Leg Exercise Question

[xredmenacex]

Part of my leg routine involves using the prone leg extension machine, you know, the one where you lay on your stomach and lift the weight by bringing your ankles towards your butt. I feel like this exercise strains my lower back in a non-beneficial way. So I'm wondering, what's the best alternative to this machine that will focus on those same muscles?

[adamx]

glute ham raise, stiff leg deadlift, deep back squats, lunges (step further to hit hams more)

[Marcina]

I don't like that exercise either.

I do hamstring curls on equipment where you sit down.

[cubby2112]

I second what adamx said, especially the stiff leg (also called Romanian) deadlift. They are amazing for your glutes, lower back and hams.

[xredmenacex]

Thanks for the responses. Is this: http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Hamstrings/BBStraightLegDeadlift.html

what you guys are calling a stiff leg deadlift? Sorry, I'm somewhat of newbie and I just want to make sure.

[Zack]

Thanks for the responses. Is this: http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Hamstrings/BBStraightLegDeadlift.html

what you guys are calling a stiff leg deadlift? Sorry, I'm somewhat of newbie and I just want to make sure.

 

 

Yes, but that is horrible form. Bend your legs enough so that your lower back stays straight.

[xredmenacex]

By bend your legs you mean bend more at the hips? Or bend your knees slightly?

 

They have this "straight back straight leg deadlift" on the same site that other clip is from: http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Hamstrings/BBStrBackStrLegDeadlift.html

[adamx]

By bend your legs you mean bend more at the hips? Or bend your knees slightly?

 

They have this "straight back straight leg deadlift" on the same site that other clip is from: http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Hamstrings/BBStrBackStrLegDeadlift.html

 

http://www.betterbodz.com/back/stiff_leg_deadlift1.jpg

 

 

like this (bend the knees to shorten the hamstrings a bit, which will in turn relieve some of the hamstring stretch that pulls your back out of wack.. if that makes sense)

[xredmenacex]

Ok, thanks everybody!

[Gattoninja]

I'm very interested in this topic as well, and would lke to make sure I understood! Did you mean you have to end your knees a bit and meanwhile moove your centre of mass a bit backwards?

 

that pulls your back out of wack.. if that makes sense)

 

And... I'm really sorry, but I couldn't find the word in the dictionary, and don't know what it means... What does "wack" mean?

[cubby2112]

Pulling your back out of whack means pulling it into an unnatural, uncomfortable position.

 

Basically, you bend your knees a little, keep your back straight and let your butt go back a little. You go as low as you can without bending your back.

[adamx]

Yea, in this case, pulling your back out of wack would be pulling your back into a rounded position, which is bad.

 

Try this anyone that doesn't understand the concept I was trying to explain. Lock your knees out and touch your toes. Go as far as you can, whether you can touch your toes or can barely get your fingers past your knees, just do it.

 

Your back will be rounded to compensate for lack of hamstring flexibility, like so:

 

http://cache.viewimages.com/xc/74029596.jpg?v=1&c=ViewImages&k=2&d=17A4AD9FDB9CF193121F0CA6523343480C75BA340FC70706284831B75F48EF45

 

Now, while holding the hands in the same position, try to flex your back/make it straight (chest up, butt out) Like so:

 

http://pagesperso-orange.fr/alban.v/divers/pendlay_row__sony14%20068.jpg

 

Make your back looks like this, while still stretching your hands towards your toes as far as you can. You'll feel the stretch realllllllllllllly intensify.

 

The same thing will happen during the stiff leg deadlift. Your hamstrings will stretch to their limit, then your lower back will take over to finish the range of motion. you don't want that, so bend at the knees as much as it takes to releave some of the stretch and perform the whole range of motion without compromising your back.

 

i'm rambling

[Gattoninja]

Thank you Adamx and Cubby, I think I understood! And I rekon I was doing right...

Anyway, yours was a perfect explanation!!!!

[VeganEssentials]

Another Romanian Deadlift how-to:

 

http://www.marunde-muscle.com/fitness/askem_rdl.html

 

The guy in the image seems to be standing on a box to have a larger ROM, but many people take the bar to just being mid-shin height and that's good enough for most.

 

I still don't know why there are clips out there showing people doing the old way of stiff legged deadlifts with lowering the bar to the top of your feet with an exaggerated forward bend, at least, for anyone who wants to do good work on their hamstrings. Keeping my legs locked at the knees NEVER gave me a good hamstring stretch, and you use so much more lower back on that type of movement that it just doesn't seem worthwhile. Not to mention, if you're not incredibly in-tune with your body, you can easily enough put your back in a bad spot before you realize that it's not a safe position for you (particularly for those who let the bar drift out from their body when coming back up.) Rounded-back lifting can be done safely if someone trains for it and has a great deal of real-world application for safe lifting of everyday objects, but when it gets pushed out as an excellent hamstring developer, I just shake my head.

 

Definitely stick with the Romanian DL as a better-than-average hamstring killer than most other exercises out there.

[SeaSiren]

Def on the straight leg deads (my fav), also if your gym has it standing on seated machines are a possibility. Working each leg individually on the machines will get you better results.