Most beginner bodybuilders have no clue what a hamstring is. It’s a muscle group they can’t see in most comfortable positions, which is typically only trained on one obvious device in the gym, the lying leg curl machine. In the ‘beginner’ phase, most bodybuilding training is limited to those plainly obvious exercises designed to add to the showpiece body parts (such as bench press for chest and dumbbell curls for biceps) or those with fun-looking cables or other parts (such as lat pulldowns or seated military press).

As the bodybuilder reaches the intermediate level, the need to stimulate each body part, every week, becomes known. It is usually at this time in which the bodybuilder first consistently trains hamstrings. Usually they are assigned four sets of 8 to 12 repetitions of hamstring curls, to be completed following quadriceps training, and directly before calf training, on leg day. They are very often neglected, and reaching any real level of intensity for them is difficult. They’re just not an important muscle group until the bodybuilder finally steps onstage.

Once the bodybuilder has competed, hamstrings usually make ‘the list’ of body parts in need of assistance. So, the intermediate bodybuilder goes back to the drawing board and works to devise a hamstring scheme which will challenge them to grow. Typical efforts involve more sets of lying leg curls (10 sets or bust!), or several exercises, all of which deliver hamstring training and different angles. These can include ankle-braced cable curls, seated leg curl machine, or still leg deadlifts. While these movements can be effective for stimulating the hamstrings, adding 12 or more sets of hamstring training to an already-exhaustive quadriceps workout is going to leave someone out in the dust. It’s nearly impossible to fully saturate the quads, hamstrings, and calves in the same workout. You can make your absolute best effort, but the reality is that most bodybuilder cannot deliver full intensity for 90+ minutes.

One solution involves treating the hamstrings as you would the abdominal, forearms, and calves – body parts which should receive training on two or three different weekly routines. This would involve using 4 to 6 sets of hamstring training, on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Obviously the intensity would be reduced, as you wouldn’t be required to train to absolute failure. Rather, you would be training for medium stimulation of the body part. Throughout the course of a year, superior growth would occur as a result of 100 to 135 mini-workouts, instead of an attempted 52 major workouts. There would be more ‘growth stimulation cycles’ for hamstrings. Since they are a high-volume body part (stimulated nonstop every day as we walk), the theory exists that frequently hammering them with smaller workouts would be more beneficial for growth.

One note - Never train hamstrings on the day before quadriceps training. If it falls on that day, skip it, and just complete 4 sets of leg curls following quads on leg day. While using 4 sets for hamstrings might not be adequate stimulation once per week, doing it 2 to 3 times a week will create some growth. Give it a shot – see if more frequent hamstring training is right for you!

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