Uneven Hams vs Quads

[mlj83081]

Now I know that the Hamstrings are almost always weaker than the quads.......and that most exercises where we are trying to target the butt and hams we almost always work the quads as well. Especially in plyo etc. etc.... This being said I am very happy with my quad size and tone, and working more on definition. I can really feel the hardness of my hams, but it just seems sooo much harder to gain the definition.
Women of course will hold more fat there and i know this, and i understand it will take longer to see results in this area. But...I'm wondering if it wouldn't be a better idea to incorporate more ham isolating exercises into my leg routine/sts workout. I work out at the gym w/ sts...and i'm thinking about subbing some ham curls, butt blasters etc. into some of the classic squats and such. I'm worried that my quad development will keep progressing and my hams always a slower pace. I really don't want to look imbalanced...any suggestions?

 

[kathryn]

Hamstrings should be about 70% the strength of quads to be balanced, much less, or MORE, and there is a muscle imbalance that could lead to injury.

If your hams really are lagging behind the quads, then some extra ham curls couldn't hurt.

Straight-leg deadlifts (the kind Cathe does in her workouts) also target that whole posterior chain (lower back, glutes, hamstrings), and kettlebell swings hit the area nicely as well.

 

[maddiesmum]

The best exercise for the hamstrings are stability ball roll ins and bridge work. Do as many sets of these per workout as you do squats. Make them progressively more difficult: start with double feet on the ball and do them nice and slow, even paced, no rushing. Then reduce to single foot on the ball with hips coming down between each rep and then work up to single leg roll ins where the hips stay elevated the entire time and the other, non-working leg, either stays straight up in the air, or for more intensity, is crossed over the working leg at the knee. Three sets of 15-20 reps per leg. That should do it.

I have always found these build strength better than deadlifts and they are much harder to perform, although deadlifts help a lot with flexibility in the hamstrings.

Clare