Tip: Banded Leg Curls With Toe Pointing

Build your stubborn hamstrings with two tricks: use a band to increase the intensity of the peak contraction, and point your toes on the negative.

For machine leg curls, ditch the ego in pursuit of greater gains by doing them with your feet in plantar flexion on the way down. In other words, on the eccentric or lowering phase of the movement, point your toes. This makes it much tougher... and much tougher leads to more muscle growth.

To really ramp it up, attach a band to the machine so that the resistance increases as your raise your legs up, then hold that top position for a second before lowering under control. Don't just drop your legs back down: resist!

Mark Dugdale is an IFBB pro bodybuilder and Mr. Olympia competitor. Mark has 22 years of experience on stage and a passion for brutal workouts. He has also produced five documentaries, participated in seminars with prison inmates, and was granted one of the last recorded interviews with Joe Weider. Follow Mark Dugdale on Twitter