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You’ve ignored those hamstrings long enough. Maybe you will never need to step upon a bodybuilding stage, but you do like the idea of not being injured, right? Training the back of your upper thighs, or the “leg biceps” will benefit you on squats, leg press, and any other movement where they hamstrings may be a point of failure in the movement. If you’ve ever had to stop a set of squats because your hamstrings are over-pumped, but your thighs aren’t torched yet, then you already know the truth. It’s time to hit those hamstrings like you never have before. It’s time to bring them up to par with your outstanding thighs and calves. Here are some tips for doing so!

12 x 5
Find a nice spot at the seated or lying leg curl machine. Knock out 12 repetitions of your movement as you would normally complete. Then, stop and count 12 breaths, and then do it again. After these 12 reps you are no doubt exhausted, and you’ll be rewarded for your efforts with 12 more deep breaths. Then you keep on repeating! You will complete a total of 60 repetitions, divided into 12 repetition sets with four periods of 12 breaths in between. This should complete your lying or seated leg curls for the day. Unless you are ready for pre-exhaust…

Pre-exhaust: Isolation movement FIRST!
This style of training allows you to train your primary muscle group first with an isolation exercise, then move to a heavier compound movement which really hits it with a greater workload and greater targeted concentration. Start with ten repetitions of very slow and focused lying leg curls. Then move on to 10 repetitions of stiff legged deadlifts. Your hammies will be pumped beyond belief before you begin the deadlifts, and after? Woah…

Stiff legged deadlifts – Slow!
Speaking of stiff legged deadlifts, it’s time to slow them down! You wish to develop some insane hamstrings, but you move so fast that many of your muscle fibers in the leg are neglected. You should be moving up slowly, taking 2 to 3 seconds on both the up and down of the movement. You’re not in a race here. Rather, you are trying to stimulate your legs to grow as they never have before!

Isolation cable work
Most of the time, wise advice tells you to avoid the cable movements. They are only for pumping, and a waste of time. For the hamstrings, however, clamping a strap onto your ankle and repping out is a great way to deliver burn, set and focus that is impossible to really feel on deadlifting. Keep the reps high and flex at the top of every set.