Hamstrings are one of the toughest muscles for developing. Yet, many athletes choose to neglect them, or pay little attention to their training. Even some bodybuilders fall into this category. How often do you see guys with perfectly shredded physique, only to find out that they lack size and definition in their legs. Find out about the five most common mistakes that bodybuilders do when training this muscle groups, and learn how to avoid them.
#1. INSUFFICIENT ATTENTION TO ALL MUSCLES
Argument
The hamstrings consist of three separate muscles located at the back of the leg. They are the semitendinosus, semimembranosus and the biceps femoris, with the latter being the largest of them all. That is why in the old days the hamstrings have been called thigh biceps, referencing to the largest muscle of this group. However, you should always have in mind that the hamstrings consist of three separate muscles, and each of them deserves an ample attention if you want to achieve full and rounded development.
Solution
- You can avoid this mistake by performing exercises that specifically target each of these muscles. Target your biceps femoris by performing leg curls lying on the bench. Complete three sets of this exercise.
- You can target the semitendinosus and semimembranosus by performing seated leg curls. Complete three sets of this exercise on your leg day. You can increase the stress on this area if you pull your hips off the bench while performing the lying leg curls.
#2. INSUFFICIENT VOLUME
Argument
Although it’s a well known fact that hamstrings are one of the hardest muscles for developing due to their size, many trainees don’t pay enough attention to their workout. They either choose to neglect them altogether, or put their workout at the end of their leg day training. Doing half-hearted sets of leg culrs after labouring through sets upon sets of squats and leg presses won’t help much in developing your hams. Hamstrings are one of the largest muscle groups in your body, and they should be hit with great volumes if you want to achieve any growth.
Solution
- The best approach for increasing the volume of your hamstring exercises is to avoid training them on the same day as the quadriceps. This will allow you to put greater focus on each of these large muscle groups.
- However, if you still choose to train them in the same day, you should try to combine these workouts with one exercise for each of the muscle groups.
- Try combining at least three sets for each of the muscle groups. You can overcome this problem by doing a 12 set routine consisting of Romanian deadlifts, seated leg curls and lying leg curls. Perform 4 sets of each exercise.
Continued on the next page…
