Tone up those "Hammy's"

 

 

Chandi Schwab

I realized the other day that I have been neglecting my hamstrings lately and it shows. This is one of the hardest areas to keep toned. especially for women. So I decided to post some hamstring workouts as a reminder for myself and also for those of you that are interested.

Lunges: I just barely posted on lunges so look back to the last post on this one. Lunges are so good for all of the lower body. They can be done with or without weights.

Dead lifts:Stiff legged dead lift are done by holding a weighted barbell in front of you with a shoulder-width grip, then bending over at the hips until the weights almost touch the floor. Your knees are slightly bent through the movement.

Hamstring Curls:These are done on a lying hamstring machine. You lie on your stomach and place the backs of your legs on a padded support. You then bend your knees and curl your legs toward your glutes.

Swiss Ball: Swiss ball roll outs are done from a lying position with your feet up on a Swiss ball. From this position you lift your hips up in the air and roll the ball toward your glutes using your hamstring muscles.

Steps:Stair stepping or running is another great way to get your Hamstrings in shape. You can either use actual stairs or a StairMaster. To put more emphasis on the hamstrings you can skip one or two stairs at a time.

Hills: Running up steep hills takes a lot of strength and it really targets the hamstrings and glutes. The intensity can be raised by using resistance such as a weighted vest.

Start implementing these into your leg routines. I know I am going to:)