Are you ready for a new way to improve your lagging hamstrings? It’s very likely you’ve never heard of this routine, even though you may have used it very extensively for other body parts. This is common. However, it’s time to break out of your old way of thinking and apply tried and true techniques to new areas of your physique which may be lacking.
First, let’s take a look at a popular routine used to boost development of arms. This is very popular among bodybuilders of all levels, from amateurs to elite lifters. Train them twice per week – once with a larger body part, and once on their own day. The routine would look like this:
- Monday – Chest & Triceps
- Tuesday – Back & Biceps
- Wednesday – Shoulders
- Thursday – Legs
- Friday – Biceps & Triceps
- Saturday & Sunday – Rest
As you can see, the biceps and triceps each receive a full workout twice per week. This workout is popular among athletes with poor arms, or those seeking to convert the arms from a good body part into a standout body part. You train the weaker body parts second in the beginning of the week, then you end the week by isolating them again, and training them with a great deal of sets. Then, you have the weekend to fully recover without any training interference or strain upon the central nervous system.
Now, let’s examine a routine which also uses a revolving split routine, this time for hamstrings and calves.
- Monday – Quads, Hamstrings, & Calves
- Tuesday – Chest, Triceps
- Wednesday – back, biceps
- Thursday – Shoulders
- Friday – Hamstrings & calves
- Saturday & Sunday – Rest
Friday’s workout could entail both hamstrings and calves, or just one of these parts. You would suddenly possess the freedom to deliver a full 20 to 30 sets of stimulation to hamstrings alone. If this doesn’t spurn growth, nothing will!
You can apply this sort of training methodology to any body part. Ideally, the first training session of the body part should take place on Monday, or Day 1 of your training week. You’ll want to hit the body part second on that day. This way you are able to devote fresh training resources to it, while at the same time fully training a major body part first, meeting your requirement for the week for that muscle. Remember that your goal is to train the focused muscle group again on Thursday or (preferably) Friday, which will allow you the full weekend of rest.
When devoting so many sets to a particular muscle group on Thursday or Friday, you may notice new soreness or DOMS which you haven’t experienced before. Spend your weekend eating additional calories, getting additional sleep, and stretching the muscle group as much as possible. The goal is to be fully recovered 72 hours later for your Monday workout, and that won’t happen if you spent your weekend eating junk food and staying up all night watching video games. If you’re going to be training the body part twice as hard, then you’ll need to work to recover twice as hard as well.