If it helps anyone interested in doing a Nordic raise, you can use a barbell with some weights heavy enough to stop it from lifting and a couple small weights in front to stop it rolling into you, then just slip your legs under the barbell and there you go. I got a foam pool noodle and cut it so it I can put it around the barbell so it’s more comfortable on my legs, it works great.
Brian I want to thank you. You have inspired me to get in to the gym for the first time. Granted I've always tended to have a heavy lifting jobs, but at 31 I can honestly say I feel amazing I'm only on week 2 of your liener program and already seeing a difference at work. Thank you so much.
Hamstrings are something I’m able to feel well, and are a huge main mover in my squats and deadlift, but my hips and glutes are the issue when it comes to lower body lifts (definitely either the cause or result of having no ass). I’m going to try and apply these principles to those. The advice is something I can’t wait to try out with those, though I’ll have to look into what exercises to use (though GHR focusing more on the G than that H). Great video brother!
Nordic hamstring curls are awesomely difficult. I rig it up by kneeling on a Thompson Fat Pad on the floor and wrapping a Spud Inc. glute-ham strap around the pad and the back of my ankles (Achilles heel area). Works like a charm 👍
Re: Glute ham Extensions: You wont be fully utilizing the exercizing if you dont squeeze the glutes. This will force your hips into the pad, which stabilizes the pelvis/hip girdle and allows you to fully squeeze the hamstrings (it also allows you to hit the erector spinae muscles as well. I like to add in arm motions (like i;m doing a row) to accentuate this part as well)
@@BrianAlsruheOfficial no problem. Took me many years to figure this one out myself. I'm a teacher at heart like you are. I like to spread the knowledge also
I have watched hundreds of videos on hamstrings and this has been the only one that really helped me with the mind-muscle connection. Literally 3 min in and it clicked. You're the man Brian!!
The way I do nordic curls is the following: put the barbell at the bottom of the power rack with 60 to 70kg over the barbell each side, one falling forward and the other backward, thick mattress under the knees to elevate and give some confort and use the hooks or band pegs to pass some bands in front of the power rack. Been around 5 months and still can't get a single rep yet every workout makes me hella sore!
Try using a light band (choke) on a bar on top of the rack to hold onto throughout the exercise, if you want more help from the band in the movement you can use a stiffer band or extend your arms out, in the same manner the more you bring your arms in the less that band will help. Using strict form also greatly intensifies that exercise (no movement in the hips during the exercise) by maintaining a hollow body during the exercise (hips tucked, back flat, big strong breath) and if you are really having trouble use negatives and partial range of motion to get added time under tension on the whole posterior chain.
my Nordic ham curl set up is as follows. I put a flat bench on the outside of the power right on the side, then set a safety bar at the correct height and since i'm fat I use a band attached from the top of the power rack held behind my head. works great.
Ever since I started adding 2-3 small sets of medium band closed knee extensions before my deadlift and SHELCs before my squat, I feel the respective muscles immediately. Better focus for the wheels! My legs grew exponentially over 20 weeks.
You can also use a broom handle to help you stop/push off of the bottom of a glute-ham raise. Slow negative until you need assistance. Takes about a month and they should be able to hit bodyweight for reps.
I'm not really interested so much I getting my hamstrings stronger (I already focus on it) but, I see I new video from Brian and I just have to watch it!
You left out one tip for building the mind muscle connection. That is to consciously visualize and contract the muscle to initiate the movement. That was key in developing the mind muscle connection in my lats and glutes.
Yo I can honestly say I've seen *NOBODY* talk about putting the plate between your feet, definitely gonna try that today at the gym to see how much my hamstrings are lacking
I have no friends so I bought a used GHD from craigslist for $250. Took me a month to work up to being able to actually do a proper rep without a band to help. This was the first exercise actually work my hamstrings hard enough to get sore.
started properly doing hip thrusts and RDL for assistance work and my lower back has been grateful these past few weeks. I'm finally seeing gains again in bent over rows from my lumbar not being thrashed and able to up the frequency. My hip hinge was atrocious and I was just overextended in every movement before loading the lower body. Great variations in this clip to progress at in my next block, but starting out light has been key (3x10) or else I just load the wrong muscles again. Is why I was skeptical of doing rdl again. Dumping the ego was huge.
I love Nordic hamstring curls! However, if you do them on the GHD machine, is it a GHR or is there a difference? I would love a thorough explanation that compares the two.
Hey Brian, Thank you very much for so much valuable information! But please tell me, if there is not much difference between the stiff leg deadlift and the Romanian deadlift, what is the difference???? I hope you can help me out and explain it? Thank you very much for your valuable time and help
Absolutely but they tend to hit people differently. I don't feel my quads on drags when other people do and they feel their hamstrings when I feel my quads so I didn't;t want to get into it.
Fairly off topic, but I’m new to the channel and have been watching the various programs you offer. Just wondering, do you keep the exercise selection the same through the whole thing or vary exercises every wave? Or same strength movements/different conditioning? Thanks man
Nordic Curls are harder so if you can do those do them. But you can still use GHD just may need to make it harder with weight, bands, chains, pause reps, slow lowering, stuff like that.
I forgot the name of the ones I have but check out smashwerx channel on TH-cam and he has a video on resistance bands, they’re great bands the ones he recommends
I Try to do 2 Hamstring moves, for Every Single, Leg/Thigh exercise! PLUS... You'll NEVER see an Ice Skater with NO Ham's, BECAUSE of all the Backward Skating! So... I DO a Weighted, High, Stiff Legged, GOOSE STEP! Sliding my Feet into each move! This very Morning I warned up with 500! Yes with ONLY a 40lb. Vest! But... From my Calves to my Butt, I Enjoy how much I Feel my HAM'S! Just an "Outside-the-Box" point of variation!!!!
@@callummason6589 Okay... How about just like a true Brian Alsruhe "Outtake"... We'll "Call" them "Weighted Stiff-Legged Sliding Kickbacks"!!! Cause there's no Nazis here!!! Just an "Outside" the Box approach to Training Variations!!
QUESTION!!! Does pre-exhausting muscles add to the myonucleation of new muscles in order to increase the threshold at which ATP is depleted? Is that why they did that in bodybuilding? Does it have, in your experience, any practical application in strength training?
Pre-exhausting muscles is one of the worst things one can do in the gym. One of the greatest factors of muscle growth is mechanical tension(the load/weight put on the muscle). If you pre-exhaust the muscle then you will not be able to use as high of a weight. I beieve that only those that are on large amounts of steroids truly benefit from pre-exhaustion. But they pretty much benefit from any kind of resistance exercise.
I normally don't have any problems feeling my Hamstrings at all, but the Pete rubish Deadlifts are all lower back for me. Does anybody maybe have a idea what I could be doing wrong? I would really appreciate some help here.
Is it necessary to to get your back parallel on a good morning? I don’t have a ghd but I take my flat bench and put it up on 2 cinder blocks per side and use the safety pins on my rack to hook the back of my heels under and get after it. I can even add bands anchored with heavy dumbbells and it works great
Depends on what your goals are. If it is help with the bottom of a DL, then yes. If it to help with your squat then most likely yes... Just go further than you would like at first because if you record yourself, you will be shocked air how little you are actually bowing down.
Hey Brian. Gross/embarrassing question for you. How often are hemorrhoids typically a problem for people? I know you might say it's different for everybody and you can't give me an answer but if I'm getting them from something I'm doing wrong then (breathing and bracing wrong?) I'd appreciate your input cuz I don't want to just stop lifting forever for fear of getting them again. I want to go back to the gym but not at the cost of going through this again. Anyway sorry for the long question but thanks anyway even if you dont/can't answer
Could you do a video on how to do glute ham raises I can get many reps but I'm not really that strong on deadlifts(weak off the floor though) and since everyone always says they are difficult I'm wondering if I even do them properly
@@BrianAlsruheOfficial yeah I have and it certainly makes it more challenging and i do feel it in my hamstrings I'm wondering if I'm 'cheating' the movement pattern and not doing it correctly making it easier To put it into context I can currently deadlift 160kg but years ago before injuries I deadlifted 220kg with very poor form( rounded back, hips shooting up etc) as I've only recently learned how to deadlift correctly for my anthopometry
I was under the impression that hamstrings had nothing to do in squats. The emg studies and muscle thickness changes would support that idea. So why drill a mind muscle connection to it for the squat?
So a portion of the job of the hamstrings is to support the glutes ability to contract, basically they aren't efficient in that movement but once your glutes are maxed out the hams will allow to to continue heavier
Hahah besides virtually every top guy in the sport, hardly ANY of those guys have them...I think beards are more of a wannabe strongman thing than an actual strongman thing at this point my friend. Nothing against people who have them but it is definitely part of the wannabe strongman uniform if that makes sense.
You can hear how much better you're getting in your voice. AWESOME
What happened to his voice I was trying to figure out for a whike
@Josh Carrillo Worms dude
Thanks man! I'm down to vomiting about 25x a day now so my throw is much less burned up!
Good to keep in mind when I dont want to work out
Lots good feels from this.
If it helps anyone interested in doing a Nordic raise, you can use a barbell with some weights heavy enough to stop it from lifting and a couple small weights in front to stop it rolling into you, then just slip your legs under the barbell and there you go. I got a foam pool noodle and cut it so it I can put it around the barbell so it’s more comfortable on my legs, it works great.
My glutes fired involuntarily when you said "flex your butt"
Edgar Bennett same 😂
Can you make some videos about deadlift grips? Especially about the hook grip? Love your videos!
Keep up the good work Brian.... this is the most underrated fitness channel on TH-cam
Thanks so much James!
"This isn't 2003" like it was that long ago...wait...shit, I'm old
I feel the same way
@@BrianAlsruheOfficial we've been through this before....you can't be old because we're the same age! :-)
Same and I'm only 26.......
Been doing Romain deadlifts and I can feel my hamstrings get bigger
John Han good job m8
isn't that a lettuce?
Arent you supposed to be doing stiff leg according to the video?
@@ETFsinner stiff leg for powerlifter, rdl for bodybuilder
Love the good morning and the stiff leg deadlift your guidance and experience has been key for me , thank you!
Thanks so much Chase!
Brian I want to thank you. You have inspired me to get in to the gym for the first time. Granted I've always tended to have a heavy lifting jobs, but at 31 I can honestly say I feel amazing I'm only on week 2 of your liener program and already seeing a difference at work. Thank you so much.
Hamstrings are something I’m able to feel well, and are a huge main mover in my squats and deadlift, but my hips and glutes are the issue when it comes to lower body lifts (definitely either the cause or result of having no ass). I’m going to try and apply these principles to those. The advice is something I can’t wait to try out with those, though I’ll have to look into what exercises to use (though GHR focusing more on the G than that H). Great video brother!
X W I’m a pretty big fan of cable pull-throughs for my glutes.
hip thrusts are great
Too late for squat day, but I'll give these a whirl when I can walk again!
Nordic hamstring curls are awesomely difficult. I rig it up by kneeling on a Thompson Fat Pad on the floor and wrapping a Spud Inc. glute-ham strap around the pad and the back of my ankles (Achilles heel area). Works like a charm 👍
Re: Glute ham Extensions: You wont be fully utilizing the exercizing if you dont squeeze the glutes. This will force your hips into the pad, which stabilizes the pelvis/hip girdle and allows you to fully squeeze the hamstrings (it also allows you to hit the erector spinae muscles as well. I like to add in arm motions (like i;m doing a row) to accentuate this part as well)
Thank you for this tip my friend
@@BrianAlsruheOfficial no problem. Took me many years to figure this one out myself. I'm a teacher at heart like you are. I like to spread the knowledge also
I have watched hundreds of videos on hamstrings and this has been the only one that really helped me with the mind-muscle connection. Literally 3 min in and it clicked. You're the man Brian!!
5:50 bands are truly the most convenient tool ever! No more willl i need a leg curl machine!!
Brian I don't know if you'll see this but I do appreciate that you put time stamps in the description
Thanks Brian.
The way I do nordic curls is the following: put the barbell at the bottom of the power rack with 60 to 70kg over the barbell each side, one falling forward and the other backward, thick mattress under the knees to elevate and give some confort and use the hooks or band pegs to pass some bands in front of the power rack. Been around 5 months and still can't get a single rep yet every workout makes me hella sore!
Try using a light band (choke) on a bar on top of the rack to hold onto throughout the exercise, if you want more help from the band in the movement you can use a stiffer band or extend your arms out, in the same manner the more you bring your arms in the less that band will help. Using strict form also greatly intensifies that exercise (no movement in the hips during the exercise) by maintaining a hollow body during the exercise (hips tucked, back flat, big strong breath) and if you are really having trouble use negatives and partial range of motion to get added time under tension on the whole posterior chain.
Man i watch your channel for years and you still come with new and new stuff
Mind is blown 🤯
I’ve never thought to “windup” my hams. Hoping this will help my passive hams in the squat.
Gracias from TX 👍
This is just what I needed. Always overdelivering. Thanks Brian!
Please make video on neck training....
Wow. The plate squeezy squat drill made me feel activation I have never felt. Probably why I threw out my back squatting....
my Nordic ham curl set up is as follows. I put a flat bench on the outside of the power right on the side, then set a safety bar at the correct height and since i'm fat I use a band attached from the top of the power rack held behind my head. works great.
Another excellent video from Brian, really good stuff.
Ever since I started adding 2-3 small sets of medium band closed knee extensions before my deadlift and SHELCs before my squat, I feel the respective muscles immediately. Better focus for the wheels! My legs grew exponentially over 20 weeks.
Always love your videos. Entertaining and informative.
Thank you
i respect dudes that have huge mid/lower traps, shoulders and hamstrings
You can also use a broom handle to help you stop/push off of the bottom of a glute-ham raise. Slow negative until you need assistance. Takes about a month and they should be able to hit bodyweight for reps.
The first drill is one of its kind, thanks.
Excellent advice Coach! Thank you
This was awesome!!! Thank you so much!!!
Great info Brian, thank you!
good info ty
This is truly the ultimate guide to hamstrings
11:39 Puppy kissses during your glute ham raise is adorable.
I do what I can!
Great content as always...thanks so much
Best channel on TH-cam
Thank you so much for this
I'm not really interested so much I getting my hamstrings stronger (I already focus on it) but, I see I new video from Brian and I just have to watch it!
Thanks for watching my dude
stil need to watch the rest but that beginning had me good, that was amazing haha
Great exercise ideas! Awesome stuff :)
You left out one tip for building the mind muscle connection. That is to consciously visualize and contract the muscle to initiate the movement. That was key in developing the mind muscle connection in my lats and glutes.
Geat advise. Thanks. 👌
Yo I can honestly say I've seen *NOBODY* talk about putting the plate between your feet, definitely gonna try that today at the gym to see how much my hamstrings are lacking
First. Great content as always Brian.
I have no friends so I bought a used GHD from craigslist for $250. Took me a month to work up to being able to actually do a proper rep without a band to help. This was the first exercise actually work my hamstrings hard enough to get sore.
Firstname Lastname now the GHD is your friend! i love happy ending!
That's a great buy!
started properly doing hip thrusts and RDL for assistance work and my lower back has been grateful these past few weeks. I'm finally seeing gains again in bent over rows from my lumbar not being thrashed and able to up the frequency. My hip hinge was atrocious and I was just overextended in every movement before loading the lower body. Great variations in this clip to progress at in my next block, but starting out light has been key (3x10) or else I just load the wrong muscles again. Is why I was skeptical of doing rdl again. Dumping the ego was huge.
I agree with you on the RDL but not so much the Hip Thrusts.
How the hell does a videos with all this awesome information get a thumbs down??
I do enjoy your videos man..
How could someone dislike this?
I love Nordic hamstring curls! However, if you do them on the GHD machine, is it a GHR or is there a difference? I would love a thorough explanation that compares the two.
Not positive but I'm pretty sure it's a Nordic ham curl if not done on a GHD machine. If done on a GHD machine, it's a GHR.
If you have a friend.......welp I'm screwed. Thankfully this came at a good time.
Not a fan!? I FUCKING LOVE GOOD MORNINGS!
Was wondering how to use bands. Now I know
Love your content! Can you use the GHD to do Rubish DL? Don’t have the other 45 degree piece. Would effect be same?
Hey Brian, Thank you very much for so much valuable information! But please tell me, if there is not much difference between the stiff leg deadlift and the Romanian deadlift, what is the difference???? I hope you can help me out and explain it? Thank you very much for your valuable time and help
Those are romanian deadlifts. Stiff leg deadlifts starts from the ground with hips higher than conventional deadlifts.
Nice Shirt Brian!
Thanks!!
Can you use sleds drags to strengthen/build the hamstrings? Love the video! Love the channel!
Absolutely but they tend to hit people differently. I don't feel my quads on drags when other people do and they feel their hamstrings when I feel my quads so I didn't;t want to get into it.
@@BrianAlsruheOfficial Thanks!!
Where would you rate hamstring curl machines if the better options aren't available. Better or worse than the gliding hamstring curl?
..stupid gyms hahahah.Thx dude, needed this oldie..picked up sprints and need posterior improvement=)
I didn't know those had a name. I think jeff cavalier showed them and I don't remember if he even mentioned a name to it. Nordic Hamstring Curls.
Fairly off topic, but I’m new to the channel and have been watching the various programs you offer. Just wondering, do you keep the exercise selection the same through the whole thing or vary exercises every wave? Or same strength movements/different conditioning? Thanks man
I change things up a lot brother
Any thoughts at Nordic ham curls vs GHD? Which one most peeps would benefit most from?
Nordic Curls are harder so if you can do those do them. But you can still use GHD just may need to make it harder with weight, bands, chains, pause reps, slow lowering, stuff like that.
Who is a good source for resistance bands?
I forgot the name of the ones I have but check out smashwerx channel on TH-cam and he has a video on resistance bands, they’re great bands the ones he recommends
EliteFTS
Elitefts pretty much a standard in powerlifting
EliteFTS or Rogue depending on who is having a sale.
Thank you for the tip to feel the hammy . Tried it on my squat and just popped back up and the weights felt easier.
I Try to do 2 Hamstring moves, for Every Single, Leg/Thigh exercise! PLUS...
You'll NEVER see an Ice Skater with NO Ham's, BECAUSE of all the Backward Skating! So...
I DO a Weighted, High, Stiff Legged, GOOSE STEP! Sliding my Feet into each move!
This very Morning I warned up with 500! Yes with ONLY a 40lb. Vest! But...
From my Calves to my Butt, I Enjoy how much I Feel my HAM'S!
Just an "Outside-the-Box" point of variation!!!!
@@callummason6589 Okay... How about just like a true Brian Alsruhe "Outtake"...
We'll "Call" them "Weighted Stiff-Legged Sliding Kickbacks"!!!
Cause there's no Nazis here!!! Just an "Outside" the Box approach to Training Variations!!
You have to collaborate with Pete!
Rubish deadlifts are great for hamstrings as well as your big ham chunk.
11:37 Gym dogs make the best workout buddies
Good stuff u got me lookin around my house for somewhere to jam my lower legs under😄
Awesome content as always and well explained. Random question: what flag is that behind you from and mean "Come and take it"? 🤙💪
It means come and take these guns if you dare, I believe the flag is from the Revolutionary War.
What are those orange buckets at 3:45 for?
Those are romanian deadlifts. Stiff leg deadlifts starts from the ground with hips higher than conventional deadlifts.
QUESTION!!! Does pre-exhausting muscles add to the myonucleation of new muscles in order to increase the threshold at which ATP is depleted? Is that why they did that in bodybuilding? Does it have, in your experience, any practical application in strength training?
Pre-exhausting muscles is one of the worst things one can do in the gym. One of the greatest factors of muscle growth is mechanical tension(the load/weight put on the muscle). If you pre-exhaust the muscle then you will not be able to use as high of a weight. I beieve that only those that are on large amounts of steroids truly benefit from pre-exhaustion. But they pretty much benefit from any kind of resistance exercise.
I normally don't have any problems feeling my Hamstrings at all, but the Pete rubish Deadlifts are all lower back for me.
Does anybody maybe have a idea what I could be doing wrong?
I would really appreciate some help here.
@Santiago Trestini Thanks man, gonna try that on Friday.
Was it perhaps the JM Blakely article?
Is it necessary to to get your back parallel on a good morning?
I don’t have a ghd but I take my flat bench and put it up on 2 cinder blocks per side and use the safety pins on my rack to hook the back of my heels under and get after it. I can even add bands anchored with heavy dumbbells and it works great
Depends on what your goals are. If it is help with the bottom of a DL, then yes. If it to help with your squat then most likely yes... Just go further than you would like at first because if you record yourself, you will be shocked air how little you are actually bowing down.
I call the rubish deadlift as a hyper dead
How do I get more hamstring instead of lower back for good mornings
Pusher but backwards instead of thinking of your legs
Hey Brian. Gross/embarrassing question for you. How often are hemorrhoids typically a problem for people? I know you might say it's different for everybody and you can't give me an answer but if I'm getting them from something I'm doing wrong then (breathing and bracing wrong?) I'd appreciate your input cuz I don't want to just stop lifting forever for fear of getting them again. I want to go back to the gym but not at the cost of going through this again. Anyway sorry for the long question but thanks anyway even if you dont/can't answer
I have honestly never had them once so I think I brace differently than you are brother.
@@BrianAlsruheOfficial thanks man I'll review the breathing and bracing videos again. Maybe I misunderstood how to brace properly
Could you do a video on how to do glute ham raises
I can get many reps but I'm not really that strong on deadlifts(weak off the floor though) and since everyone always says they are difficult I'm wondering if I even do them properly
Have you added weight behind your head or a band around your neck pulling you tot he ground?
@@BrianAlsruheOfficial yeah I have and it certainly makes it more challenging and i do feel it in my hamstrings
I'm wondering if I'm 'cheating' the movement pattern and not doing it correctly making it easier
To put it into context I can currently deadlift 160kg but years ago before injuries I deadlifted 220kg with very poor form( rounded back, hips shooting up etc) as I've only recently learned how to deadlift correctly for my anthopometry
What do you think about wide grip SSB good mornings?
Love them! Everything Wide grip SSB is harder, thus it makes me happy
@@BrianAlsruheOfficial I found that my spinal erectors were much more engaged... Love em too 😍
I can't believe it I'm the first one for the first time ever 👍. Love your videos keep them coming. Glad to see you doing better.
lol no
The only thing I do for hamstrings is deadlifts. I must be doing it wrong.
Not wrong but you are definitely leaving a lot of potential strength and size out there.
@@BrianAlsruheOfficial Hey Brian, you mind if I ask what you do for recovery? I've totally crashed and burned.
@@edwinatwell7423 he made video about it already
What kind of info do you need to make a personalized program?
Email him and you sort out together.
Yep, all about the email brother! Just hit me up and I will fill you in! Thanks for asking!
I was under the impression that hamstrings had nothing to do in squats. The emg studies and muscle thickness changes would support that idea. So why drill a mind muscle connection to it for the squat?
So a portion of the job of the hamstrings is to support the glutes ability to contract, basically they aren't efficient in that movement but once your glutes are maxed out the hams will allow to to continue heavier
Brian, grow that beard out man, any good strong man gets his strength from a 6inch beard 😂 thanks for another great video!
Hahah besides virtually every top guy in the sport, hardly ANY of those guys have them...I think beards are more of a wannabe strongman thing than an actual strongman thing at this point my friend. Nothing against people who have them but it is definitely part of the wannabe strongman uniform if that makes sense.
what knee sleeves are those?
Sling Sjot String Sleeves brother. These are the X ones with the rubber inside
I’m just finding this video, a year after it was uploaded, and all I want to know is did he find a friend? (12:45). 😔😔😔😢😢😢
Lol that Rubish deadlift kills my low back only. No hamstrings. I must be doing it wrong somehow idk. Anyone have advice ?
Me not having friends is a choice that myself and a lot of different people that have known me over the years have made.
Cool. Not the point of the video, but I appreciate that man.
Came here looking for copper, found gold.
I see a Brian video. I watch it. I’m a simple man
or just do broad jumps before the lift
Ig the new name is the Rubish Deadlift but I've always called it a weighted back extension 🤷♂️
😀💪👍
Yeah bring back the moon pose.....XY only sorry
Hahah Randy, I am normally right there with you but this one completely confused me brother! hahaha