What to Do with Underdeveloped and Stubborn Hamstrings

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Strong hamstrings enable you to jump high, run fast, or even walk long miles with lesser muscle soreness. On the other hand, underdeveloped and stubborn hamstrings are more prone to injuries, even back pain. So what’s the solution? Work ’em out. They may not be the easiest to build up, but they’re very beneficial for your overall body strength.

Here’s an informative article by bodybuilding expert Bryan Haycock, discussing the best exercises and some tips to work your hams, on Flex:

Best Exercises For Huge, Chiseled Hamstrings

Hamstrings make up the entire musculature of the back of the leg and include the biceps femoris (BF), semitendinosus (ST), and semimembranosus (SM). If you have underdeveloped hamstrings, you can have good quads, but your legs will still look too thin, even from the front. There are a number of hamstring exercises to choose from, but as you probably know, each hamstring exercise can produce a different feel in the back of the legs. Researchers from the University of Memphis recently did a study comparing muscle activation when performing different hamstring exercises. Read more…

As mentioned, deadlifts and glute-ham raises work great, but so as the traditional squats and leg curls. Here’s a detailed workout from strength and conditioning expert David Sandler on Muscle and Fitness:

JAMMING WITH YOUR HAMSTRINGS

Time to make some ham hocks out of those strips of bacon you have on the backside of your legs. Yeah, those things you want to call hamstrings, but seem to have a devilishly tough time making them grow. Chances are that you suffer from the same thing that most do who have been fighting with their hams – you don’t really know how to activate them. You are likely a close stance squatter, pretty good at leg extensions and enjoy banging out some good sets of hack squats. Is that you? Well if it is not and you are still having an issue with your hamstrings, it is likely because you haven’t trained your legs…ever! Leg training requires dedication and discipline. Read more…

And last but not the least, fitness enthusiast Richie Keirouz specified one best exercise for your hams on Fitness RX For Men:

The Bodyweight Exercise to Blast Your Hamstrings

Everyone has that one body part that’s so stingy, no matter how hard you hit it, it just doesn’t grow as quickly as the rest of your body parts. Read more…

Just a recap: the best exercises for your hams are squats, glute-ham raises, deadlifts and leg curls. Be sure to start with short reps and lower intensity because like I’ve said, they are very prone to injuries. Don’t overtrain especially if it’s your first time – you wouldn’t want to get painful pulled hams, would you?

Underdeveloped and stubborn hamstrings are indeed stubborn, but once you’ve developed them well, your daily activities will come easy for you. They will also help you maintain a good posture. And the best part of it all is that your athletic performance will improve big time. This means an instant boost in your overall mobility, flexibility, balance and power.

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