and take each set to failure. You can even kick the intensity up a notch with little tricks like this: Try lifting the weight with both legs on leg curls, but only lowering with one. Alternate legs this way until your lower body is shaking like an L.A. earthquake.
3. Make Hams Work in Other Exercises
Not many people realize how much the hamstrings are involved in multi-joint lower body movements like the squat. The fact is that a lot of guys who squat deep and don’t even necessarily do much for their hams often have good development on both sides of the thigh. If you squat just below parallel, which is very deep, your hamstrings and glutes are what power the weight back up out of the hole. Take advantage of this fact the next time you squat and see if you don’t feel it right away.
4. Never Drop or Bounce a Heavy Weight
Football fans know how devastating a hamstring tear can be to the career of their favorite NFL players. We have all seen promising careers cut tragically short or men suddenly out of the game for the remainder of the season when they were on the way to breaking a record. Did you know that you are at risk for the same injury if you use poor form? Take it from me, someone who has torn both hamstrings this way. When performing leg curls or stiff-leg deadlifts, always lower the weight slowly and pause at the bottom instead of dropping the weight down and trying to rebound it back up. Besides preventing injury, perfect form will allow you to get the very best results from your training.
5. Try Sprints for Cardio
If you do cardio, and you should be anyway, you may already know that sprints can be a very time-efficient way to burn a lot of calories and build your stamina. What you may not have known is that sprints work the dickens out of your hams. Need proof? Have you ever seen the hamstring development on Olympic sprinters like Maurice Greene or Ben Johnson? It actually puts that of most bodybuilders to shame. Kill two birds with one stone and make sprints a regular part of your training program. Ideally you would want to do them on a track or road, but if weather doesn’t permit this, a treadmill makes a good alternative. Warm up and stretch properly first, and alternate sprints with periods of fast walking to recover.
6. Hams Don’t Need as Many Reps as Quads
Even though the hamstrings are just opposite the quads, their muscle fiber composition is quite different. Hams are actually more like the upper body and respond very well to reps in the 6-10 range. Don’t waste your time doing 20-rep sets; odds are the weight will be far too light to cause a growth response.
7. Stretch Between Sets
Tight, inflexible hamstrings are a very common problem and can severely limit your range of motion on not only hamstring exercises, but squats and lunges as well. You can improve your flexibility over time by simply stretching them right after every set. If you can lower yourself into a front split, alternate legs. If not, find something about waist high you can set your heel on. Get it up there, lock the knee, and bend forward at the hip rather than the lower back. Yes, it’s the same stretch ballet dancers do. Eventually you should be able to fold your torso on top of your thigh, and by then I guarantee your hams will be something to be proud of.
Lying Leg Curls
4 x 8-10
Stiff-leg Deadlifts
4 x 8-10
Stiff-leg Deadlifts
4 x 8-10
Seated Leg Curls
3 x 8-10
Standing Leg Curls
2 x 8-10, each leg
Seated Leg Curls
3 x 8-10
Lying Leg Curls
3 x 8-10
Good Mornings
4 x 8-10
Ron Harris got his start in the bodybuilding industry during the eight years he worked in Los Angeles as Associate Producer for ESPN’s “American Muscle Magazine” show in the 1990s. Since 1992 he has published nearly 5,000 articles in bodybuilding and fitness magazines, making him the most prolific bodybuilding writer ever. Ron has been training since the age of 14 and competing as a bodybuilder since 1989. He lives with his wife and two children in the Boston area. FacebookInstagram
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