Hamstring DOMS

[pelagius]

I hammered my posterior chain pretty good on Saturday. I completely changed up my lower body workout plus I had some significant time off from my week in Utah (only got in two workouts). Oh boy am I sore ... For me sore hamstrings are the worst ... soreness anywhere else is mostly a nuissance ... but hamstrings ... I'm struggling.

[I.J. Reilly]

I'll tell you, groin injuries are the ones that I hate the most. Probably because I get them so easily, even when I do everything I can to warm up and then stretch out.

[Jarid in Cedar]

I hammered my posterior chain pretty good on Saturday. I completely changed up my lower body workout plus I had some significant time off from my week in Utah (only got in two workouts). Oh boy am I sore ... For me sore hamstrings are the worst ... soreness anywhere else is mostly a nuissance ... but hamstrings ... I'm struggling.

What is your favorite/best hamstring exercise? I go with one legcurls or walking lunges(I can't explain that one)

[pelagius]

What is your favorite/best hamstring exercise? I go with one legcurls or walking lunges(I can't explain that one)

1) glute-ham raises (not the same as hyper extensions)

[youtube]p0oqLDZ8JcI[/youtube]


2) Deadlift variations; particularly a stiff leg dumbbell deadlift because it is easy to really keep tension on the hamstrings. Also, single leg deadlifts work pretty well if you want to avoid load.

3) Back squats as long as you are sitting back (i.e. more of a powerlifting squat as opposed to an olympic style squat).

4) Some variation of a split squat (include walking lunges in this) as long as you are sitting back (i.e. the forward knee doesn't travel forward much (in terms of the angle) otherwise it is mostly quads)

5) Reverse hypers if you have access (usually only at powerlifting gyms)

6) Cybex squat press with legs high as possible; makes the range of motion short but seems to involve glutes and hamstring rather well.

7) Leg curls; particularly for high rep work

[Jarid in Cedar]

1) glute-ham raises (not the same as hyper extensions)

[youtube]p0oqLDZ8JcI[/youtube]

I haven't seen that one before. I am assuming that the downward motion of the knee is what differentiates this exercise from hyperextensions.

4) Some variation of a split squat (include walking lunges in this) as long as you are sitting back (i.e. the forward knee doesn't travel forward much otherwise it is mostly quads)

I try to finish each stride with the front knee bent at 90 degrees and the back leg bent at greater than 135 degrees if possible. I still get a good burn on the quads, but the gluteal/hamstring junction gets hammered as well.

[pelagius]

I haven't seen that one before. I am assuming that the downward motion of the knee is what differentiates this exercise from hyperextensions.

Exactly your pulling with the glutes and hamstring instead of the low back ... The problem with these is few gyms actually have a glute-ham bench. My last gym did but my current one doesn't (you can't really do them on a roman chair). You can do natural glue-hamm raises but they are much harder. Most people only do the negative portion of the lift:

[youtube]oa6Ai5ty6oY&NR=1p[/youtube]

Or one off a bench :

[youtube]YZXTXw-qrqU[/youtube]

[pelagius]

Another good one is a cable pull through:

[youtube]S9srrE2-oM4[/youtube]

[Jarid in Cedar]

Exactly your pulling with the glutes and hamstring instead of the low back ... The problem with these is few gyms actually have a glute-ham bench. My last gym did but my current one doesn't (you can't really do them on a roman chair). You can do natural glue-hamm raises but they are much harder. Most people only do the negative portion of the lift:

[youtube]oa6Ai5ty6oY&NR=1p[/youtube]

I'd have to wait until I was a little lighter to try that one. Wow.