How to train the biceps femoris muscle
The biceps femoris muscle or hamstrings as they're better known, is a fairly large muscle covering the back of the upper leg. The biceps femoris muscle adds shape and curves to your legs. Learn how you can train the biceps femoris muscle.
The biceps femoris muscle, better known as the hamstrings or leg biceps, is a fairly large muscle group located on the back of the thigh. So naturally, the opposite muscles of the biceps femoris (hamstrings) are the quadriceps (quads).
The biceps femoris as it name suggests consists of two muscle heads; that is what the "bi" in "biceps" stands for. The function of the biceps femoris muscle (hamstrings) is to lift the lower leg and foot towards the butt.
So to train the biceps femoris muscle (hamstrings), you need to flex it at the knee joint. That’s one side of the equation, because the biceps femoris muscle (hamstrings) is also tied to the hip joint, the second way to train the biceps femoris muscle (hamstrings) is by flexing it at the hip joint.
Train the biceps femoris muscle from the hip joint
A few effective exercises to train the biceps femoris muscle (hamstrings) when training the muscle from the hip joint are:
- Deadlifts
- Stiff-legged deadlifts
You can lift more weight when you do deadlifts than you can when you do stiff-legged deadlifts, because stiff-legged deadlifts (also known as good mornings) is an isolation exercise, while deadlifts is a compound exercise which also involves using your quads, glutes, and back to lift the weight in addition to your biceps femoris muscle (hamstrings).
Stiff-legged deadlifts are performed with fairly straight knees (do not completely lock your knees, but keep them slightly bent at all times) and holding a barbell in front of your body. Gently lower the barbell towards the floor while keeping your back straight and letting your glutes and hips travel backwards.
The key to performing stiff-legged deadlifts with good form is to have the barbell travel on an imaginary line that is perpendicular (90 degrees) to the ground. Keep the weight as close to your legs as possible when lowering it, lower the weight as far as you can towards the floor, and then come back up and repeat the movement.
Important! Take extreme care when performing stiff-legged deadlifts, because you could injure your lower back.
Train the biceps femoris muscle from the knee joint
A few effective exercises to train the biceps femoris muscle (hamstrings) when training the muscle from the knee joint are:
- Lying leg curls
- Seated leg curls
- Standing leg curls
Basically, any type of leg curl movement that will bend your knee and bring weights towards your glutes will train the biceps femoris muscle (hamstrings).
There is no big difference between the different types of leg curls. The main difference as I see it is whether you perform leg curls lying, seated, or standing, and whether you’re using machines or free weights.
When doing leg curls standing, you’ll have the tendency to involve other muscles such as your back and glutes to help lift the weight, while doing leg curls lying or seated will force you to perform the movement more strictly, which in turn will better develop the biceps femoris (hamstrings).
Final words on how to train the biceps femoris muscle
Do not neglect your biceps femoris muscle (hamstrings), because it balances out the strength of your quads. For example, if you have very strong quads and weak biceps femoris muscles (hamstrings), you run the risk of injuring your biceps femoris muscle (hamstrings) when doing exercises that require your hamstrings to work, such as for example any running motion.
And I cannot stress this enough… You should take extreme care when training the biceps femoris muscle, since you risk injuring your lower back. As my mother used to say: "Your back is nothing to mess with". The simple reason for this is that your entire nervous system runs along your spine. Any injuries there could result in paralysis. So take extra care!
