Name: Playbook - Michael Smith - HAMSTRINGS x CALVES
Uploaded: 2023-01-07T18:22:59.878Z
Duration: 90 min
Description: HAMSTRINGS x CALVES

This workout will start with isolation movements to target and pre-exhaust the hamstrings before moving on to heavier compound movements. The goal of this is to help stimulate the hamstrings more effectively later in the workout.

For the compound movements it’s important to allow your target muscles to recover between sets which is why the rest times here are between 2 - 3 minutes. For isolation movements, less rest time at 1 - 2 minutes is used between sets to help promote additional muscle hypertrophy.

perform 5 minutes of steady state cardio
[ incline treadmill or bike ]

Warm-Up

- Get into a leg press with your feet firmly in your desired position
- Release the press and lower it towards you 
- Lower it down until your legs are bent to at least 90 degrees keeping your back safely on the pad
- Press the machine back to the starting position

Leg Press [feet high and close]

- Place your toes on an elevated surface
- Keep slight bend at the knee
- Engage your lats
- Focus on using your hamstrings as you extend your hips

Barbell RDL [toes elevated]

- Press up using your toes activating your calf muscles
- Lower slowly stretching the calf muscles

Seated Calf Raise

- Use your shin muscles to pull your toes up towards your shins as far as you can 
- Slowly lower back down then repeat

Tibialis Raise

[superset] Calf Raise | Tibialis Raise

- Adjust the machine lever to fit your height and lie face down on the leg curl machine with the pad of the lever on the back of your legs (just a few inches under the calves) 
- Keeping your torso flat on the bench, ensure your legs are fully stretched and grab the side handles of the machine
- As you exhale, curl your legs up as far as possible without lifting the upper legs from the pad
- Once you hit the fully contracted position, hold it for a second
- As you inhale, bring the legs back to the initial position
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions

Lying Leg Curl

- Begin standing with your feet about hip-width apart and holding dumbbells in your hands down by your sides
- Step forward with one leg, flexing the knees to drop your hips
- Descend until your rear knee nearly touches the ground (Your posture should remain upright, and your front knee should be in line with your front foot) 
- Do not allow your front knee to go forward beyond your toes as you come down, as this will put undue stress on the knee joint
- Drive through the heel of your lead foot and extend both knees to raise yourself back up
- Step forward with your rear foot, repeating the lunge on the opposite leg

Walking Dumbbell Lunges

- Adjust the padded lever of the calf raise machine to fit your height
- Place your shoulders under the pads provided and position your toes facing forward 
- The balls of your feet should be secured on top of the calf block with the heels extending off it
- Push the lever up by extending your hips and knees until your torso is standing erect
- The knees should be kept with a slight bend; never locked
- Raise your heels as you breathe out by extending your ankles as high as possible and flexing your calf
- Hold the contracted position by a second before you start to go back down
- Go back slowly to the starting position as you breathe in by lowering your heels as you bend the ankles until calves are stretched
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions

Standing Calf Raise

HAMSTRINGS x CALVES

Jake

Nick

Aye man lol this was killer, not gone lie I quit half way through but in 2 months I will be able to finish the whole circuit. That’s the goal

Dominic

CHEST x SHOULDERS

Syed

Makeer

BACK x REAR DELT

Sebastian

Hello Michael I have been feeling pain for last couple of weeks on my left hamstring, while i was preforming lying hamstring curls i felt a popping or kicking sound, i tried to do lower weights to prevent it form pain and let it recover, but it only hurts when i do these specific exercise.

HAMSTRINGS x CALVES

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