Name: Playbook - Rob Riches - Hamstrings & Calves (Ep 6.5 - Endurance)
Uploaded: 2021-06-07T18:32:11.393Z
Duration: 45 min
Description: Hamstrings & Calves (Ep 6.5 - Endurance)

Welcome to workout #11 of the Endurance part of my Lean Muscle Growth Program. Throughout this 2nd weeks section, you'll be performing a lot more supersets and drop sets, often with a higher rep range to help improve muscular endurance and efficiency.

Keep rest times short, and select a weight that will challenge you towards the total reps shown per set, aiming to increase the weight (or add a few reps) for following sets.

You'll notice that there is a superset exercise (highlighted within the description with '*'. This means perform that exercise and then immediately perform a set of the next exercise, resting only after the second exercise has been performed. 

You'll also see there is an abdominal circuit included at the end of the program. This can either be performed at the start or end of this program, or performed separately, usually first thing in the morning before eating when your gut is empty. Cardio can be performed at a separate time,  ideally first thing in the morning.

Lay face down on a leg/hamstring curl machine with your heels up against the foot pads. Your knees should be inline with the point at which the machine pivots to allow the machine to raise up and down.

This exercise can also be performed on a seated leg curl machine.

Keeping your hips and upper body firmly down on the pad (some machines offer handles to allow you to hold yourself down), Curl your heels up towards your glutes, going as high as you're able to. At the top, pause momentarily and really squeeze your hamstring muscles before returning back to the start.

Ideally, you shouldn't be letting the weights touch at the bottom as this relieves tension from the muscle. Each rep should be controlled without any momentum or jerking movements. If this is the case, lower the weight being lifted.

Keep your toes plantar-flexed (pointed) on sets 1 & 2, and Dorsif-flxed on set 3 (pulled inwards).

After failure on last set, allow a rest-pause for 15 seconds, try for a few more reps.

Lying Hamstring Curl

*Perform superset of 12-10 Stiff Legged Deadlifts after each sets (1, 2). On set 3 - Perform a drop set, lowering weight by 33% - to failure.

Stand with a Barbell in front of your shins and widen your stance to about twice that of your shoulder with, with your toes angled 30-45 degrees outwards.

Keeping your knees soft, hinge at the hips as you push your glutes back, keeping your back straight, and Grasp the bar with an overhand grip at the center of the bar with only a few inches between each hand.

Perform the movement like a regular Deadlift, Lifting the bar up not by pulling with your arms, but pushing through your legs and bringing your hips back in as you stand upright, keeping the bar pulled in towards you, and finish by squeezing your glutes and legs.

Lower back down under control, keeping your back straight, and pushing the hips back again.

Sumo Deadlift

Stand with your feet shoulder-width part, and with a barbell in front of you, bend down to pick it up using an overhand grip just outside the width of your foot position. Stand upright with chest lifted and shoulders pulled back.

From here, keep your knees soft and lower the bar down your body to just below your knees. Your back should remain straight, and your hips are pushed back, hinging at the waist to allow you to lower the bar.

You shouldn't be squatting down with the bar, as the hinge at the hips will allow you to lower the bar. The knees are just short of lock out to allow you to feel the tension in the hamstrings.

Pause at the bottom of the rep, then focus on engaging your hamstring and glute muscles to pull yourself all the way back upright.

Stiff Legged Deadlift

The single-leg Romanian deadlift (RDL) can be a great tool to help improve stability as well as overall body control. This is a hip-dominant exercise that can strengthen your glutes and hamstrings. Because you're balancing on one leg at a time, the emphasis of this exercise is on stability.

Stand upright with a dumbbell held in your right hand. Balancing on your right leg, (knee slightly bent), hinge at the hips, brining your torso forwards, and extend your left leg back behind you for balance.
Your right arm should be traveling vertically down (as though performing a stiff leg deadlift). Use your left hand to help balance and stabilize yourself as you lower down.

Stop just before the dumbbell touches the floor. You should feel the hamstring in the right leg tensed. Focus on raising yourself back upright by brining your left leg back down as your torso lifts up.

Keep your back straight, and shoulders pulled back. Repeat all reps on one leg before switching over to the other side.

Single RDL with Dumbbell

Set the machine up (usually called a hyperextension) so your heels are locked in, and your hips are supported on the front pad.

Keeping your legs just short of full lock-out (knees should remain soft), place your hands either side of your temple, (or cross them across your chest), and with your back straight, hinge forwards until your upper body is approximately 90 degrees with your legs.

Keep your hamstrings and glutes engaged as you raise yourself back up to the top until your upper body is a little higher than your legs. Flex hard in your legs and glutes and then repeat.

The glute ham raise primarily involves the hamstrings and the glutes, however can also increase hypertrophy and endurance throughout the posterior chain.

Glute Hamstring Raise

*Superset with next exercise*
If you have access to a seated calf raise machine, I would use that to perform this exercise. If not, dumbbells and a foot block/wood with a raised seating position.

With the balls of your feet on the footplate/wood block, hold the dumbbells vertically on top of your knees (use padding if necessary), focus on lowering your heels down towards the floor as you feel a stretch in your calves. (Don't allow the heels to touch the floor). Then raise your heels up as high as you can while squeezing the muscles in the calves and flexing hard at the top of the rep. Perform all reps in a smooth and controlled manner.

The seated calf raise emphasizes the Soleus muscle, which is the smaller of the two main calf muscles that is highly involved in standing and walking.

Seated Dumbbell Calf Raises

Position a cable pulley to the lowest setting and place an ankle strap around your (right) foot at the widest part (the ball of your foot), attaching a cable to the hook facing the bottom of your foot.

Move back away from the cable pulley so that with your right leg fully extended, there is tension on the cable. (Your left leg can be bent with the knee up, and foot on the floor next to your other knee, and hands on the floor either side of your to help support you in an upright position).

With your right knee slightly bent, flex the muscle above your shin and pull the toes inwards towards you. Pause briefly and then push your toes  away from you (resisting the weight from falling too fast), ensuring the weights don't touch back to rest, relieving the muscle of tension.

Perform all reps in a smooth and controlled manner, then switch legs.

This exercise targets the tibialis anterior (TA), the strongest dorsiflexor of the foot. Its also the muscle seen at the front of the lower leg.

Seated Cable Tibialis

If using a calf machine, set the height of the shoulder pads to be at shoulder height when standing on the floor in front of it. This will allow for the right range of motion while using it. If you don't have access to one, you can perform one leg at a time standing on a wooden block while holding a dumbbell in one hand and supporting yourself with the other hand.

Keep your knees slightly bent as you lower the heels down towards the floor (not allowing them to touch the floor). You'll feel a great stretch down the back of your calves. Raise the heels back up as high as you can while engaging the calves and flex them hard at the top without locking out the knees.

The standing calf raise emphasizes the gastrocnemius muscle, which sits on top of the smaller Soleus muscle, and is the larger, bulbous of the two main calf muscles. It is primarily involved in running and jumping activities.

Standing Calf Raises

This Abdominal circuit will focus on the upper and lower region of the abs, as well as the obliques (the side muscles), and is ideal for beginners just starting out. 

Perform a set of the first exercise, then immediately perform one of the second and third exercise without rest. You can rest for up to 60 seconds after completing all exercises (that's one round) before starting the next round.

Remember to actively engage your abdominals during each exercise, and  focus on your breathing pattern so that you really feel your abs working and contracting on each and every rep.

Using a decline bench to lock your feet in, lay back flat on the bench so that your shoulders are lower than your hips. With your shoulders touching the pad, raise your head up slightly and place your hands either by the side of your head at the temple (or for an easier version, cross them over your chest, or extend them out towards your knees).

Engage the abs and exhale as you crunch the abs to raise the shoulders a few inches off the bench. You do not need to sit up right (most make this wrong assumption, which works the hip flexors more than the abs). 

Think of your shoulders following an arc-like trajectory towards your hips, and pause at the top of the rep momentarily as you flex the abs hard hard at the top of the movement. Return back to the starting position, and as soon as you shoulders touch the bench, go back into the crunch.

You should be exhaling deeply, while contracting and engaging the abs on every rep.

This will primarily work the upper region of the abs.

Decline Crunch

Lay on your back with your legs straight, feet together and toes pointing upwards, with your shoulders and lower back pressed in to the floor. 

Place your hands under your lower back, and brace your abs and exhale as you raise your legs up over your hips. Keep the knees slightly bent and toes pulled in towards you. Stop when your feet are over your eye-line level looking straight up, and hips lift slightly off the floor. 

Exhaling will allow you to fully contract your abs and squeeze them hard at the top of the rep. Lower the legs back under control stopping just short before they touch the floor.

Your legs shouldn't be pushing upwards. Think more like your feet are following a curved arc that's always equal distance from your hips. If the full range of motion is too challenging for you, start with your legs directly above your hips and crunch the hips slightly forwards until feet are over your eye-line level.

This exercise develops more of the lower region of the abdominals.

Lying Leg Raises

Cable Woodchops can be performed from a low, middle, & high angle, so try one within each set/circuit.

Starting with the low position, stand with your right side facing the cable pulley and grasp the handle with your left hand first, placing your right hand over it, and take a side step away from the machine so there is tension in the cable (with arms extended out in front of your stomach, and a slight bend at the elbows).

With your feet spread about 1.5 times shoulder width, and your hips remaining fixed (no turning or movement), rotate your entire torso with arms extended, out to to your left, taking the handle upwards diagonally. Slowly return to starting position, ensuring tension is kept in the cable at all times.

Perform all reps on one side, then turn around and change hand positions to repeat on the other side.

This exercise targets the Oblique muscles, which are involved when the upper body (trunk) rotates, and it is also these that give the lower 'V' shape of the abdomen

Cable Woodchops

Abs Circuit - Stage 6

Ideally, cardio should be performed first thing in the morning before eating so your body burns more fat as fuel.

Choose a piece of cardio, such as an upright stationary bike, and perform at a level that is around 70-80% exertion (one that will push you but still allow you to maintain a conversation), for a total of 40 minutes.

If you have a heart rate monitor, keep notes on your activity and training zone to see how it changes over the coming weeks and months. It can be a great indicator to see how your fitness levels are improving.

If you're able to, choose between two different types of cardio (switching from one to the other after 20 minutes), so that the body doesn't become used to performing the same activity.

Steady State Cardio (LISS)

Hamstrings & Calves (Ep 6.5 - Endurance)

It was very clear instructions and the video was very helpful

MilosLuffy

Donald Lozon

Back & Forearms (Ep 1.1 - Strength)

I felt like it had some repeating shoulder exercise, but overall good

Liked the Ab workout in the end 

Especially the hanging Ab- great for chest stretch

Thomas Anthony 

Richard

Shoulders & Chest (Ep 1.3 - Strength)

I enjoyed this workout I did not have access to dumbbells for my level so I swapped out the calf dumbbell lifts for the hip abduction. Did not have access to standing calf raises machine so swapped for seated calf raises machine. Over all good directions.

Sunil Deep

Adam

Quads & Calves (Ep 1.2 - Strength)

Very challenging and clear directions. The videos were helpful.

Andrés Giordano

Traps & Hamstrings (Ep 1.4 - Strength)

Matt

Biceps & Triceps (Ep 1.5 - Strength)

Francisco

Bünyamin

Cardio (Rest Day - Week 1)

Victor

Amadou Sow

Back & Forearms (Ep 2.1 Strength)

I could not get a smith machine so I opted for walking lunges instead if you run into the same problem I recommend walking lunges or in place lunges using dumbbells or weighted straight bar

Quads & Calves (Ep 2.2 - Strength)

The video was incorrect for the chest press first exercise

It was great. The workout video for the smith machine shoulder press is the wrong one though. It’s a leg press video. Other than that I love it

Hamstrings & Calves (Ep 6.5 - Endurance)

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