Building Your Legs 2 (Hamstrings & Calves)

Building Your Legs 2 (Hamstrings & Calves)

When working out the legs, it is important to develop all aspects of the leg equally. This will ensure that your legs are symmetrical, stronger, and defined with muscle. With stronger legs you will get more power and explosiveness in sporting activities and with an increase in strength you will lower your chances of injury. The exercises listed below focus on the back of the legs and can be incorporated with quad exercises for an intense leg workout.

Hamstrings
Straight / stiffed leg ? deadlifts
Lying leg curls

Calves
Seated Calf raise
Standing Heel raise (alternate)

Hamstrings

Straight / stiffed leg ? deadlifts
This is an excellent exercise for developing the hamstrings. Use a shoulder-width stance with your eyes straight ahead. With a dumbbell in each hand bend your knees slightly and lean forward at the waist. Slowly begin to rise up into an erect position with your chest out and shoulders back.

Starting Position
With your feet shoulder width apart, grasp a barbell using an overhand grip with roughly the same distance.

The Exercise
With your legs almost in a locked position, bend forward at the waist as you lower the weight while keeping your back straight and your eyes looking ahead. Bend forward until a stretch at the hamstring is felt or when the upper body is almost parallel with the floor. Return to the starting position by using your leg muscles.

Sets
Execute three to four sets of 10-12 reps, concentrating more on the form rather than on adding extra weight.

Tips,
- Refrain from hunching your back
- Look straight ahead to keep your back straight
- Keep your legs in a semi-locked position

Lying leg curls
The lying leg curl is a great exercise to add mass as well as definition to the hamstring muscles. This exercise can be done lying face down or standing.

Starting Position
When using a lying leg curl machine lie face down with the back of your lower legs resting comfortably against the underside of the rollers. Grab hold of the grips along side the bench and slowly curl the weight

The Exercise
Lying flat on the bench, curl the weight slowly using your leg muscles until your hamstrings are contracted or until your hips rise or back begins to arch. Pause and then slowly lower the weight to the starting position. Keep your abdominals tight throughout the exercise as well as keeping your back straight by keeping your head down. Concentrate on squeezing your hamstring much like doing a curling motion when working out your arms.

Sets Execute three to four sets of 8-10 reps concentrating more on the form rather than on adding extra weight.

Tips
- Because the hamstring is fast twitch muscle fibers it needs heavy weights to be stimulated to grow.
- Be sure not to arch your back.
- Keep your abs tight
- Do not let the plates touch and remove the tension from your hamstrings.

Calves,
Much like forearms, your calves are the forgotten body part of the legs. Not too many people take the time to work out their calves because they're not seen as significant as the other parts of the leg. However, having muscular and shapely calves makes the thighs look bigger, and makes you look more proportionate.

Seated Calf Raise This exercise primarily targets the soleus muscle, one of two main calf muscles. The exercise adds tonality and shape to the calf.

Starting Position
Sit on the machine with your back straight and place the balls of your feet underneath the seat. Place the end of the thighs under the knee pads and adjust according to comfort level. Hold on to the knee pads throughout the exercise to prevent them from slipping off.

The Exercise
Press the weight up by using your toes until contraction of your calves is felt. Pause and flex at the top of contraction and slowly lower the weight back to the starting position.

Sets Because the calves are slow-twitch muscle fibers they respond more effectively to higher repetitions. For the exercise to be more efficient it is highly recommended that each set be completed in no less than 40 seconds. Repetitions can vary between 12-20 for each set depending on how slow the exercise is being perform.

Tips
- Avoid bouncing or using momentum to press the weight up
- Try pointing your toes slightly outwards or inwards for different variety.

Standing Heel Raise
The purpose of this exercise is to add mass to the calf muscle.

Starting Position
This exercise can be performed three different ways;

a) Using a machine
Adjust the shoulder pad of the machine so that the pad is about armpit height. Place the ball of your foot on the standing calf-raise machine. Your feet should be shoulder width apart and you should bend over and position the shoulders underneath the pad. Press the weight up and straighten the legs. Keep your legs and the rest of the body straight as you lower your heels towards the floor as far as possible.

b) Barbell
Using a smith machine, place a 4-6 inch block directly under the barbell. Position the balls of your feet about shoulder width apart and take a squat stance and place the bar on the trapezius muscle. Press the weight up and straighten your legs. Keep your legs and the rest of the body straight, lower your heels towards the floor as far as possible.

c) Dumbbell
Using the same 4-6 inch block, grab a dumbbell with one hand, let it hang at the side of your body, and place the ball of the same side foot on the block and the other crossed behind the calf. Use your opposite hand, hold on to a wall or a bar. Press the weight up and straighten your legs. Keep your legs and the rest of the body straight, lower your heels towards the floor as far as possible.

The Exercise
The motion of the exercise is the same for each version of the exercise. Lower your heels as far as comfortably possible in a smooth and controlled manner. Raise the weight back up and contract squeeze as much as possible.

Set
Repetitions can vary in-between 12-20 for each set depending on how slow the exercise is being performed.

Tips
- Stretch before, during and after each set.
- During the exercise keep your back straight, knees locked and your eyes looking straight ahead.