I hardly feel anything in my hams when doing SLDLs

Rock Lee

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I don't understand what I'm doing wrong. I keep my legs straight and push my hips out while keeping the bar right next to my shins throughout the movement. I go down until my back is about parallel to the ground keeping it straight and arched while keeping my head up. I don't know a lot about kinesiology but would wearing a weight belt help me feel it in my hams more?

I guess I could start doing GHRs instead.
 

Jcc

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I bend my knees just slightly throughout the movement. I've found that if you focus on a hip thrusting motion, rather than focusing on pulling the weight up, you then start feeling it in the hams. It's hard to describe. Took me a while to get it right, but I hardly feel my back at all when I do them.
 
bigpetefox

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Slight bend in the knee, push out with your waist as you rise up.. ;)
 

z0rr0

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I know when I do SL's, I get a great pull in my arse.


edit: Keep your minds outta the gutter you sicko's.
 
bigpetefox

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I know when I do SL's, I get a great pull in my arse.


edit: Keep your minds outta the gutter you sicko's.
Good thing you left a disclaimer.. :D
 

iron addict

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I hear this same complaint a lot. Here is what you should do IMO:

Work on your form to the point where you "feel it" in your hams as much as possible. Then DON'T WORRY ABOUT WHERE YOU ARE "FEELING IT". Even if it feels like it's not working your hams, keep doing them. Here is a little secret. Even if you NEVER feel it in your hams, and it feels like all lower back--when your SLDL is 100 lbs heavier than it is now, your hams will be WAY bigger. Many people have the same problem, and decide leg curls and other isolation lifts are "better" because they "feel" the hams much more while they are doing them. You know why legs curls feel like they are really beating your hams up? because out of the 7 different muscles that make up the ham complex most leg curl variations work 2-3 of the SMALLER muscles. That makes it "feel" like they are really getting hammered--THEY ARE NOT!!!!

SLDL's work 5 out of the 7 muscles, and they work the "big" muscles that make up the hams. Much more "bang for your buck" wether you "feel it" there or not.

Iron Addict
 
bigpetefox

bigpetefox

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Good post, brother!
 

TooL

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Muscle pull and stretch is always tough to differentiate when doing large compound movents that activate so much muscle at once. Some SLDL tips.

1. Try keeping your stance hip width apart.

2. Keep your toes directlyl forward if not slightly inwards. (not completely pigeon toed though)

3. Keep the bar as close to your body as possible, I always have red burns down my thighs when Im done.

4. If youre a flexible person you can get away with going lower in the dead lift without sacrificing the integrity of the spine.

TooL
 

Longdog

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I used to have the same problem. I've found a slight knee bend, & if I thrust my butt outwards a little, I feel it mostly in the hams. Its almost like romanian deadlifts.

It also helps me to concentrate on hams if I use lighter weight & go slower/controlled. I rarely use more than 225 anymore.
 

z0rr0

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Good thing you left a disclaimer.. :D
Yeah, I figured I'd need one to keep my self heterosexual around here...specially with that 'Homo marriage thread' :p

What I've found works for me, is making sure that my knees stay bent ever-so-slightly. I get a great pull in my glutes, and my hamstrings, like nothing that can compare to any other movments.
 

max silver

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I find that I usually don't feel sldl too much in the hamstrings when actually performing the exercise, but the day afterwards I tend to notice alot of DOMS here. I noticed that when I didn't hold the bar tight against my body I tended to really work the hell out of my upper back moreso than the hamstring, and kept on tweaking/aggravating something in my intercostal area.

I tend to really make sure that I sticking out the glutes at the end of the lift, this seems to make a huge difference in hitting my hamstrings effectively.
 

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