Name: Playbook - Johanna Paine - 2/13 Hamstrings and Glutes
Uploaded: 2023-02-25T06:12:08.536Z
Duration: 90 min
Description: 2/13 Hamstrings and Glutes

Today's leg day is focused on hamstrings and glutes. It doesn't mean your quads won't get a workout! But focus on engaging the posterior leg muscles during each exercise. Some tips:
1. For squats, use a low bar barbell placement and widen your stance a bit. 
2. For leg press, place your feet higher on the platform and shoulder width apart so that when you are at the bottom of the lift, your glutes are getting a good stretch.

- Begin with bar positioned on your upper back in a lowbar position--meaning the bar is lower than your normal placement and resting on the top of your posterior deltoids. This shifts the weight of the bar further back to ensure that you engage your hamstrings and glutes more. 
- Brace your midline and keep your chest up
- Eyes forward as you lower, sitting back and down
- Reach parallel and push through your heels to come back up

Barbell back squat

- Place Strap or loaded bar in hip crease (use a pad if needed)
- Stabilize your upper back on the bench
- Press through your heels and lift your hips. At the top of the movement your knee should be at a right angle and your back should be straight (do not hyperextend) 
- Lower to starting position and repeat

Modification: Glute bridge or hip thrust using a barbell or smith machine

Glute Drive with Band Above Knees

- Place feet higher on the platform with your knees hip width apart
- Keeping your back flat against the pad
- Lower your legs towards your chest
- Drive through your heels to press back to starting position
- DO NOT LOCK YOUR KNEES AT THE TOP

Leg press (glute focused)

- Place your toes at the bottom of the leg press platform 
- Point your toes and then let them back down, allowing your calf to stretch 
- DO NOT LOCK YOUR KNEES

Calf Raises on Leg Press Machine

Superset Leg Press (Glute focus) with Calf Raises

- Stand under the bar with your legs around shoulder width apart
- Grasp the bar with a wide grip and position the center of the bar on top of the muscles on your back. The bar should not sit on your neck!
- Keeping your back straight and eyes facing forwards and take the weight off the rack
- Take a few steps forward to bring your feet out in from of you
- Keeping your eyes facing forwards with a straight back, slowly squat down until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Your knees should be at a 90 degree angle at the bottom of the movement 
- Pushing up through the heels, raise the the bar back to the starting position

Smith Machine Squats with Feet Forward

- Lower down to create a 90 degree angle with your front leg
- Don't let your knee hit the ground
- Keep your back neutral and stay upright with eyes facing forward

Walking lunges with dumbbells

- Begin with dumbbells in each hand and feet hip width apart
- Hinge hips back and lower dumbbells down with your knees slightly bent until your hamstrings are lengthened to their maximum point
Lift back up, engaging your glutes

Dumbbell RDL

- Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and knees slightly bent
- Hold a dumbbell in one hand
- Raise the opposite leg off the floor behind you
- Hinge at your hips, and lower the dumbbell toward the floor
- Lift back up, engaging your glutes

2/13 Hamstrings and Glutes

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