Best Hamstring Exercises
(BEST HAMSTRING EXERCISES FOR BUILDING MUSCLE AT HOME)
Best Hamstring Exercises: Strengthen and Tone Your Hamstrings
Strong hamstrings are essential for overall lower body strength and stability, since they bend your knees and extend your hips. Hamstring exercises target the muscles at the back of your thighs, improving athletic performance and muscle balance.
This guide will provide you with a comprehensive overview of the best exercises to target the hamstrings, their benefits, and tips for maximizing their effectiveness.
Best Hamstring Exercises
1. Exercise Overview
2. Top Hamstring Exercises
3. Exercise Videos and Related Guides
Before we dive into the top exercises, let’s first understand what makes an exercise effective for hamstring development. This will help you make an informed decision when choosing the right exercises for your routine.
1. Exercise Overview
Effective hamstring exercises focus on movements that involve knee flexion and hip extension.
Romanian deadlifts and deadlifts, which hinge at the hips, work the hamstrings hardest in this guide; the squats and lunges mainly train the quads and glutes, with the hamstrings helping.
Romanian Deadlifts are a fundamental exercise that targets the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back, building overall lower body strength.
Romanian Deadlifts
Deadlifts are excellent for working the hamstrings along with the glutes and lower back, and building muscle strength and endurance.
Deadlifts
Glute Bridges are effective for targeting the hamstrings and glutes, enhancing lower body strength and stability.
Glute Bridge
Sumo Deadlifts are great for working the glutes, inner thighs and hamstrings together and improving balance and stability.
Sumo Deadlifts
Weighted Squats are excellent for building strength in the quads and glutes; the hamstrings play only a small role.
Weighted Squats
Understanding how to perform these exercises and incorporating them into your routine can help you achieve better muscle development and overall lower body strength. Next, we’ll explore specific workouts and how to perform them effectively.
2. Top Hamstring Exercises
The best exercises for hamstrings should include consistent, targeted movements that engage the hamstring muscles effectively, promoting muscle growth and strength.
This can be achieved by selecting activities that you enjoy and can perform regularly. To truly enhance your hamstring routine and overall lower body strength, it’s essential to incorporate a variety of exercises and maintain consistency in your workout routine.
Squat Walk – Strengthen Quads and Glutes
How to Perform Squat Walk
- Prepare Your Position: Begin in a low squat position.
- Execute the Movement: Take a few steps forward, then reverse, taking a few steps back, all while maintaining the squat depth.
- Controlled Return: Stand up straight after the set duration.
- Repeat: Continue for a time-based duration.
Squat Back Lunge – Strengthen Quads, Glutes and Hamstrings
How to Perform Squat Back Lunge
- Prepare Your Position: Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells in hand.
- Execute the Movement: Perform a squat, rise, then step back into a lunge with one leg.
- Controlled Return: Return to standing and alternate to the other leg.
- Repeat: Complete 3-4 repetitions per leg.
Jump Squat – Build Lower Body Power
How to Perform Jump Squat
- Prepare Your Position: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, holding dumbbells at your sides.
- Execute the Movement: Lower into a squat, then explosively push through your heels to jump into the air.
- Controlled Return: Land softly and transition into the next squat.
- Repeat: Perform 15-20 repetitions.
Goblet Squat Pulses – Work Quads and Glutes and Improve Balance
How to Perform Goblet Squat Pulses
- Prepare Your Position: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell vertically at chest level with both hands.
- Execute the Movement: Lower into a squat and perform small pulsing movements up and down at the bottom range of the squat.
- Controlled Return: Rise back to the starting position.
- Repeat: Continue for a time-based duration.
Alternating Lunge – Build Leg Strength and Balance
How to Perform Alternating Lunge
- Prepare Your Position: Stand upright with feet together, holding dumbbells at your sides.
- Execute the Movement: Step forward with one foot and lower into a lunge.
- Controlled Return: Push through the front heel to return to the starting position and repeat on the opposite leg.
- Repeat: Alternate legs for 10-16 repetitions.
Remember, achieving optimal hamstring development involves maintaining a consistent workout routine and incorporating a variety of exercises. It’s crucial to find activities you enjoy and can perform regularly to maximize the benefits.
Try out the exercises in this section, and you’ll be on your way to stronger, more defined hamstrings.
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3. Exercise Videos and Related Guides
Every exercise in this guide has its own page in our free exercise library, with a video demonstration, step-by-step form tips, common mistakes to avoid and the muscles it works:
- Romanian Deadlifts
- Deadlifts
- Glute Bridge
- Sumo Deadlifts
- Weighted Squats
- Squat Walk
- Squat Back Lunge
- Jump Squat
- Goblet Squat Pulses
- Alternating Lunge
Related guides: lower glute exercises, a dumbbell leg workout, tight hamstrings and dumbbell quad exercises.
Want a ready-made plan? Dumbbell Home Workout builds dumbbell workouts for every muscle group around your goal, level and schedule.
BEST HAMSTRING EXERCISES FAQ
Three muscles at the back of your thigh: the biceps femoris on the outer side and the semitendinosus and semimembranosus on the inner side. They bend your knee and help extend your hip.
Yes. In a study of experienced bodybuilders, the Romanian deadlift worked the inner hamstring (semitendinosus) more than the stiff-leg deadlift, and doing it standing on a step, for a bigger range of motion, increased hamstring and glute activity further (Coratella 2022, in the references below).
For effective hamstring development, these exercises are top choices:
- Romanian Deadlifts – Strengthen the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back.
- Deadlifts – Work the hamstrings, glutes and lower back and build muscle strength and endurance.
- Glute Bridges – Strengthen the hamstrings and glutes.
- Sumo Deadlifts – Work the glutes, inner thighs and hamstrings together and improve balance.
- Weighted Squats – Build quad and glute strength, with the hamstrings helping.
To reap the benefits of hamstring exercises, aim to perform these workouts 2-3 times per week, depending on your fitness goals and schedule. Consistency is key to achieving the best results.
REFERENCES
Sørensen B, Aagaard P, Malchow-Møller L, Zebis MK, Bencke J.Medio-lateral hamstring muscle activity in unilateral vs. Bilateral strength exercises in female team handball players – a cross-sectional study.Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2021;16(3):704-714.
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