HAMSTRING PARADIGM by Charles Poliquin Kinesiology of Hamstrings The hamstring muscle group is made of three separate muscles; thesemimembranosus, the semitendinosus, and the biceps femoris. Understanding the functions of each of these muscles is the first step towards devising effective hamstring workouts. Semitendinosus and Semimembranosus They are also known as the medial hamstrings. They cross the hip and the knee !oint and are therefore involved in e"tending the hip and fle"ing the knee. They also assist in turning the knee inward #medial rotation$. Biceps Femoris %t is also known as the leg biceps. &imilar to it's cousin, the biceps brachii, as well as it's name suggests, the biceps femoris consists of two heads the long and the short head. The long head crosses both the hip and the knee !oint and is involved in e"tending the hip and fle"ing the knee. The short head only crosses the knee !oint and is only involved in fle"ing the knee. (oth heads assist in turning the foot outward #lateral rotation of the knee$. Muscles Synergistic to the Hamstrings The muscles that assist the hamstrings in knee fle"ing are the sartorius gracilis and gastrocnemius. The muscles that assist the hamstrings in hip e"tension are the glutes and erector spinae muscles. The Basis of Effective Hamstring Training There are nine important training paradigms that are relevant to hamstring training. HAMSTRING TRAINING PARA IGM I ) Train *amstrings (oth as +nee ,le"ors and *ip -"tensors. (y their kinesiological nature, hamstrings have two ma!or functions a +nee fle"ion (ending the knee. Usually trained by all the forms of .eg Curls devices offered on the market seated, prone, kneeling and standing. /0% films will show in the case of the &upine .eg Curls, the biceps femoris, semitendinosus, sartorius and gracilis are recruited. b *ip e"tension kicking the leg back like in the sprinting motion. -"ercises that train that function are from the following e"ercise families semi1 stiff leg 2eadlift #i.e. 0omanian 2eadlifts$, 3ood /orning #i.e. &eated 3ood /ornings$, (ack -"tensions and 0everse *ypere"tensions /0% studies will show that both the &emi1&tiff .eg 2eadlift and the 3ood /orning involve the adductor magnus, adductor brevis, biceps femoris and semi tendinosus. The information given above implies that your hamstring workouts should involve e"ercises for both the hip e"tension function and the knee fle"or function. 0ecent anatomical research points out what track and field coaches have known for years hamstrings are connected as a chain to the glutes and back e"tensors #i.e. erector spinae$. This through the sacro1tuberal and dorso1sacral ligaments. HAMSTRING TRAINING PARA IGM II ) %n +nee ,le"ion -"ercises, Train 4ne .eg at a Time. ,rom testing on the Cybe" 566 Unit, we have found two strength disparities between the two legs in many 4lympic and professional athletes. %t appears that the dominant leg of some of these athletes will often be as much as 768 stronger than the non1dominant leg11these athletes definitely need single limb training to prevent in!uries. 4ne should know that the dominant leg is not necessarily on the same side as the dominant hand; in other words, it is not because you are right1 handed that your right leg is dominant in the lower body. ,urthermore the neural drive will be greater to the hamstrings if only one leg at a time is trained. HAMSTRING TRAINING PARA IGM III ) &tretch the *amstrings (oth at the *ip and +nee 9oints to ,acilitate 0ecruitment. This means the knees must be e"tended and the hips fle"ed in the starting position of every leg curl e"ercise. Therefore in the &tanding .eg Curl e"ercise, you would need to bend forward at the waist and start with the working leg straight before lifting. HAMSTRING TRAINING PARA IGM I! ) &tretch the :uadriceps (etween &ets of *amstring ;ork %ncreasing the range of motion of your quadriceps prior to a leg curl e"ercise will increase the amount of motor units used in the hamstrings during the e"ercise and therefore the effectiveness of the chosen e"ercise. &ince the quadriceps is the antagonist muscle to the hamstrings, and that stretching will allow it to rela", the force of the contraction in the hamstrings will be much greater in the subsequent contraction. HAMSTRING TRAINING PARA IGM ! ) %n .eg Curls, Point the ,eet <way ;hen your feet are in plantar fle"ion the gastrocnemius #calf muscle$ is somewhat inhibited in its function as a knee fle"or. The gastrocnemius is a bi1articular muscle. That is, it crosses two !oints the knee and ankle. The muscles fibers are too short in the gastrocnemius to do both knee fle"ion and plantar fle"ion at the same time. Therefore it is more effective as a knee fle"or when the foot is dorsi1fle"ed and more effective as a plantar fle"or if the knee is locked in e"tension. This can be clearly illustrated when driving a car while sitting too close to the steering wheel. ;hen the knees are bent, the gastrocnemius becomes ineffective, and it is more difficult to apply the brakes. %t is the same reason why seated calf raises are prescribed to recruit the soleus muscles at the e"pense of the gastrocnemius muscle. Conversely, when you bend the knee with the feet in plantar fle"ion, the overload shifts from the gastrocnemius and goes onto the hamstrings, making it a more effective hamstrings e"ercise. The cramping you are e"periencing comes from the gastrocnemius who is used to the old motor pattern trying to activate itself. This situation is only temporary. The way to circumvent the problem rapidly is to do the concentric contraction with the feet dorsifle"ed and lower the resistance for the eccentric contraction with the feet plantar fle"ed. &ince you are stronger eccentrically than concentrically, the hamstrings will start getting a greater overload during the eccentric lowering because the gastrocnemius will be inactive in the plantar fle"ed position. %t will be a way to ease into switching to the more effective form of leg curls. HAMSTRING TRAINING PARA IGM !I ) *amstrings 0eact ;ell to /ultiple &ets of .ow 0eps *amstrings are made up of a high percentage of fast1twitch fibers. Therefore, they have very little strength1endurance, that is the ability to do repetitive work at a given percentage of ma"imum. ;hen you use more than = reps during hamstring e"ercises you are training below >68 of your ?0/ #one1repetition ma"imum$, which is the lower intensity threshold to promote hypertrophy and@or strength response. Aumerous studies on the relationship between ma"imal strength tests and the number of repetitions performed #at a given repetition ma"imum$ have shown repeatedly that the hamstrings are not gifted for reps. <lthough you may be able to perform ?61?7 reps at >68 of your ma"imum on the (ench Press, you will probably only be able to complete > or = reps with the same percentage on the .eg Curl. %f you use ?B176 reps per set on hamstring e"ercises11a repetition range often promoted by the Aautilus disciples11your training intensity would be appro"imately B61BB8 of your ma"imum. &uch a low intensity level would not provide enough tension for these high fast1twitch muscles to grow. HAMSTRING TRAINING PARA IGM !II ) *amstrings 0eact ;ell to -ccentric Training 4nce again, because of their high fast1twitch fiber make1up hamstrings respond well to eccentric work. -ccentric #negative$ training refers to lowering heavier than normal loads for a given e"ercise. Triple !umpers and long !umpers are known for their superb hamstring development. 4utside the sprinting they do, they have to absorb high1impact landings, which elicits high levels of eccentric tension from the hamstrings. HAMSTRING TRAINING PARA IGM !III ) &trive for (alance (etween the /edial and .ateral *eads of the *amstrings. ;hen there is a muscular imbalance, the body never lies. To test simply if there is a head of hamstrings that needs remedial specialiCation, select a weight you can do for 50/ in the .eg Curl with your feet in the neutral position. <s you reach muscular failure, your feet will rotate in one direction if there is a lack of balance between the two heads of the hamstrings. %f they turn towards the midline of the body #medial rotation$ your semi1tendinosus and your semimembranosis are too strong for your biceps femoris. %f they turn away from the midline of the body #lateral rotation$, your biceps femoris is too strong for your semitendinosus and semimembranosus. ;hen you turn your feet inward during leg curls, you also facilitate the recruitment of the gracilis. HAMSTRING TRAINING PARA IGM I" ) %f Dou *ave (alanced *amstring 2evelopment, Eary Dour .ifting Position ,requently Eariety is an essential requirement for ma"imal hamstring development because each e"ercise offers a unique pattern of overload. Dou probably have more hamstring e"ercises at your disposal than you think. .et's say that your gym has the four ma!or types of leg curl units seated, lying, standing and bent1over kneeling. This will give you an arsenal of ?7 hamstrings curl e"ercises F machines " G foot positions #neutral, inward, outward$ H ?7 permutations. %ncorporate our eleven training paradigms into your routine and you'll immediately begin to see and feel the results. +eep in mind that optimal hamstring development requires more than !ust a few sets of .eg Curls at the end of your workout. To take your training to the ne"t level of development, make hamstring training a priority in your training and work them as hard as you would your quads. %n part two of this series %'ll e"amine the best equipment for hamstring development and describe a few hard1core training routines that will take your hamstring training to the ne"t level in strength development and muscle growth. HAMSTRING PARADIGM II by Charles Poliquin By their #inesiological nature$ hamstrings have t%o ma&or functions' ?. +nee fle"ion bending the knee. This usually trained by all the forms of .eg Curls devices offered on the market seated, prone, kneeling and standing. /0% will show in the case of the case of the &upine .eg Curls, the biceps femoris, semitendinosus, sartorius and gracilis are recruited. 7. *ip e"tension kicking the leg back like in the sprinting motion. -"erices that train that function are from the following e"ercise families semi1stiff leg 2eadlift #i.e. 0omanian 2eadlifts$, 3ood /orning #i.e. &eated 3ood /ornings$, (ack -"tensions and 0everse *ypers. /0% studies will show that both the &emi1&tiff .eg 2eadlift and the 3ood /orning involve the adductor magnus, adductor brevis, biceps femoris and semi tendinosus. 0ecent anatomical research points out what track and field coaches have known for years hamstrings are connected as a chain to the glutes and back e"tensors #i.e. erector spinae$. This through the sacro1tuberal and dorso1sacral ligaments. The information given above implies that your hamstring workouts should involve e"ercises for both the hip e"tension function and the knee fle"or function. (or#outs ) to * E+ercise <1? Earied ,oot position leg curls 7 sets at each foot position 7 inward, 7 neutral, 7 outward ?7 1 76 I6 sec ?B 76 ;hen there is a muscular imbalance, the body never lies. To test simply if there is a head of hamstrings that needs remedial specialiCation, select a weight you can do for 50/ in the .eg Curl with your feet in the neutral position. <s you reach muscular failure, your feet will rotate in one direction if there is a lack of balance between the two heads of the hamstrings. %f they turn towards the midline of the body #medial rotation$ your semi1 tendinosus and your semi membranosus are too strong for your biceps femoris. %f they turn away from the midline of the body #lateral rotation$, your biceps femoris is too strong for your semitendinosus and semimembranosus. ;hen you turn your feet inward during leg curls, you also facilitate the recruitment of the gracilis (or#outs - to ). S R Te e e Rest E+ercise m, t , Interval o s s F =6 <1? <. Poliquin Aegative <ccentuated .ying leg curls B 1 G min ?6 5 .ift the load with feet dorsi1fle"ed, lower the load in plantar fle"ed postion. Rationale' ;hen your feet are in plantar fle"ion the gastrocnemius #calf muscle$ is somewhat inhibited in its function as a knee fle"or. The gastrocnemius is a bi1articular muscle. that is, it crosses two !oints the knee !oint and the ankle. The muscles fibers are too short in the gastrocnemius to do both knee fle"ion and plantar fle"ion at the same time. Therefore it is more effective as a knee fle"or when the foot is dorsi1fle"ed and more effective as a plantar fle"or is the knee is locked in e"tension. This can be clearly illustrated when driving a car while sitting too close to the steering wheel. ;hen the knees are bent, the gastrocnemius becomes an effective, and it is more difficult to apply the brakes. %t is the same reason why seated calf raises are prescribed to recruit the soleus muscles at the e"pense of the gastrocnemius muscle. Conversely, when you bend the knee with the feet in plantar fle"ion, the overload shifts from the gastrocnemius and goes onto the hamstrings, making it a more effective hamstrings e"ercise. The cramping you are e"periencing comes from the gastrocnemius who is used to the old motor pattern trying to activate itself. This situation is only temporary. The way to circumvent the problem rapidly is to do the concentric contraction with the feet dorsifle"ed and lower the resistance for the eccentric contraction with the feet plantar fle"ed. &ince you are stronger eccentrically than concentrically, the hamstrings will start getting a greater overload during that eccentric lowering because the gastrocnemius will be inactive because of the plantar fle"ed position.%t will be a way to ease into switching to the more effective form of leg curls. (. 0omanian 2eadlifts F " =1?6 reps on a (1? &tanding 3ood /ornings G S e t s ? 6 Re, s 51= Te m, o B6 ?6 Rest Interval G min F6?6 tempo, rest 7 minutes between sets .ower the bar keeping the back straight , your knees should be bent ?B176 degrees throughout the entire movement. 4n lowering the bar, when the back is !ust about to round off to continue the range of motion, come back up keeping the knees slightly bent. The angle of knee bend should not change during the movement at all.