| Glutes & Hamstrings By Kevin Parker |
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Back to The Edge |
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One of the ways to overcome a weakness in your physique with a problem area is to develop a love/hate relationship with the bodypart that needs improvement. For example, I used to have small, weak quadriceps (front of the upper leg between the knee and hips). The way I overcame that was to learn to enjoy working them rather than avoiding hat particular workout. Once I learned to love the workouts, my quadriceps improved dramatically. Glutes & hamstrings are my new love/hate relationship. I believe that right behind the abdominals, the glutes/hamstrings are a strong indicator of one's fitness/bodyfat. I know that my rear end is a barometer of my fitness level no matter the level of my denial, haha! Along with our abdominal area, many of us hold fat in this area. It has been my experience that most of us put our weight on between the abdominal area & upper thighs. And when we lose fat, that's the last area to lose as well. First on, last off. When I lose bodyfat, it generally starts from the extremities and moves in so that my face & lower legs generally reflect leanness first. So where does that leave your rear end & hamstrings? Usually last on the list! So how do you manage these troubled areas? As you may or may not know, it's not possible to spot reduce troubled areas without affecting the entire body. So let's look at some strategies to benefit you whether you're trying to build or reduce this area. 1). If your goal is fatloss, you must modify your calorie intake to calorie expenditure. There’s just no way around it; to reduce fat, you must burn more calories than you consume. What I've found is that your diet is a lot more forgiving when your cardio is much higher! While diet is important, it is only one leg of a 3-legged stool. In my opinion, you should have a balance between cardio/aerobic exercise, diet/water intake and resistance training (weightlifting). 2). Tone up these areas by using targeted cardio for this area that has you on your feet. Let's face it, if you want to reduce your rear-end or build it up, you can't do it sitting on it, haha! I would suggest walking, especially hills; Elliptical walkers & treadmills (alternating elevations as you get in shape); and stair steppers if not step aerobics and/or actual stair climbing. One of the many effective exercises I did was to walk around a track at a football stadium, then go up & down the bleachers on each side of the field. I could catch my breath on the track but affect my glutes & hamstrings in an aerobic capacity. 3). Remember, resistance training is for building & toning. If your goal is to tone up and/or build this area, you'll need resistance training to do so. Leg curls from a seated, standing or lying position are good for hamstrings while I also recommend walking lunges & stiff-legged deadlifts. Because your hamstrings are made up of mostly fast-twitch muscle fibers, heavy weight & lower reps will aid your building efforts. However, if you have a layer of fat over this area & want to reduce it, cardio & diet will reduce the fat. Resistance training will only build the muscle, not burn the fat. So if your rear end is large, you will only make it larger by resistance training alone. My rear end has always been my "battle of the bulge", haha! I spent the first 10 years of my bodybuilding career convinced that I had a large rear end from genetics & that it was solid muscle. Then when I learned how to diet & intensify my cardio routine for contest preparation, it shrank right before my eyes! I lost at least 6" in my rear end measurement alone! My hamstrings are a bodypart I've not worked as hard as my quadriceps & am still working to bring the intensity to as I do my quadriceps to achieve balance to my legs. But in general, you have to have a plan & work your plan. Identifying your weak spots & being willing to work them is a principle that will not only balance your physique but your life. Yours brother in Christ, Kevin http://360.yahoo.com/dfbb_15909 http://home.hot.rr.com/kevinparkers http://groups.yahoo.com/group/drugfreebodybuilding These newsletters are not a substitute for a doctor’s advice, prescription or care. Please have a physical by a qualified physician before embarking on a workout program. |
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