Hammies and Deadlifting

So, in the last half year or so since I’ve been here at T-Nation, it’s been brought to my attention numerous times that many people get a great hammie workout when they do deadlifts.

To be totally honest, I’ve never felt anything in my legs from deads - conventional, sumo, snatch-grip elevated, or anything. Does anyone else here not get their legs worked from deadlifts?

Edit: I’m not short, about 5’11"-ish.

They work my glutes more than anything else.

Usually have to hit leg curls for the hamstrings when I’m done.

I’m a fairly tall guy, 6’ with long limbs, might have something to do with it…

[quote]pachell wrote:
They work my glutes more than anything else.

Usually have to hit leg curls for the hamstrings when I’m done.

I’m a fairly tall guy, 6’ with long limbs, might have something to do with it…[/quote]

I never really got a workout for my hamstrings from conventional deadlifts either. Leg curls didn’t really work for me either.

But SLDLs really got my hamstrings sore.

Deads kill my hamstrings, i’m 6’3.

You probably use more back then legs is all or just your hammies don’t get as sore as other parts of your body.

I feel it everywhere deadlifts tax me more then anything, though back not as sore as legs but my back is one of my strongest muscles groups for me.

I get good leg activation from dead lifts but we are all different and have to explore many variations to find what works best.

If you are looking for a great overall leg builder that really hits the hamstrings try deep squats with forward lean, a squat good morning if you will. Regular good mornings are great too.

Plus you get the added bonus of offending every freshly certified personal trainer that will fully expect your back to explode by doing such rarely seen power lift assistant exercises.

Stiff leg and Romanian dead lifts, weighted back extensions, glute ham raise, and leg curls all have worked well for me when training hamstrings.

[quote]shizen wrote:
You probably use more back then legs is all or just your hammies don’t get as sore as other parts of your body.

I feel it everywhere deadlifts tax me more then anything, though back not as sore as legs but my back is one of my strongest muscles groups for me. [/quote]

My quads overpower my hamstrings as I squat Olympic style. Maybe during deads, I just am not used to recruiting my hamstrings as much which leads to my back and glutes doing most of the work.

Romanian Deads really fire my hams.

Stiff Legged DLs and Good Mornings hit my hamstrings more than regular DLs. I am quad dominant so I really have to focus on my form to insure they do not take over the movement. Focusing on forcing my heels through the floor is a visual that helped get my P-chain more active.