Video summary

The Most Effective Way to Train HAMSTRINGS | Training Science Explained

Main summary

Key takeaways

Educational

Main Ideas / Concepts / Lessons

  1. Balanced hamstring training matters

    • A complete lower-body program should balance quad work with roughly equal hamstring work.
    • Hamstring strengthening improves injury prevention and athletic performance (not just aesthetics).

  2. Hamstring anatomy determines what to train

    • Hamstrings are functionally described by:
      • Lateral (outside) vs medial (inside) regions
      • Proximal (upper) vs distal (lower) regions
    • The hamstrings include 4 muscles:
      • Semimembranosus (most medial)
      • Semitendinosus (middle)
      • Biceps femoris (most lateral), with short head and long head
    • Attachments & actions:
      • Semimembranosus + semitendinosus: originate at the pelvis, insert on the tibia
      • Biceps femoris long head: originates at the pelvis, inserts below the knee on the fibula
      • Most hamstring muscles (3 that span hip + knee) are biarticular (cross the hip and knee):
        • Enable hip extension (e.g., deadlift)
        • Enable knee flexion (e.g., leg curl)
      • Biceps femoris short head crosses only the knee:
        • Contributes to knee flexion
        • Has no hip action, so it won’t be trained well by hip-dominant work alone.

  3. To develop hamstrings well, train all key movements

    • Because hamstrings provide:
      • Hip extension (mostly via biarticular muscles)
      • Knee flexion (all hamstrings; especially important for full coverage)
    • Best development comes from combining:
      • Hip extension exercises
      • Knee flexion exercises
      • Possibly movements that hit both

  4. Why squats may be poor for hamstrings

    • Squats involve simultaneous hip extension and knee extension.
    • This creates a “swap” in hamstring length:
      • Hamstrings shorten proximally as hips extend
      • Hamstrings lengthen distally as knees extend
    • Net result: hamstring muscle length stays ~constant → little tensile (growth-stimulating) stimulus.
    • EMG evidence cited:
      • A 2009 paper (Ebenetal): squat was the worst of six tested movements for hamstring activation.

  5. Deadlifts and stiff/Romanian deadlifts

    • Deadlifts also involve hip and knee extension, but starting hips are higher:
      • knees are less flexed → hamstrings can contribute more to hip extension
    • EMG evidence cited:
      • A 2002 study (Escamilla et al.): conventional and sumo deadlifts show high hamstring activation.
    • Stiff-legged / Romanian deadlifts:
      • Popular for isolation, but research shows little activation difference vs conventional deadlifts.
    • Preference emphasized by the speaker:
      • Straight-leg variants for more hamstring stretch, potentially important for anabolic signaling.

  6. Hip extension–only hamstring exercises

    • Examples mentioned:
      • Lower back extension
      • Reverse hyper
    • These are described as effective for hitting hamstrings and can fit into a hamstring-focused program.

  7. Knee flexion–based hamstring training is crucial

    • Most knee-flexion exercises strongly involve hamstrings.
    • EMG evidence cited:
      • A 2012 study examined 14 exercises; slide leg curl ranked highest for hamstring activation.
    • Practical variations suggested:
      • Gliding leg curl (feet extend hips while curling body toward a high plyo box, hanging from bar)
      • Seated-machine variation: feet on seat, upper back down, curl seat toward body

  8. How to think about “good hamstring” mechanics on curls

    • Hamstrings must work to:
      • keep hips extended isometrically
      • while also concentrically flexing the knees

  9. Glute ham raise

    • Called out as an exercise that hits both hamstring functions at once:
      • hip-related bracing/extension demand
      • knee flexion

  10. Lying vs seated leg curls

    • No strong preference recommended:
      • EMG activation is described as similar between lying and seated curls.
    • Choose what feels best; optionally rotate for variety.

  11. Foot/torso positioning can target different hamstring regions

    • Evidence cited (Lining/Costigan data):
      • Toes out / external rotation → more activation of lateral (outer) hamstrings
      • Toes in / internal rotation → more activation of medial (inner) hamstrings
    • Another cited source (Schoenfeld et al., 2015):
      • Regional differences in activation:
        • Lying leg curl better for distal (lower) hamstrings than stiff-leg deadlift
        • No significant difference for proximal (upper) hamstring activation

  12. Training hamstrings across the whole length

    • Implication stated:
      • You can’t fully cover hamstring length with hip extension alone.
      • Include knee flexion work to target distal/lower regions.
    • Also emphasized:
      • Since the biceps femoris short head doesn’t cross the hip, hip extension–only routines miss it.

  13. Rep ranges / fiber type take

    • Contrary to a “fast-twitch dominant” belief:
      • new data suggests hamstrings are a pretty even mix of type 1 and type 2 fibers.
    • Practical implication:
      • Use both low and high reps.
    • Speaker’s preference:
      • mostly lower reps and relatively heavier weight for heavy hip extension (e.g., stiff-leg deadlift)
      • avoid going so heavy that lower back and glutes take over
    • Emphasize:
      • mind-muscle connection
      • strong stretch
      • complete control

  14. How to structure weekly hamstring training (detailed plan)

    • Frequency: train hamstrings twice per week on lower-body days.
    • Day 1 (heavy hip extension + light knee flexion):
      • Heavy stiff-leg deadlift: 4–8 reps
      • Light leg curl movement: 8–20 reps
    • Day 2 (heavy knee flexion + light hip extension):
      • Heavy leg curl–based movement: 4–8 reps
      • Light hip extension movement: 8–20 reps
    • Optional supplemental work:
      • If hamstrings are lagging, add one more supplemental exercise on either day.
    • Volume limit:
      • Don’t exceed 20 hamstring sets per week
      • Rationale cited:
        • Dr. Mike Israetel says that’s when many trainees start facing recovery issues.

  15. Close / Motivation

    • Hamstrings should be trained for:
      • injury prevention
      • athletic performance
      • better muscular appearance (side/back)
    • Encouragement to apply the “new scientific principles” for maximum hamstring gains.

Methodology / Step-by-Step Training Instructions (as Presented)

  1. Step 1: Use exercises that cover hamstring functions

    • Include:
      • Hip extension training
      • Knee flexion training (for full coverage, including distal region and short head)
    • Optionally include movements that do both simultaneously (e.g., glute ham raise).

  2. Step 2: Prioritize at least one heavy and one light movement pattern

    • Heavy work: 4–8 reps
    • Light/moderate work: 8–20 reps

  3. Step 3: Schedule twice per week

    • Lower-body Day A
      • Heavy hip extension: stiff-leg deadlift 4–8
      • Light knee flexion: leg curl 8–20
    • Lower-body Day B (2–3 days later)
      • Heavy knee flexion: leg curl variation 4–8
      • Light hip extension: hip extension variation 8–20

  4. Step 4: If lagging, add only one extra supplemental exercise

    • Keep it minimal: one supplemental exercise on either day.

  5. Step 5: Control weekly hamstring volume

    • Hard cap guideline: ≤ 20 hamstring sets/week

  6. Step 6: Use form and activation cues

    • For heavy hip extension:
      • avoid overloading so lower back/glutes dominate
      • maintain controlled range and feel the stretch under control

  7. Step 7: Use technique to bias regions

    • For medial vs lateral targeting:
      • toes in → medial
      • toes out → lateral
    • For distal targeting:
      • rely more on knee flexion patterns (e.g., lying leg curl) rather than hip extension alone

  8. Step 8: Include varied rep ranges

    • Mix low and high reps (no assumption hamstrings are purely fast-twitch).

Speakers / Sources Featured (Identified)

Speaker / On-screen Voice

  • Unspecified male YouTuber/coach (speaks throughout the video)
  • Mentions: Dr. Mike Israetel (cited as an authority; not necessarily the speaker)

Cited Researchers / Papers / Studies

  • Ebenetal (2009) — squat EMG comparison
  • Escamilla et al. (2002) — deadlift EMG activation
  • Unnamed 2012 study — EMG activation across 14 exercises; slide leg curl highest
  • Lining / Costigan — toe position effects on lateral vs medial activation
  • Schoenfeld et al. (2015) — regional differences; distal vs proximal hamstring activation
  • Dr. Mike Israetel — recovery/volume guidance (≤20 sets/week)

Sponsorship / Company

  • Skillshare (sponsor; referenced as providing courses and trials)

Original video