Question:
Do hyperextensions make for a good hamstring exercise?
i'm looking to incorporate one hamstring assistance exercise into my program, and according to the assistance sticky thread in this section, people suggest good-mornings and hyperextensions. i'm deciding which one to use at the moment...
however, i have always been under the impression hyprextensions hit the lower back more than it did the hamstrings.
can i get someone to verify/discount this? thanks guys.
If you use a roman chair for hyperextensions, and hold a heavy weight in your arms, and squeeze the back of your feet against the foot holders, they will definitely hit your hams. I think most people think more in terms of reverse hypers as a ham exercise though. Good mornings are better than any of them though.
They will work your hamstrings as Danimal says ... also if you have a roman chair you should be able to do GHR which are (in my opinion and experience) one of the best hamstring exercises out there.
yeah, hits hams and low back.
the hams work on the knee joint AND the hip joint.
some of it does have to do with positioning though. Some people tend to not get our far enough over the pad so when the lower themselves the hip joint isnt really moving...instead its just their lower back rounding down etc. In that case its pretty much all low back with minimal ham involvement
Its sort of like rounded back deads compared to romanian deads. You can do hypers in such a way that the low back is pretty much just held statically while the hip joint rotates etc. In that case youd think it would be more of a ham exercise.
one thing to possibly try. do leg curls first, finish with hypers. That will pre-exhaust the hams and youll feel em when doing the hypers
thats what I did yesterday
squats
leg ext
db squats with elevated heels
leg curls
hypers
I had planned to do romanian deads but was just 2 tired. Thats somethign else to consider. Romanian deads or good morning are WAY harder than hypers. You can fit hypers into programs sometimes where GMs or Romanians would just be too much.
If you want a really good hamstring assistance exercise do Glute Ham Raises. I've never had an exercise hit hamstrings so hard. Another good one is stiff legged sumo deadlifts, but Glute Ham Raises are amazing.
If you want a really good hamstring assistance exercise do Glute Ham Raises. I've never had an exercise hit hamstrings so hard. Another good one is stiff legged sumo deadlifts, but Glute Ham Raises are amazing. Stiff-leg sumo deads-excellent reference,bro-great ham exercise.
To really hit hamstrings, when I was doing good mornings or hyperextensions I'd really slow down on the negative. A good 4 seconds per negative each rep. Great burn in the hams after each set. I highly recommend slowing down on the negatives with your normal good morning/hyper weight to get great ham development.
Edit:Stiff-leg sumo deads-excellent reference,bro-great ham exercise. x2. Forgot about stiff legged deads. Also a great ham exercise.
To really hit hamstrings, when I was doing good mornings or hyperextensions I'd really slow down on the negative. A good 4 seconds per negative each rep. Great burn in the hams after each set. I highly recommend slowing down on the negatives with your normal good morning/hyper weight to get great ham development.
Edit:
x2. Forgot about stiff legged deads. Also a great ham exercise. I really got some good gains on my deads when I implemented these in my routine and another that I think is good but have heard a few disagree with are pull-throughs.You can go to elitefts.com for a better description and pic than I could give.
my absolute fav hammys i have termed 'hamstring deaths' but i forget what the actual name is. its where you get on your knees your partner holds your ankles down, you lean forward straight as you can and then pull back up. my hams will actually seize and spasm a couple times / set. can be done with ankles under a loaded barbell also.
RawPL, those are glute Ham Raises.
my absolute fav hammys i have termed 'hamstring deaths' but i forget what the actual name is. its where you get on your knees your partner holds your ankles down, you lean forward straight as you can and then pull back up. my hams will actually seize and spasm a couple times / set. can be done with ankles under a loaded barbell also. Those are real difficult to do properly, most people just are not strong enough to complete more than a rep or 2. I've done them before with my bench and rack. I have an attachment on the bench that you can hook your feet under for declines- I put that in backwards so my heels can lock in, then I use an elastic band over the rack to assist me. The band takes some of your bodyweight away and lets you get more reps out of the exercise.
What we do at our gym, is have a spotter catch you and push you up just a little if necessary, or pull you down if you're doing too good.
If you use a roman chair for hyperextensions, and hold a heavy weight in your arms, and squeeze the back of your feet against the foot holders, they will definitely hit your hams. I think most people think more in terms of reverse hypers as a ham exercise though. Good mornings are better than any of them though. If you ever try those one leg at a time! Awesome stuff! Also holding the weight over your head the whole time makes it that much harder, you don't leverage on your side that way.
If you ever try those one leg at a time! Awesome stuff! Also holding the weight over your head the whole time makes it that much harder, you don't leverage on your side that way. Most people, including strong ones, have a hard time doing them full range with just bodyweight. One leg, or with weight behind your head, would be an incredible feat of strength. We're talking manual ham curls here, where you are kneeling on the bench, with your feet behind you and anchored, and you lower yourself down till you are nearly touching the bench with your chest, then raise yourself back up, right? Not roman chair back extensions which most people refer to as hyperextensions?
Amazing the difference using an actual GHR makes in comparison to manual hamstring curls. I can do nearly twice the reps on a GHR. You would not think a toe plate to push against would help that much.
Wish my current gym had one.
i'm looking to incorporate one hamstring assistance exercise into my program, and according to the assistance sticky thread in this section, people suggest good-mornings and hyperextensions. i'm deciding which one to use at the moment...
however, i have always been under the impression hyprextensions hit the lower back more than it did the hamstrings.
can i get someone to verify/discount this? thanks guys.
Answer:
If you use a roman chair for hyperextensions, and hold a heavy weight in your arms, and squeeze the back of your feet against the foot holders, they will definitely hit your hams. I think most people think more in terms of reverse hypers as a ham exercise though. Good mornings are better than any of them though.
Answer:
They will work your hamstrings as Danimal says ... also if you have a roman chair you should be able to do GHR which are (in my opinion and experience) one of the best hamstring exercises out there.
Answer:
yeah, hits hams and low back.
the hams work on the knee joint AND the hip joint.
some of it does have to do with positioning though. Some people tend to not get our far enough over the pad so when the lower themselves the hip joint isnt really moving...instead its just their lower back rounding down etc. In that case its pretty much all low back with minimal ham involvement
Its sort of like rounded back deads compared to romanian deads. You can do hypers in such a way that the low back is pretty much just held statically while the hip joint rotates etc. In that case youd think it would be more of a ham exercise.
one thing to possibly try. do leg curls first, finish with hypers. That will pre-exhaust the hams and youll feel em when doing the hypers
thats what I did yesterday
squats
leg ext
db squats with elevated heels
leg curls
hypers
I had planned to do romanian deads but was just 2 tired. Thats somethign else to consider. Romanian deads or good morning are WAY harder than hypers. You can fit hypers into programs sometimes where GMs or Romanians would just be too much.
Answer:
If you want a really good hamstring assistance exercise do Glute Ham Raises. I've never had an exercise hit hamstrings so hard. Another good one is stiff legged sumo deadlifts, but Glute Ham Raises are amazing.
Answer:
If you want a really good hamstring assistance exercise do Glute Ham Raises. I've never had an exercise hit hamstrings so hard. Another good one is stiff legged sumo deadlifts, but Glute Ham Raises are amazing. Stiff-leg sumo deads-excellent reference,bro-great ham exercise.
Answer:
To really hit hamstrings, when I was doing good mornings or hyperextensions I'd really slow down on the negative. A good 4 seconds per negative each rep. Great burn in the hams after each set. I highly recommend slowing down on the negatives with your normal good morning/hyper weight to get great ham development.
Edit:Stiff-leg sumo deads-excellent reference,bro-great ham exercise. x2. Forgot about stiff legged deads. Also a great ham exercise.
Answer:
To really hit hamstrings, when I was doing good mornings or hyperextensions I'd really slow down on the negative. A good 4 seconds per negative each rep. Great burn in the hams after each set. I highly recommend slowing down on the negatives with your normal good morning/hyper weight to get great ham development.
Edit:
x2. Forgot about stiff legged deads. Also a great ham exercise. I really got some good gains on my deads when I implemented these in my routine and another that I think is good but have heard a few disagree with are pull-throughs.You can go to elitefts.com for a better description and pic than I could give.
Answer:
my absolute fav hammys i have termed 'hamstring deaths' but i forget what the actual name is. its where you get on your knees your partner holds your ankles down, you lean forward straight as you can and then pull back up. my hams will actually seize and spasm a couple times / set. can be done with ankles under a loaded barbell also.
Answer:
RawPL, those are glute Ham Raises.
Answer:
my absolute fav hammys i have termed 'hamstring deaths' but i forget what the actual name is. its where you get on your knees your partner holds your ankles down, you lean forward straight as you can and then pull back up. my hams will actually seize and spasm a couple times / set. can be done with ankles under a loaded barbell also. Those are real difficult to do properly, most people just are not strong enough to complete more than a rep or 2. I've done them before with my bench and rack. I have an attachment on the bench that you can hook your feet under for declines- I put that in backwards so my heels can lock in, then I use an elastic band over the rack to assist me. The band takes some of your bodyweight away and lets you get more reps out of the exercise.
Answer:
What we do at our gym, is have a spotter catch you and push you up just a little if necessary, or pull you down if you're doing too good.
Answer:
If you use a roman chair for hyperextensions, and hold a heavy weight in your arms, and squeeze the back of your feet against the foot holders, they will definitely hit your hams. I think most people think more in terms of reverse hypers as a ham exercise though. Good mornings are better than any of them though. If you ever try those one leg at a time! Awesome stuff! Also holding the weight over your head the whole time makes it that much harder, you don't leverage on your side that way.
Answer:
If you ever try those one leg at a time! Awesome stuff! Also holding the weight over your head the whole time makes it that much harder, you don't leverage on your side that way. Most people, including strong ones, have a hard time doing them full range with just bodyweight. One leg, or with weight behind your head, would be an incredible feat of strength. We're talking manual ham curls here, where you are kneeling on the bench, with your feet behind you and anchored, and you lower yourself down till you are nearly touching the bench with your chest, then raise yourself back up, right? Not roman chair back extensions which most people refer to as hyperextensions?
Answer:
Amazing the difference using an actual GHR makes in comparison to manual hamstring curls. I can do nearly twice the reps on a GHR. You would not think a toe plate to push against would help that much.
Wish my current gym had one.