| |
| |
|
WebsiteAlways |
|
Most Amazing (and Ridiculously Simple) Trick For Stiff-Legged Deadlifts You Will Ever Read In Your L
The stiff-legged deadlift is one of the best exercises you can do for your hamstrings. The only problem is, it can also be one the hardest exercises to perform properly. For years, I tried to feel my hamstrings working when I did the stiff-legged deadlift. I knew it was the best exercise to work the hip extension function of the hamstrings but I never succeeded in feeling my hams work until I came up with this simple technique. Let me tell you, the very rep of the very first set I used this technique on, I could feel my hamstrings like never before! It was like a revelation. It was also extraordinarily simple. I guarantee if you've never had success with stiff-legged deadlifts, you will definitely have it after applying this technique. The trick? Elevate your toes on weight plates while you do the exercise. That's it! It's very simple but very elegant in the way it addresses the kinesiology and anatomy of the hamstrings. I will explain exactly how to set it up and the mechanisms of why it works so incredibly well. How To Do It: Set two 25-pound weight plates on the ground butted up against each other (one for each foot). They should be right beneath the barbell you will be using for the exercise and placed side-by-side so you can set your feet on both of them. Stand in front of the barbell with your feet half on the plates and half off. The front parts of your feet will be on the plates and your heels will be on the ground. Use the weight plates to brace your feet up so that your toes are up in the air and your feet are flexed up (known as dorsiflexion). At the end of this article you will find a link to a picture of how to set up this exercise. Bend over and grasp the bar at about shoulder width with an overhand grip. Keep your knees locked but slightly bent while doing this exercise and keep a tight arch in your lower back. Look directly forward while you are coming up and going back down. This will help you to keep an arch in your lower back. Squeeze the bar off the ground slowly and deliberately, coming up only until your upper body is slightly above parallel. Any higher and you'll start to lose tension in the hamstrings and throw it on your lower back. The real value of this exercise lies in the stretch at the bottom anyways. Come down slowly, being absolutely sure to keep the arch in your lower back. As you near the bottom, stick your butt out and try to raise your toes as high up as possible. This dramatically intensifies the stretch you put on your hamstrings. Hold that stretch for a moment or two then reverse the direction without bouncing. Repeat this for 5 to 7 reps. At the end of the set, place the barbell down gently then get ready to grab onto something for support. If you've done this technique correctly and intensely, your hamstrings will probably feel like jelly and you might find yourself prone to falling down suddenly (this is not a joke - I can't tell you how many things I've had grab onto to catch myself on after doing a hard set of these)! Why Is This Technique So Effective? The reason this toe-raising technique is so effective for the stiff-legged deadlift comes straight from biomechanics and anatomy. The stiff-legged deadlift exercise places the most tension on the hamstrings at the bottom, stretched position. Therefore, in order to maximize tension on the hamstrings, we must maximize the stretch on the hamstrings at that point. In the standard stiff-legged deadlift, this is normally accomplished by simply bending at the hips. But this is not the greatest anatomical stretch that can be put on the hamstring muscles. As you may or may not know, the muscles of the calves are tied in with the hamstrings. Therefore, placing a stretch on the calves also places more stretch on the hamstrings. This is what the weight plates accomplish - they raise your toes, putting a stretch on the calves, which then puts a greater stretch on your hamstrings. By stretching the hamstrings at both the hip joint and the knee joint (from stretching the calves), you literally force your hamstrings to activate strongly during the stiff-legged deadlift movement. The difference is quite amazing! Try it for just one set and I promise you'll never go back to doing it the standard way ever again! For a photograph of how to set this exercise up, visit: http://www.fitstep.com/Misc/Newsletter-archives/issue9-hamstring-tip.htm About The Author Nick Nilsson is Vice President of BetterU, Inc., an online exercise, fitness, and personal training company. Check out his latest eBook "The Best Exercises You've Never Heard Of" at http://www.thebestexercises.com or visit http://www.fitstep.com. You can contact him at betteru@fitstep.com or subscribe to BetterU News, his fitness newsletter at betterunews@fitstep.com.
MORE RESOURCES:
Build-Muscle - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Building Better Biceps Two of the nine pivot points - those stunning body parts located precisely where they attract the most attention - are the lower biceps and long head of the triceps. When fully developed, these muscles lend a mystical beauty to the physique that size alone can't. The Importance of Maintaining A Weight Training Log Do you find gyms intimidating? Feel lost while doing your workouts? Tried different programs with no results? Not always sure of want exercises you are supposed to be doing? Or maybe you're burnt out on the exercises your doing. A weight-training log may be exactly what you need. How These 3 Basic Elements Can Be Used To Boost Your Own Muscle Gains! The foolish idea that 'more is better' when it comes to bodybuilding goes directly against the basics of exercise science. When is comes to increasing your rate of muscle gains, more exercise is almost never what is needed. The Amazing Benefits of Resistance Training When it comes to exercise, resistance training is often overlooked. Resistance training is an essential part of any fitness program and has many amazing benefits. Welcome Back Everyone! Ah summer time, it's one of my favorite seasons and it has everything to do with free time, sun and surf. Activities like volleyball, tennis, soccer, swimming, surfing, sprinting after curious children, playing frisbee with the dog, walking a mile to get a frozen yogurt or to find that lost flipper on the beach take precedence. Exercise The Right Way - The Seated Row Other articles in this series looked at a number of exercises, mainly from the perspective of developing a comprehensive muscle building program. Sometimes we take things for granted, especially when it comes to performing the basic exercises that constitute the core of most bodybuiders' training regimes. Know Your Muscle Building Exercises - The Legs Every bodybuilder and weight trainer will have his or her favorite exercises for each body part. That's how it should be - as you progress through the various stages of learning you'll understand what works best for you. 5 Diet Fitness Tips You Can Use Today Are you ready to live a more powerful life by taking control of your weight and physical condition? If so, here are five ideas that can start you on the path to a healthier, slimmer body today.1. Muscle On The Brain "A six-week cycle's gonna cost ya $170, lady -- you wanna know how to use 'em?"This was the bit of flotsam I picked up in the interest of leaning what families with teen boys face during last week's National Family Week focus on family fitness and health.Call it the afterglow of the Summer Olympics or an offshoot of Extreme Makeover, or; heck, it could be the impact of Hollywood stars and singers with sexy six-packs. Exercise The Right Way - The Seated Calf Raise Other articles in this series looked at a number of exercises, mainly from the perspective of developing a comprehensive muscle building program. Sometimes we take things for granted, especially when it comes to performing the basic exercises that constitute the core of most bodybuiders' training regimes. Know Your Muscle Building Exercises - The Chest Every bodybuilder and weight trainer will have his or her favorite exercises for each body part. That's how it should be - as you progress through the various stages of learning you'll understand what works best for you. Scientific Principles For Effective Muscle Gain It's an unfortunate reality that throughout the years there has been a growth of strength training techniques that have no scientific proof to back them up. Have a look at the facts presented in this outline of muscle gain principles and make up your own mind. Personal Training: 3 Powerful Ways to Position Yourself as an Expert Regardless of what profession you are in, it is critical that people believe that you know what you are talking about! You won't find very many successful lawyers whose clients never win in court, or popular doctors whose patients are continually misdiagnosed. This concept obviously applies to personal trainers as well, and making sure you are viewed as an expert in your field is as important as having the knowledge to begin with. Know All about Power Push Ups Push ups are the most convenient way to build up your chest, shoulders, arms and upper back. It can be performed at any place, and you don't need to carry your gym with you wherever you go. Exercise The Right Way - The Deadlift Other articles in this series looked at a number of exercises, mainly from the perspective of developing a comprehensive muscle building program. Sometimes we take things for granted, especially when it comes to performing the basic exercises that constitute the core of most bodybuilders' training regimes. Body Part Isolation vs. Complex Movements in Strength Training - Build Real Muscle Instead of Fake! Working as a fitness professional, there is one type of question I get all the time that shows that many people are missing the big picture regarding the benefits of strength training. This popular question usually goes something like this:"What exercise can I do to isolate my _______ (insert your muscle of choice - abs, quads, biceps, triceps, etc)?"It doesn't matter which muscle someone is asking about, they always seem to be asking how to 'isolate' it. Lower Body Exercises For Beginning Bodybuilders The lower body contains some of your biggest muscles which are capable of bearing significant weights. The temptation for beginners to go for broke by performing heavy squats should be resisted. Ab Sculpting Exercise - One Of The Most Productive Exercises For Your Abs That Is Hardly Ever Used Before I talk about one of the most productive and forgotten Ab Development exercises ever developed, you will need to know how your abdominal muscles actually work. I know for a fact, if I don't offer some pretty convincing evidence, it will be very difficult for you to believe such a claim so here is where a little education will go a long way to prove my point. Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle (Lose Body Fat) - Product Review At first glance, this product manual's title (Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle) was a bit distracting. While the 300+ page manual does a good job of explaining how increased muscle strength helps lose body fat and why its more important to lose body fat versus lose weight; I wasn't sure about the content of the product manual until I read it in its entirety. Why You Do Not have Killer Abs or that 6 Pack Abdominal Muscle Ask any woman what is the most attractive part of a male body and most of the time, they will tell you it's the six pack abs, meaning that your abdominal muscle showing up with beautiful definition. Your abs is considered by many as a sexy muscle and is a symbol of a fit and healthy man.
|
| Interesting articles | Home | site map | Link |
| © 2006 |
