Hamstrings

R

Rippt

New Member
Hey guys,

What do you do for hamstrings, leg curls or SLDL's and why? Assuming your goal is growth not functional strength.

Rippt
 
I voted, (leg curls), but here's why- I do DLs, and DLs and SLDLs in the same cycle is just too much for me. Plus, I seem to be able to concentrate much better on leg curls than SLDLs. But that's just me- I'm sure others get their best growth out of SLDLs.
Jake
 
Whats wrong with pull thrus, good mornings, hyper extentions (mm single leg ones) reverse hypers, sumo style deads etc

they are all good.

leg curls are good too, but they work ways to sldl. Curls can be good if you want to keep glutes outta the motion somewhat.
 
I'll never do leg curl again, only SLDL. Why? Hamstrings were designed to work synergistically with a whole host of other muscles to produce hip extension. I want to train according to function in addition to growth. Also I grow a bunch better from SLDL than from leg curl.
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]eg curls are good too, but they work ways to sldl. Curls can be good if you want to keep glutes outta the motion somewhat.
Click to expand...

Oh yeah- that too! With regular DLs, my glutes have grown more than sufficiently, thank you very much!
tounge.gif
 
CalKid -- your hamstrings are just as functional as your quadriceps. They can be worked at the hip and also at the knee. To create a functional level of strength in the hamstrings, I would include both. I.e. - I also work the quads at the hip - Hanging Leg Raises.

Hanging Leg Raises work the quads at the point of a hip flexion, and hit the part of the quadricep muscle which works in conjunction with the hip flexors. The same goes with the sldl. The sldl works the hamstrings at the point to where they support a hip extension. I would include both, since I utilize 2 routines - Push/Pull.
 
Well yeah, but hip extension is a much more "daily life" AND sports-specific motion than is leg flexion.
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (Aaron_F @ Aug. 13 2003,11:51)]bodybuilding aint about daily life or sports, its about growing ;)
Click to expand...
And those SLDL's make you grow pretty well. LEg extensions are OK I guess but they completely trash my knees since I started being able to use almost the all stack with a single leg. Not good.
 
Some exercises involving hip extension for your hamstrings, such as SLDL and good mornings, may overwork your lower back - as mentioned previously. This can be circumvented by doing these exercises with lower loads and using only one leg at a time. Try a SLDL with only one leg, 15 reps with no load should be pretty difficult for most people. You may take balance out of the equation by holding on to something, of course.
 
With Sldl I have trouble gettign a feeling in my hammies, leg curl, yes, good morning yes, glutham raise yes, hypers (and rev hyperP) yes
sldl no not really

pick what works 4u
 
I'm just the opposite. I never feel like I can lift enough weight with leg curls, but SLDLs KILL me. Never been so sore in my life as I was the day after doing my first set of deads. Of course, there are additional benefits to doing deads (traps, biceps), but even if we're just talking hamstrings, for me, there's nothing better.
 
I prefer good mornings. I do conventional deadlifts, but they don't really hit the hams as much as sldl.
 
For me I get a lot ov soreness in my hams which tells me it must be working. I also do lunges holding on to 50 lb. dumbels and or squats.
 
I've been doing SLDLs during my 1st cycle of HST mainly because they work my hams hard (esp. if I keep my legs almost locked) but also for their effect on the rest of my body.

I have been performing them standing on a bench which means my feet are together (the bench press station allowed me to load up the bar and then lift it off the supports easily while standing on the bench). It feels a little unsteady at first but I got used to it.

However, by the end of the 10s I was getting pretty sore hip joints. I reckon this was due to not being able to space my feet a little further apart but I'm not sure? Perhaps the range of motion was taking its toll? I decided to switch to DLs for the 5s and my hips are improving a bit even though the weight is going up.

Hope it's OK to ask questions here without starting a new thread as I have a few? I was working up to using 315 lbs for SLDLs by the end of the 5s. I have been lowering the bar to my feet. Is this too deep? And what kind of poundages can be safely used for SLDLs (ie. how heavy are you folks going for 5s?)
 
IMO, I don't think it's necessary to go much beyond mid-shin. The important thing is to not go so low that you're in danger of rounding your back/shoulders, and to maintain goo dtension in your hammies. I've not gone past mid-shin for the past couple of years, and my hammies are doing great. That may not work for you, but I'd give it a try.
 
Thanks Jake. I will try what you say. I was going for the ultimate stretch in my hammies but now I do think I have been going too deep. It hasn't felt bad on my back but the last bit required to reach my feet definitely causes some rounding. Not good.
 
I would have to question whether rounding shoulders matters that much or not. After all, powerlifters do it using much more weight than you probably are. Dave Tate, I believe, has an article touching on it on EliteFTS. I round my shoulders on purpose on all my deads.

But, in keeping with the discussion, I like good mornings. Try them sometime, and you'll see why they're called that. :D
 
<div>
(Aaron_F @ Aug. 14 2003,06:36)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">With Sldl I have trouble gettign a feeling in my hammies, leg curl, yes, good morning yes, glutham raise yes, hypers (and rev hyperP) yes
sldl no not really

pick what works 4u</div>
I am not being Rude in my response, buthave you checked your technique?

I can do SLDLs with no noticble hamstring pull IF I don´t keep my back more than perfectly straight.

The back has to be perfectkly straight to get the hamstring pull.
 
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