deadlifts etc.

[gnheil]

which is better for building the hamstrings stiff leg or bent leg deadlifts.? also, i read somewhere that the biggest mistake people make when doing lying hamstring curls is using too much weight,any comments on that.? speaking of weight what do you do when you reach your ultimate one rep max and don't want to go any heavier.? how do you continue to stick to the 80% rule and so on.? you don't want to continue to use the same weight parameters over and over right.?

[StuWard]

Stiff legged deadlifts will target your glutes more than straight leg deadlifts but you can use more weight. The straight leg results in more stretching of the hamstrings. I think you will get more benefit from the stiff leg. The difference iin the two is that the stiff legged deadlift has a slight bend in the knee. The normal deadlift is lifting the bar from the floor and of course involves bending the knee. I assume this is what you mean by "bent knee" deadlift. This method allows the greatest weight to be moved and also has the longest range of motion of all the deadlift variations. Although the load is distributed over a greater area, it should work the hamstrings harder than any other exercise.

I don't know why you would want to stop when you reach a particular weight. Once you no longer experience overloading you will no longer get an adaptation and you will not get stronger of bigger. You can continue to maintain conditioning and preventing atrophy without increasing the weight. You should work in the 5 to 15 rep range. Art DeVaney recommends a workout of 15, 10 and 5 reps as being the ultimate rep scheme for maintenance. The 15 rep set would be about 60-65%, the 10 rep set around 75% and the 5 rep set around 87% of 1RM.

Stu

[Phaedrus49er]

Originally Posted by gnheil

which is better for building the hamstrings stiff leg or bent leg deadlifts.? also, i read somewhere that the biggest mistake people make when doing lying hamstring curls is using too much weight,any comments on that.? speaking of weight what do you do when you reach your ultimate one rep max and don't want to go any heavier.? how do you continue to stick to the 80% rule and so on.? you don't want to continue to use the same weight parameters over and over right.?

Point of information: distinguish between stiff, straight, and bent legs. STRAIGHT legs do tend to target glutes more than hamstrings, but the primary mover here are the lower back muscles (think: good mornings). Use with extreme caution. STIFF legs are BENT legs but do not move at the knees (think: Romanian deadlifts). Assuming a strong lower-back position, these target the glutes mainly, hamstrings secondarily, and emphasize isometric tension in the lower back. BENDING legs = traditional deadlifts.

That being said, where do lying hamstring curls come into the equation? Just doing them in the first place--rehab assignments notwithstanding--is probably the worst thing about lying hamstring curls (closed chain, fixed plane of motion, etc). And why wouldn't you want to "go any heavier" on any lift? It seems a very odd question IMHO.

[Lisa~]

Originally Posted by gnheil

what do you do when you reach your ultimate one rep max and don't want to go any heavier.?

If you've truly reached some ultimate 1RM, then you wouldn't be able to go any heavier, would you? So if you can still go up, you're not there yet.

Originally Posted by Phaedrus49er

lying hamstring curls ...(closed chain, fixed plane of motion, etc).

You meant to say open chain, I'm sure.

Great post though and I agree with everything you said.

[Phaedrus49er]

Originally Posted by Lisa~

You meant to say open chain, I'm sure.

Great post though and I agree with everything you said.

Good grief Do I at least get to choose the instrument with which you'll flog me?

Here is my self-imposed remedial reading for next time *thwap*

[gnheil]

my situation is no different than a professional football player who decides to quit after years of playing. you've achieved everything you wanted to achieve it's that simple. i have been weight training for over 20 years. i work with loads that most people only think about. why would i want to go any heavier and risk a possible injury that would prevent me from doing anything. that would be rather ignorant and would lack responsible thinking. i have 2 grandkids that i want to spend time with. i don't want to spend my days in a doctors office having my busted up body looked at. when i was a kid i thought differently but a mature responsible adult looks at things differently. i see too many young guys in the gym trying to be "cool" and go as heavy as possible without concern for injuries. i don't need to be "cool" anymore. my main point here is when you attain your goals with weight training be happy with what you've accomplished and let it go. i will be simply maintaining what i have gained and i will be happy with that. i will enjoy watching all the "kids" grunting and groaning.!

[StuWard]

There are different components of fitness. There is always something to improve on. You initial post suggested that you wanted to build your hamstrings so it made sense that you still have goals along the lines of getting bigger.

What are your current goals, besides maintaining what you have?

Stu