The Best Hamstring Workout for Monster Leg Biceps
Having strong, well-developed hamstrings is crucial not just for the overall aesthetics of your legs but also for performance and injury prevention. Your hamstring muscles, also playfully known as ‘leg biceps,’ are responsible for knee flexion, hip extension, and helping with power generation in activities such as running, jumping, and lifting. If you’re looking to build monster leg biceps, incorporating a dedicated hamstring workout into your routine is essential. Here’s a comprehensive guide on the best hamstring exercises.
1. Romanian Deadlifts (RDLs):
An unequivocal classic, the Romanian Deadlift is a compound exercise that targets your hamstrings while also engaging your glutes and lower back. Stand with feet hip-width apart holding a barbell in front of you. Hinge at your hips as you lower the barbell down along your legs while keeping your spine neutral and knees slightly bent until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings.
2. Lying Leg Curls:
Performed on a leg curl machine, this isolation exercise focuses primarily on the hamstrings. Lie face down on the machine with ankles hooked under the padded lever. Bend your knees to pull your ankles towards your buttocks without lifting your thighs off the pad.
3. Good Mornings:
This movement resembles bowing forward to say ‘good morning,’ hence its name. Start with a barbell across your shoulders and bend forward from the hips while keeping your back straight until it’s nearly parallel with the floor before returning to the starting position.
4. Single-Leg Deadlifts:
A unilateral variation that not only hammers your hamstrings but also challenges stability and balance. Stand on one leg, holding a dumbbell in the opposite hand, hinge at the hip lowering your torso and raising the other leg behind you like a teeter-totter.
5. Glute-Ham Raise:
If available, use a GHR machine for this potent hamstring and posterior chain builder. Secure yourself in place facing-downwards; then use your hamstrings to pull yourself back into a neutral position after descending with control.
6. Stability Ball Hamstring Curls:
An excellent bodyweight exercise that incorporates stability training. Lie on your back with heels on top of a stability ball and raise your hips off the ground; roll the ball towards you by bending your knees and using your hamstrings.
7. Nordic Hamstring Curls:
With this hard-hitting bodyweight exercise support yourself in a kneeling position while someone holds onto the backs of your legs or hook them under a stable surface; then slowly lower yourself forward using hamstring strength before pushing back up.
Incorporating these exercises into a twice-weekly leg workout can lead to significant hypertrophy and strength gains in your hamstrings. Remember to always perform exercises using proper form to prevent injury. As you progress, increase intensity by adding more weight or reps and remember to adequately rest these muscles between sessions for optimal growth.
Chase those monster leg biceps with consistency in these workouts complemented by proper nutrition and hydration for muscle recovery, and you’ll be seeing impressive results in no time!