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.
That body part is hamstrings for me. I pride myself on really training my legs hard and barley being able to walk out of the gym when I’m done, my quads develop very well and are one of my strong points – but as soon as I turn to the side, my weakness is exposed. I just don’t the thickness in my hamstrings to match my quads.
Needless to say, I’m constantly trying to find new ways to train that muscle group. One exercise I started doing recently is Bodyweight Reverse Hamstring Curls. I’ll be honest – I hated it at first. Mostly because I could never find the right way to activate the hamstrings. But slowly I started to focus on the mind-muscle connection, slowing down my repetitions, and was able to fully engage the hamstrings.
Add this movement into your leg routine and I guarantee you’ll notice a difference in your hamstring development.
THE EXERICSE: BODYWEIGHT REVERSE HAMSTRING CURL
• Kneel on the seat pad of a lat-pulldown machine, facing away from the weight stack.
• Lock your feet in tight under the knee pad so they do not move around during the exercise.
• I prefer to tuck my head into my chest and round my back. I find that it helps me fall downwards, as opposed to falling forward where I’d feel the tension in my lower back instead of in the hamstrings.
• Before starting, put your hands on your hamstrings to help feel the contraction and develop the mind muscle connection.
• Fall downwards very slowly and control the movement.
• Squeeze your hamstrings hard on the way up and really feel the contraction.
Do 3 sets of 10 reps. As for rest time, I wait until I’m fully recovered before doing the next set. That’s usually about two minutes for me.
