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Barbell Hamstrings Beat Down

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watchnerd

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What is it about the hamstrings that make serious beatings so necessary for hypertrophy?

To get my hamstrings to actually grow, I'm needing to do 6-8 sets of RDLs per week , for 6-10 reps @150-170 kg.

(thank goodness for straps)

Anything less heavy or less volume, they just laugh at me and refuse to grow.

But if I hit them this hard....then they get revenge on me and make it so I can't walk properly for 3 days. And crushes me systemically and in my soul.

Anyone else have similar experiences?

Other than eccentric damage, I'm wondering what it is about the structure of the hamstrings that seems to cause this.

It's like metabolite training doesn't even work.
 
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Curious: how do you find pull (clean, snatch, clean pull) affect your hamstrings? Do they build your hamstrings? Making them stronger without gaining much size?
 
Curious: how do you find pull (clean, snatch, clean pull) affect your hamstrings? Do they build your hamstrings? Making them stronger without gaining much size?

a) I'm already adapted to those

b) Not as much hypertrophy -- TUT is low, no eccentric
 
What is it about the hamstrings that make serious beatings so necessary for hypertrophy?

To get my hamstrings to actually grow, I'm needing to do 6-8 sets of RDLs per week , for 6-10 reps @150-170 kg.

(thank goodness for straps)

Anything less heavy or less volume, they just laugh at me and refuse to grow.

But if I hit them this hard....then they get revenge on me and make it so I can't walk properly for 3 days. And crushes me systemically and in my soul.

Anyone else have similar experiences?

Other than eccentric damage, I'm wondering what it is about the structure of the hamstrings that seems to cause this.

It's like metabolite training doesn't even work.
Are you also doing any knee flexion isolation work?
Because I love RDLs, but they DO NOT take you anywhere near max shortening of the hams, just max lengthening. Heck, the short head of the biceps femoris doesn’t even act on hip extension, as it attaches down on the femur itself instead of at the hip like the rest of them.
 
Are you also doing any knee flexion isolation work?
Because I love RDLs, but they DO NOT take you anywhere near max shortening of the hams, just max lengthening. Heck, the short head of the biceps femoris doesn’t even act on hip extension, as it attaches down on the femur itself instead of at the hip like the rest of them.

Yes.

I have a whole other thread about sucking at Nordic Curls. ;)
 
Yes.

I have a whole other thread about sucking at Nordic Curls. ;)
Oh yeah! I ‘member. Well that’s an issue, too. Since they are so damn hard, it impossible to do moderate to high reps and it’s just a lot of eccentric damage. Maybe some old fashioned hamstring curls and/or sprints could give you a boost.
 
Oh yeah! I ‘member. Well that’s an issue, too. Since they are so damn hard, it impossible to do moderate to high reps and it’s just a lot of eccentric damage. Maybe some old fashioned hamstring curls and/or sprints could give you a boost.

I guess I could pay $10/month to the local Planet Fitness to use the hamstring machine. ;)
 
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Speaking of monkey feet… there’s got to be a way to lay prone and attach bands behind you somewhere. I think I’d rather just use bands than pay for whatever monkey feet cost.
 
I have not done any specific hamstring work other than RDLs about once a week (5x5, not particularly heavy). The rest of my training is weightlifting (snatch, clean, PC, PS, jerk, pulls, a few other variations, and shoulder and core accessories).

How do you know if your hamstrings are lacking what they could/should be, especially relative to weightlifting?
 
Speaking of monkey feet… there’s got to be a way to lay prone and attach bands behind you somewhere. I think I’d rather just use bands than pay for whatever monkey feet cost.

Tried it several times with different levels of resistance bands.

The strength curve sucks.

If it's hard enough at the bottom, it's too hard at the top.

If it's just right at the top, it's stupidly easy at the bottom.
 
I have not done any specific hamstring work other than RDLs about once a week (5x5, not particularly heavy). The rest of my training is weightlifting (snatch, clean, PC, PS, jerk, pulls, a few other variations, and shoulder and core accessories).

How do you know if your hamstrings are lacking what they could/should be, especially relative to weightlifting?

Oh, I don't really worry about hamstring and knee flexion in weightlifting.

The classic lifts and the pulls do plenty of the right kind of hamstring work for the sport, and throw in some Nordics for prehab for caution.

My main reason to care about knee flexion is for rowing.

When you pull yourself forward for the catch, you're using knee flexion and you're feeling (just like in weightlifting) for the loading of the hamstrings to initiate the drive with the legs, then arms.
 
What is it about the hamstrings that make serious beatings so necessary for hypertrophy?

To get my hamstrings to actually grow, I'm needing to do 6-8 sets of RDLs per week , for 6-10 reps @150-170 kg.

(thank goodness for straps)

Anything less heavy or less volume, they just laugh at me and refuse to grow.

But if I hit them this hard....then they get revenge on me and make it so I can't walk properly for 3 days. And crushes me systemically and in my soul.

Anyone else have similar experiences?

Other than eccentric damage, I'm wondering what it is about the structure of the hamstrings that seems to cause this.

It's like metabolite training doesn't even work.
Ever use a Power Wheel for hams ?
 
No -- I don't even know what a Power Wheel is!
Friggin smoker.

 
Friggin smoker.


An ab wheel with feet?

Ooooh.....clever.

That looks way better than doing slides with a Swiss ball.
 
An ab wheel with feet?

Ooooh.....clever.

That looks way better than doing slides with a Swiss ball.
Oh yeah. Not much surface area. You will use a good amount of gas keeping it straight. And if one hams starts taking over, it gets squirrely.
 
Oh yeah. Not much surface area. You will use a good amount of gas keeping it straight. And if one hams starts taking over, it gets squirrely.

That was the issue I had.

I spent more energy just trying to keep things aligned that it gimped my ham force production.
 
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