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TSDguy wrote: I don't don't have machines; either dumbbells or no weight and do things like lunges and squats. Are these working my hamstrings (I assume not enough), and if not, how can I without a weight bench?
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I also would be interested in the answer to that question.
One activity I enjoy is Mountain Biking. On long climbs I will take advantage of my clipless pedals and cleated shoes and concentrate my power on the up stroke of the pedaling cycle to work my hamstrings. Accentuating the pull up instead of a push down or the ideal, an even spin.
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ted
"I learn by going where I have to go." - Theodore Roethke
Weight Training for Martial Artists
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Ted Dinwiddie
- Posts: 537
- Joined: Thu Sep 16, 1999 6:01 am
- Location: Charlottesville,VA,USA
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Bill Glasheen
- Posts: 17299
- Joined: Thu Mar 11, 1999 6:01 am
- Location: Richmond, VA --- Louisville, KY
Weight Training for Martial Artists
Ted and TSDGuy
I'm afraid to tell you that it is VERY difficult to work the hamstrings without a machine. This is why so many people who train without equipment in their various sports end up pulling their hamstring muscles in their various activities. The classic scenario is the football guy that does squats, but eschews the hamstring machine. Another is the karate guy that does lots of deep stances, kicking on bags, and various squat activities. Those quadriceps will get ahead of the hamstring muscles, and then it's only a matter of time before you are going full tilt in an activity and Pop!! But even more, people don't realize that controlled movement of the body requires a balance of strength between extensors and flexors in the various joints of the body. Part of the consequence of imbalanced development is uncoordinated movement.
Back when John Gamble was a strength coach at UVa, he told me a story of a well-known ACC football player that had such a strength imbalance problem. He had broken through the line in a play, and was heading for the goal line at full tilt. John told me you could hear the snap from the sidelines, and the guy went down like a deer that had been hit by a shotgun blast. Ouch!!!
Running tends to work the hamstrings more than other leg activites, but this is mostly endurance work. Cycling with clips and then using the power of all your muscles during the entire rotation (as opposed to simply pushing and relaxing) will also help.
You can go down to any sports shop and purchase a bench that has a leg extension and leg curl apparatus on the end. It's not as fancy as the adjustable variable cam stuff they have in the modern gyms these days, but it gets the job done. All you need to do is load up your loose plates on the device, and you are good to go.
And you guys out there with hamstring injuries, remember - that was no accident. <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote
Twenty reps is too much. Even the endurance muscles are done after 15 reps. Anything after that and you are engaging in catabolic (breakdown) activity. Ever wonder why marathon runners look the way they do?
As for the lunges, I highly recommend walking lunges with a barbell on shoulders (as opposed to hanging dumbbells). It's a great coordination exercise, and NOTHING works your butt like that exercise. Even if you've been doing squats all your life, you will wake up with sore buns the first day after you've done those. It's another way to challenge the body. The more approaches (over time - not all at the same time), the better.
- Bill
I'm afraid to tell you that it is VERY difficult to work the hamstrings without a machine. This is why so many people who train without equipment in their various sports end up pulling their hamstring muscles in their various activities. The classic scenario is the football guy that does squats, but eschews the hamstring machine. Another is the karate guy that does lots of deep stances, kicking on bags, and various squat activities. Those quadriceps will get ahead of the hamstring muscles, and then it's only a matter of time before you are going full tilt in an activity and Pop!! But even more, people don't realize that controlled movement of the body requires a balance of strength between extensors and flexors in the various joints of the body. Part of the consequence of imbalanced development is uncoordinated movement.
Back when John Gamble was a strength coach at UVa, he told me a story of a well-known ACC football player that had such a strength imbalance problem. He had broken through the line in a play, and was heading for the goal line at full tilt. John told me you could hear the snap from the sidelines, and the guy went down like a deer that had been hit by a shotgun blast. Ouch!!!
Running tends to work the hamstrings more than other leg activites, but this is mostly endurance work. Cycling with clips and then using the power of all your muscles during the entire rotation (as opposed to simply pushing and relaxing) will also help.
You can go down to any sports shop and purchase a bench that has a leg extension and leg curl apparatus on the end. It's not as fancy as the adjustable variable cam stuff they have in the modern gyms these days, but it gets the job done. All you need to do is load up your loose plates on the device, and you are good to go.
And you guys out there with hamstring injuries, remember - that was no accident. <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote
Peer-reviewed studies show that properly-performed squats reduce knee problems because they strengthen tendons and ligaments and bones too! But one must remember to do the right number of reps with the right number of sets with the right amount of weight with good form - and then REST.Have you tried squatting and leg lunges? Many people say that squatting is bad for the joints but I don't think thats true.
Twenty reps is too much. Even the endurance muscles are done after 15 reps. Anything after that and you are engaging in catabolic (breakdown) activity. Ever wonder why marathon runners look the way they do?
As for the lunges, I highly recommend walking lunges with a barbell on shoulders (as opposed to hanging dumbbells). It's a great coordination exercise, and NOTHING works your butt like that exercise. Even if you've been doing squats all your life, you will wake up with sore buns the first day after you've done those. It's another way to challenge the body. The more approaches (over time - not all at the same time), the better.
- Bill
