Hams+legs: if you think frying your hams is good for breakfast, wait until you taste this rear-thigh bruiser

Muscle & Fitness, June, 2007 by Bill Geiger

INSIDE LYING LEG CURL PG 96 DUMBBELL ROMANIAN DEADLIFT PG 98 REVERSE HAMSTRING EXTENSION PG 100 SMITH MACHINE SQUAT PG 102 LEG PRESS PG 104 LEG EXTENSION PG 106

If the notion of "hams" conjures up visions of cute little piggies and the other white meat instead of the meat on the back of your thighs, chances are your legs more closely resemble those of chickens. Not good. And if your hamstring workout consists of--drumroll, please--the lying leg curl, it's also pretty likely that your rear-thigh training has become a mere afterthought.

While the lying leg curl is a staple of most hamstring-focused workouts--and it's even included here--you may not have realized that you can increase the muscular stress on your hams by slightly repositioning your feet on a variety of squats and leg presses. Essentially, moving your feet in front of you on the Smith machine squat, and higher on the platform for the leg press and hack squat, shifts some of the emphasis from the quads to the hams and glutes--as long as you lower your body far enough.

To blast your thighs in a totally unfamiliar way, this ham-heavy workout also includes a couple of moves that might be new to you. Build meatier hams by rotating this workout with your other leg routines. Now pass the bacon.

(1) HAMSTRINGS

LYING LEG CURL

WHAT IT HITS

HAMSTRINGS

SETS + REPS

1 WARM-UP, 3 MEDIUM-WEIGHT SETS OF 12 REPS

* RUNDOWN Most people make this exercise the centerpiece of their ham workout, but here it serves as a warm-up for the heavier romanian deadlifts to follow. This is the only hamstring move in this routine that's dependent solely on the knee joint, which is the most common way to work your hams.

* START Position the adjustable ankle pad so it sits just above your ankles. Lie facedown on the bench with your knees just off the edge. Grasp the handles and keep your head straight so that your neck remains neutrally aligned (A). Your body should be square on the pad, with your hips against the pad at all times.

* EXECUTION Contract your hamstrings to lift the weight in a smooth motion, bringing the ankle pad as close to your glutes as you can (B). Squeeze and hold the peak contraction momentarily before reversing direction, lowering the weight slowly. Don't allow the weight to touch bottom between reps.

(2) HAMSTRINGS

DUMBBELL ROMANIAN DEADLIFT

WHAT IT HITS

HAMSTRINGS + GLUTES

SETS + REPS

4 SETS OF 12, 8, 8, 10 REPS

* RUNDOWN You've probably done this with a barbell or on the Smith machine; the dumbbell version provides a slightly different feel and can be done just about anywhere--especially useful when all the bars are taken. Bending at the hips works the upper portion of the hams more strongly, making it a good complement to a knee-joint move like the lying leg curl.

* START Stand erect, your knees just slightly bent, holding a pair of dumbbells in front of your thighs with an overhand grip. Keep your chest out, shoulders back and a slight arch in your lower back. Your feet should be about hip-width apart (A).

* EXECUTION Keep your arms straight and lean forward from the hips, pushing them back as the weights travel very close to your legs toward mid-shin level and your torso approaches parallel to the floor (B). Hold for a moment, then pull with your hamstrings to rise back up while keeping your back arched and arms straight, pushing your hips forward as you exhale at the top.

(3)HAMSTRINGS

REVERSE HAMSTRING EXTENSION

WHAT IT HITS

HAMSTRINGS + GLUTES

SETS + REPS

3 SETS TO FAILURE

* RUNDOWN Another hip-joint move for hamstrings that focuses on the upper end of the muscle group. Do this one as the last exercise in the hamstring portion of the workout, as it's difficult to add additional resistance to this bodyweight move, though you can make it harder by placing a dumbbell or medicine ball between your feet.

* START Lie facedown and reversed on a back-extension bench, your head toward the end at which your feet are normally positioned. Grasp the footpad or support bar to stabilize your torso; your hips and legs should hang off the pad at a 90-degree angle with your legs straight (A).

* EXECUTION Keeping your body stable, knees slightly bent and feet together, extend at the hips to raise your legs until they're aligned with your torso (B). Use a smooth motion to avoid hyperextending your back, momentarily squeezing your hams and glutes at the top, and lower under control.

(4) QUADS

SMITH WIDE-STANCE SQUAT

WHAT IT HITS

QUADS + GLUTES + HAMSTRINGS

SETS + REPS

4 SETS OF 12, 8, 8, 10 REPS

* RUNDOWN When you're prefatigued, the Smith is a safer choice for squatting since you don't need to worry about balancing the bar. While keeping your feet under your body simulates a free-bar squat and focuses heavily on the quads, you can shift some emphasis to the hams and glutes by placing your feet 12-18 inches in front of you and in a wide stance (which you obviously can't do with free-bar squats).

* START Rest the bar across your upper back (place a towel or pad around it for comfort if necessary), grasping it outside your shoulders. Stand erect with a slight arch in your back, your feet out wide, 12-18 inches in front of the bar, toes pointing slightly outward (A). Rotate the bar to release it from the safeties.