I see this in a variety of people, but especially in younger athletes. If time’s the ultimate determinant in training periodization, it may be important to ask yourself just how much of your “training time” is spent simply warming up. In most cases, for us online physique coaches, developing the “best” training program tends to be dependent on the time clients have available as much as actual training principles. Particularly if someone has a family to take care of, between work & family responsibility, training time seems to constantly be on the chopping block when schedules need more room. We live in a fast paced world and in most cases, time is an ever-elusive resource. What’s the most used excuse you hear from athletes on why they missed a workout or fell off the wellness wagon altogether? Bingo, time. A takeover that once started with positive intentions but now appears to often hinder physique athletes’ performance more than it helps. That said though, the mobility movement quickly became a full-on takeover. Make no mistake, a proper warm up is certainly prudent for any athlete looking to minimize injury risk and enter their training sessions at their best. Foam rollers, mobility bands, more groin stretches than a professional contortionist. Walk into most gyms and you’ll see more bodies scattered across the floor than a Walking Dead episode. Fast-forward to present day, and mobility work and warm up popularity are at an all time high. Seeing a guy prancing around with high knees and butt kicks would be a comical relief for the “real” athletes that got straight to their heavy lifting once in the gym. The weight you use may be light, but your hamstrings will feel heavy by the end of it.Warm ups used to be considered “soft” by serious strength athletes. And if you do it right, you'll feel your hamstrings work and see them grow-maybe for the first time in years. Then when you're ready, put your strength to use with 's top hamstring exercises. Trust me, this method of training your hamstrings can't hurt. In fact, that may be exactly what you need to encourage new growth. You may have been attacking the type IIb fibers for years, but it doesn't mean that you can't strengthen the type I and IIa fibers. Perform this type of training twice a week for a good three- or four-week period, and you'll encourage growth in fibers that have been dormant for quite a while. If a muscle imbalance does exist between both sides, do the exercise one leg at a time, and always start with the weaker side first. Light and slow leg curls will unveil a left-right discrepancy very quickly, believe it or not. For this reason, you may feel that one side dominates. Both your left and right hamstrings must work throughout the entire range of motion, not just part of it. When you train in this manner, you can't hide any weakness. On the third and final set, use less weight, and try to maintain plantarflexion throughout. Lift the load in dorsiflexion (toes up) as you fatigue, but always lower the weight in plantarflexion (toes out). You may lose several reps by the second set, especially if you're not used to doing this type of training for your hamstrings. The first set should be manageable, but after that, your performance will likely drop dramatically. Light and Slow Will Show You Where You're Weakĭon't be fooled when you commence this type of training it's more challenging than you may think. And if you normally train your hamstrings heavy once a week, you can go light twice a week. If you typically take 3-4 minutes of rest between sets, 90-120 seconds will be enough with a lighter weight. You'll need less rest between sets, and less rest between workouts. Here's the other key: Since you're only using half the weight you normally do, you'll be able to cut your rest periods in half as well. I promise you, if you do leg curls right, even with a fairly light weight, you'll really feel your hamstrings. Your butt raises in the air to shorten the distance of movement, and no matter how hard you try to maintain ankle plantarflexion, by the second or third rep you're already in dorsiflexion as your gastrocs are coming into play to help out. Because you're using a weight that's probably too heavy, your form goes to hell in no time. The hamstrings don't do much after that initial pull they just come along for the ride. Usually, you initiate a leg curl with a blast of force, and momentum takes over the rest of the way. You'll quickly discover what a difference this type of training makes.
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