The hamstrings are commonly known as the opposing muscle group to the quadriceps, but that doesn’t mean that when one of these muscles is working, the other group is relaxed. This means you can create focus on different muscles by thinking about tibial rotation. That placement means your lower leg internally rotates because of the semis, while it externally rotates because of the biceps femoris. Semimembranosus and semitendinosus insert at the tibia, while the biceps femoris insert at the head of the fibula. Meanwhile, all your hamstring muscles are active during knee flexion, the bending of your knee. Don’t discount such moves when training hamstrings. This means that hip extension moves like glute bridges, and even the final act of standing up fully straight and pushing your pelvis forward during a squat, will recruit a lot of hamstring muscle (although these moves won’t recruit the short head of the biceps femoris). (The short head of the biceps femoris originates at the shaft of the femur, or thigh bone.) What’s hip extension? That’s what happens when you stand up straight, and your thigh and torso straighten out. That means they are involved in hip extension. The biceps femoris includes two separate heads, a long head and a short head.īoth semis and the long head of the biceps femoris originate at the ischial tuberosity in the pelvis-and that’s important. Your hamstrings actually consist of three main muscles: the semimembranosus, the semitendinosus, and the biceps femoris. But if you want to develop power, your hamstrings (along with your glutes) will be your engine. They're essential for a well-rounded lower body, key for hip flexion and knee extension. Don't get us wrong you should still give your quads attention, too. Your hamstrings are located on the posterior (rear) side of your body, so they might be a bit harder to appreciate a quick flex in your reflection-but training your hamstrings is about more than just achieving a physique goal (although there are definitely some aesthetic perks that come with a well-developed set of hams).Ī strong set of hamstrings can allow you to jump higher, run faster, and push big weights even more efficiently when the time comes to take on big compound lifts. Too many guys are more focused on what they can see in front of them in the mirror on the anterior (front) side of their body, making the quads the main focus of their leg day workouts once they've finished their big compound lifts that recruit multiple big muscle groups. There are huge muscle groups in your lower body, and while the quads and glutes get a lot of love, your hamstrings are more than worth some individual attention, too. That's a fine approach if you want to look like an unbalanced cartoon character-but if your goals are for a more functional, balanced physique, your leg days should be more than just a vague concept. For most general trainees looking to pack on size and build strength, the roster looks something like this: arms, abs, shoulders, arms again, upper back (maybe), abs again (obliques this time), and then, finally, the general, all-encompassing "leg" day. IF YOU WERE to list out the hierarchy of importance for your muscle-building workouts, there's more than a slight chance that it would be fairly top-heavy.
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