Quadricep vs. Hamstring Strenth

[betsarid]

I'm looking for your feedback regarding how your quad vs. hamstring strength compares. I normally work out with my hams (on leg curls) at 3 x 10 with 155. But my quad strenth is much less than than (on leg extensions). I was told quad strength should be much more than ham strength. How does your strength compare with these two muscles and how can I increase my quad strength?

[Dawg]

I don't know if that's an accurate test 'cause of the mechanics of the movement. I have that same situation with leg curls and extensions but I can definitely squat more than I can SLDL.

Anyways, to strengthen your quads (and pretty much your whole leg)....

squats, front squats, hack squats, leg press

[Kane Fan]

as far as I know Hamms tend to be stronger then Quads
quads tend to be bigger but hamms seem to lift better

[blahblah]

my quads are alot stronger than my hams for some reason, but i thought it was supposed to be, dunno

maybe it different for everybody

[Limbo]

Originally posted by betsarid
I'm looking for your feedback regarding how your quad vs. hamstring strength compares. I normally work out with my hams (on leg curls) at 3 x 10 with 155. But my quad strenth is much less than than (on leg extensions). I was told quad strength should be much more than ham strength. How does your strength compare with these two muscles and how can I increase my quad strength?

Unless you're hella stronger than me, which certainly is a possibility, it sounds like you've been tricked by a double-pulley machine. It has to do with the way the machine is designed, but you're probably only doing half the weight it says. Just for comparison, I'm working with 75lbs for both legs on leg curls (it's a single pulley machine) right now and my squat (to parallel) is a meagre 175 (hey, I'm working on it).

It seems weird to me that you (and Kane Fan) could even believe your hams could directly lift more since they are a smaller muscle group. Or maybe you two are FREAKS.

[RippedGuitarist]

Well I Squat more than I SLDL and I Leg Curl more than I Leg Extension. So it really depends on the movement I think.

[Kane Fan]

Originally posted by Dawg
I don't know if that's an accurate test 'cause of the mechanics of the movement. I have that same situation with leg curls and extensions but I can definitely squat more than I can SLDL.

Anyways, to strengthen your quads (and pretty much your whole leg)....

squats, front squats, hack squats, leg press

a better judge would be SLDL or GM compared to Front Squat

[Rexer]

My extensions are higher than my curls, although haven't performed either for quite some time. My problem is my squat, which is still not good enough. My SLDL is way higher. It is because of my stronger lower back. Whether quads or hams are stronger, I find this relative, like biceps/triceps for example.

[midian]

Originally posted by Kane Fan
as far as I know Hamms tend to be stronger then Quads
quads tend to be bigger but hamms seem to lift better

WTF ??? my quads are more then twice as strong as my hams

[Kane Fan]

what are you using as the test to say your quatds are 2x as strong as your hams?
it just seems to be the way of things if you spend equal time working on SLDL and Front Sqaut your SLDL is better
I consider those to be good indicators
might be unfair to quads tho cus of glute invovlement in sldl I'm not sure if it's as invovled on front squats

[midian]

Originally posted by Kane Fan
what are you using as the test to say your quatds are 2x as strong as your hams?
it just seems to be the way of things if you spend equal time working on SLDL and Front Sqaut your SLDL is better
I consider those to be good indicators
might be unfair to quads tho cus of glute invovlement in sldl I'm not sure if it's as invovled on front squats

dude your using comound movements to test you ham and quad strenght ?? do i need to point out the stupidity ?? if you wan't you strength as narrow as it can get you use isolation exercises

[PEAKZILLA]

The functional ratio for quad to ham strenght is around 66%. Example if you can do leg extensions with 100lbs you should be able to do leg curls with 66lbs. I know this becuase I am going to school to become an athletic trainer. At this ration the hamstrings are less likely to become damaged. A example of an athlete that would have problems with hamstrings are runners they have strong quads and week hams wich is why they have so many hamstring problems.

[Kane Fan]

hamstrings are invovled in running
quads are invovled in jumping or running up steps..

midian I don't think you can point out stupidity to me
there arew mechanical advantages for leg extensions that let curls don't get
in other words it's easier to leg extend a weight then leg curl it (laying leg curl machine) even if the muscles are of the same strength

freeweights are the best way to check strength in a given muscle, Front Squat's primary mover is Quads BLDL primary mover is Hamms, glutes are involved in both movements
get the picture?

[Wanker527]

my quads are much stronger than my hams. where the heck did you guys with the stronger hams come from? that just seems weird. and i would think that comparing single-leg standing leg curl to single leg extension would be a much better comparison. same start point, and relatively same end point. it doesn't get much more simple than that.

[Kane Fan]

a standing leg curl maybe
but definatly not one where you lay down on the machine