Adama Traore is one of the most muscular players in the Premier League. Here are five exercises that will help you burst your thighs. The ischiocrural muscles (consisting of 3 muscles), also known as hamstrings, play an important role in performance. However, injuries to the hamstrings are common. You can reduce the risk of injury with sprints and strength exercises.
#1 Romanian Cross Lift
Romanian deadlifts are very intense and we recommend only doing them when you can rest the next day. Start with little weight and only one set. Focus on the technique and slowly get used to this exercise. The hamstrings are used more when the knees are only slightly bent (but do not do the exercise with the knees fully extended). On the other hand, the gluteus maximus is used more when the knees are bent a little more and the lower legs remain vertical (lower legs and floor make a right angle).
#2 Glute Ham Raise
Make sure that you do not fall into a hollow back. We recommend doing the exercise with a resistance band or with a partner. You can also concentrate only on the negative phase (controlled drop) to start with. The GHR are an alternative to the Nordic curls.
#3 Leg Curl
If it's all about muscle mass, we recommend Romanian deadlift and a leg curl variation. In this post you see a leg curl variation with a resistance band. Try to stabilise the pelvis as much as possible (tightening the abdominal muscles and gluteal muscles helps) and not fall into a hollow back.
#4 Nordic Curl
During the season we recommend Nordic curls. However, as these are very intense, you should do them before a rest day, preferably after football training. Perform this exercise with the hips extended (as much as possible). You often see that you compensate by bending your hips and going into a hollow back. This shows how intense this exercise really is. Tighten your glutes and abs to stabilise the pelvis. To make this exercise easier, we recommend using a resistance band. Tip: Use a partner to kneel in front of you and push against your shoulders so you can benefit from a greater range of motion. Start with one or two sessions per week of 1-2 sets x 3-4 repetitions each. Try to increase the range of motion over time.
#5 Hamstring Bridge
The knee is slightly bent and you press the heel against the bench or an alternative elevation. Hold the position for 20-40 seconds. Compared to the Romanian deadlift or Nordic curls, this exercise is less intense and you will recover more quickly after several sets. Romanian deadlifts can take days to recover from, so approach with caution.
Don't try to do all the exercises shown here at the same time, but decide on two or three. For example, Nordic curls and the bridge during the season and Romanian deadlift and a variation of the leg curls during the championship break. The hamstrings don't need much work to get stronger and bigger. More is not better. Start with two sets per week and slowly increase the number of sets. 5-6 hard sets per week should be enough, for some maybe already too much (in addition to football trainings and football games). If there are no football practices and games, 10 or a bit more (if you can handle/need more) per week can be done over time.
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