“Don’t skip leg day” has almost become a meme in the gym, warning dedicated lifters to give lower body training as much emphasis, intensity, and attention as their upper body. That’s all well and good, ... Continue Reading
How to Do the Reverse Lunge for Powerful Legs and Rock-Hard Glutes
Everybody’s keen on boasting about their squat numbers, but many people overlook single-leg work. That’s a pity because unilateral exercises — single-arm or single-leg movements — offer unique benefits ... Continue Reading
The Best Leg Workouts With Bodyweight, With Dumbbells, for Size, and More
Leg workouts have a well-earned reputation for being one of the most intense sessions a lifter can put themselves through. Because the legs are a group of several muscles instead of one single body part, a ... Continue Reading
Are You Squat Dominant or Deadlift Dominant? Know Your Strengths
How do you know if you’re squat dominant or deadlift dominant? It’s not an exact science—some bodies are just better designed to squat than to deadlift and vice versa—but if your back squat is more ... Continue Reading
Block Lunges: Release the Quadriceps and Lengthen the Hamstrings
The quadriceps (quads) is the group of four muscles at the front of the thigh. The hamstrings are three muscles at the back of the thigh. These two muscle groups work in opposition to each other, though ... Continue Reading
How to Train the Hamstrings for Explosive Speed
When it comes to speed, conditioning protocols must be finely tuned to influence the body physiologically and biomechanically. Considerations must include working in a variety of planes, structuring ... Continue Reading
Man Up and Train Your Weaknesses
No one likes to be weak. You go to the gym to look, feel, and be better. Whether your goal is strength, hypertrophy, power, or general fitness and well-being, weakness is never on your ... Continue Reading
2 Overlooked Reasons Your Hamstrings Are Tight
Do you have tight hamstrings? Conventional wisdom says that to fix them, you just need to stretch. When that doesn’t work, just try to stretch some more. After all, if something is tight, you need to be ... Continue Reading
Can’t Touch Your Toes? Find and Fix the Root of the Problem
Stand with your feet together. Keep your knees locked. Slowly bend forward and touch your toes. Can you reach them? If not, that means your hamstrings are too tight and they need stretching. Wait. ... Continue Reading
How and Why You Should Be Performing Hamstring Raises
Hamstring raises on the glute-ham developer (GHD) might be one of the best exercises you are not doing. They build powerful hamstrings that might improve sprinting speed and jumping ability. And they ... Continue Reading
A Self-Help Guide for Members of the Short Hamstring Club
Are your hamstrings the bane of your athletic existence? Or even worse, do you find hamstring tightness or pain interferes with your daily activities? If so, you're not alone. Research suggests ... Continue Reading
10 Articles to Improve the Performance of Your Hamstrings
Improving the strength and function of your hamstring muscles can go a long way. For athletes of many sports, from the strength sports through to cycling and running, the hamstrings tend to be a ... Continue Reading
The Hamstring-to-Quadriceps Strength Ratio in Female Runners
It's well known that female athletes need to spend a little extra time working on their hamstring strength compared to their male counterparts. This is because hamstring injury tends to be more frequent in ... Continue Reading
The King of Hamstring Exercises
You’ve probably heard coaches extol the virtues of strong hamstrings. Hamstrings make it possible to jump high, sprint fast, and stand up a heavy deadlift. But what exactly are the hamstrings and how can ... Continue Reading
Dear Willow: Help My Tight Hamstrings!
Dear Willow, I have always been plagued by extremely tight hamstrings. For instance, when lying on my back I can barely bring my leg perpendicular with the floor under my own power. When someone ... Continue Reading
