Two-time Figure Olympia champion Erin Stern is constantly looking for ways to maximize gains in the gym. In a recent YouTube video posted on July 31, 2024, Stern shared her top two hamstring exercises for optimal growth.
“Are you not seeing results in hamstring development and you’re wondering why? Well, in today’s video, I want to share why that might be and give you two exercises that you can try to up your hamstring game.”
Throughout her bodybuilding career, Erin Stern raked in achievement after achievement, starting with becoming a two-time Figure Olympia champion. From there, she dwarfed the competition in the Bikini category at the 2022 Republic of Texas Pro, further proving her ability to adapt and conquer.
However, dominating the bodybuilding stage wasn’t enough for Stern, who took to social media, amassing over 300,000 followers. Translating her vast understanding of fitness into easy-to-understand guides, Stern helps individuals looking to improve their health and transform their physique.
Erin Stern Reveals Her Top Two Hamstring Exercises For Optimal Growth
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From building boulder shoulders with minimal equipment to toning the core with a sliding abs workout, Stern breaks down each body part to build muscle and strength. In a recent YouTube video, Erin Stern shared two hamstring exercises for optimal growth.
First, Stern lays out the function of the hamstrings, emphasizing that they cross over two joints rather than one.
“The hamstrings are what’s known as ‘biarticular,’ which simply means that they cross over two joints rather than just one. This means that they can produce torque at each joint. So, the hamstrings are responsible for both hip extension and knee flexion.”
“Incorporating both of these movements will grow your hamstrings, while squats and leg press will not. The reason for this is that as the hamstrings lengthen at the hip during the leg press, they’ll shorten at the knee as you squat down. The result is a net zero in tension.”
Exercise #1 Nordic Curl (Using the Lat Pulldown Machine)
For her first exercise to build the hamstrings, Stern demonstrates how to craftily use the lat pulldown machine for Nordic curls.
“A lot of times, you can do this by using a partner or wedging your feet under a piece of equipment that’s heavy. If you’re training at home and have a heavy couch and can stick your feet under the couch. I find at the gym it’s so much easier for me to go to the lat pulldown machine.”
During the execution of the movement, Stern explains how to use the long handle attachment to stabilize your body throughout each repetition.
“You want to go ahead and set that knee roller down low so you’re able to really secure yourself in. Grab the long handle attachment and you are just simply going to hold on to that long handle attachment and you’re going to spot yourself.
She says to assume a plank position as you’re lowering down and think about pulling your body back up using only the hamstrings.
“The idea here is to try not to use the bar as you’re lowering yourself down, you’re keeping your body in plank position, you’re using your hamstrings to lower yourself down to that full plank position, and then think about pulling yourself back up using just your hamstrings.”
Exercise #2 Banded Romanian Deadlift
Next, she dives into her hip extension exercise — the banded Romanian deadlift. She says it can be set up easily using a squat rack and stresses to make sure the band is strapped to your body at hip height.
“Now we’re looking at our hip extension exercise which is our banded RDL. When you set this up, you can either set it up in the squat rack or you can set it up attached to a sturdy piece of equipment and you want to make sure the band is set up right around your hip height.”
“This band is going to sit right in the crease of the hips. This is going to allow you to get that full range of motion. What the band does, is it gives you resistance but it also gives you the queue to hinge.”
As you begin to lower the weight, Stern advises lifters to keep their back flat like a table.
“As you grasp that dumbbell and you begin to descend, I want you to think about pushing your hips back, keeping your back flat like a tabletop.”
“And so, all of the stress is going to go to your hamstrings. You really want to think about moving your upper body getting into that standing position by just using the hamstrings.”
“You got the Nordic curl for knee flexion, you have the RDL for hip extension,” adds Stern.
This isn’t the first time that Erin Stern has provided tips on improving hamstrings. In the past, she has shared a workout that maximized hamstring growth with minimal equipment, using four simple movements. Additionally, Stern has offered a how-to guide on crafting ‘a great pair of legs’ that showcased a well-rounded lower body workout.
Erin Stern is a master of sculpting the body, and the legs are no exception. Using her top two exercises for optimal muscle growth you’ll be sporting better hamstrings in no time.
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