30 Best Hamstring Exercises of All Time
Brittany Smith
13 min read
If you're like most metal movers, muscle groups like biceps, back, and chest get all the love, leaving your legs a tad neglected. We're not suggesting you blow 'em up to the size of tree trunks—or maybe we are—but either way, you'll benefit from hitting your legs with the best hamstring exercises of all time.
"Building a robust backside reduces the likelihood of injury and boosts overall performance—though it takes time, consistency, and a lot of repetition," says Matthew Ibrahim, C.S.C.S., a professor, strength coach, and founder of Athletic Performance University.
Continue reading to learn why you need a hamstring workout and which key exercises you need to do to build strong, resilient legs.
What Are the Hamstring Muscles and What Do They Do?
The hamstring muscles are responsible for flexing the knee and extending the hip. Just as the quads comprise multiple muscles (the rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, and vastus intermedius), the hamstrings are made up of these muscles:
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Biceps femoris
Semitendinosus
Semimembranosus
These four muscles make up the hamstrings.
medicalstocks / Getty Images
The biceps femoris consists of the long and short head, which work together to flex the knee, extend the thigh at the hip, and rotate the lower leg from side to side when the knee is bent.
The semimembranosus and semitendinous muscles also work together to flex the knee joint and extend the thigh at the hip, but unlike the biceps femoris, they help medially rotate the hip and lower leg.
30 Best Hamstring Exercises to Build Leg Strength
The following hamstring exercises are designed to forge strength from the ground up, not only thickening your thighs but boosting your major lifts and bulletproofing your body. From kettlebell swings to lunges, Romanian deadlifts to leg curls, there are plenty of killer exercises to pick from. Whether you're doing hamstring exercises at home or at the gym, there's always something new to add into your next legs-day routine.
How to do it:
- Lie down with your back, palms, and feet flat on the floor, knees bent.
- Press your feet into the ground as you raise both hips up toward the ceiling.
- “At the top of the movement, squeeze your glutes together to ensure you don’t arch or drop your low back,” Ibrahim says.
- Hold at the top for a two-second count, then lower and repeat.
How to do it:
- Lie down with your back, palms, and feet flat on the floor, knees bent.
- Bring one leg off the floor. Keep the knee bent and flex your toes toward your head or extend out (shown).
- Hold this position as you press your working leg’s foot into the ground and raise your hips toward the ceiling.
- Keep your back straight and engage your glutes at the top of the movement to prevent your low back from sagging.
- Hold at the top for a two-second count, then lower and repeat.
- Complete all reps for one side, then repeat on the other.
How to do it:
- Sit perpendicular to a flat bench with your upper back and shoulders against the edge. Hold heavy dumbbells on the creases of either hip or position a bar with or without weight across your hips.
- Place your feet flat on the floor, sitting your hips low.
- Drive both feet into the ground as you press hips up toward the ceiling.
- At the top of the movement, squeeze your glutes and hold for two seconds. Lower, and repeat.
How to do it:
- Prop your upper back and shoulders on a bench, to start.
- Place your feet flat on the floor, sitting your hips low.
- Lift one leg, bending your knee and flexing your toes toward your head.
- Drive your anchor foot into the ground as you press both hips up toward the ceiling.
- At the top of the movement, squeeze your glutes and hold for two seconds.
- Lower, and repeat all reps on one side, then switch.
- Use just your bodyweight, or add weight for a greater challenge.
How to do it:
- Position a Swiss ball in front of your feet.
- Lie down with your back and palms flat on the floor.
- Place your heels on top of the ball, then press your hips and glutes off the floor.
- Keep your back straight and abs engaged.
- Dig your heels into the ball as you curl it toward your glutes.
- Reverse the motion, and press the Swiss ball away from your glutes to the start position.
How to do it:
- Position a Swiss ball in front of your feet.
- Lie down with your back and palms flat on the floor.
- Place your heels on top of the ball, then lift one leg straight in the air (or bent with toes flexed toward your head).
- Press your hips and glutes off the floor.
- Keep your back straight and abs engaged.
- Dig your working heel into the ball as you curl it toward your glutes.
- Reverse the motion, and press the Swiss ball away from your glutes to the start position.
How to do it:
- Set up a resistance band or cable pulley at ankle height.
- Straddle the cable/band between your legs, and face away from the column.
- Grab the end and walk away from the anchor point until you feel some resistance.
- While keeping your arms straight and core engaged, bend over at the hips and allow the pulley system to drive the rope and your hips back toward the column.
- Pause at the bottom, and squeeze your glutes together for a strong lockout, Ibrahim says.
- Hinge, then drive yourself back to the top position.
How to do it:
- Place a kettlebell directly beneath you, between your feet.
- Position your legs hip-width apart with toes facing forward.
- "If you need to go slightly wider than hip-width apart and/or point your toes slightly out to the sides, that’s alright," Ibrahim says.
- "While keeping your core engaged to avoid arching at your lower back, drive your hips back into a hip hinge."
- Grab each side of the kettlebell's handle.
- Stand up tall, and squeeze your glutes at the top.
- Slowly lower the kettlebell down to your shins, then repeat.
How to do it:
- Stand up tall with one dumbbell in each hand, palms facing you.
- Engage your abs, and hinge your hips back as you slowly lower the dumbbells toward the middle of your shins.
- Stand back up, then squeeze your glutes at the top.
How to do it:
- Grip a barbell at shoulder-width.
- Engage your abs to brace your lower back as you lift the bar.
- Now, while standing, hinge your hips back.
- Slowly lower the barbell down toward the middle of your shins.
- Stand tall to return to the start position.
How to do it:
- Lie on the ground with your knees bent, and back and palms flat.
- Set your feet on sliders.
- Press your heels into the sliders, and raise your hips off the ground.
- Maintain this position throughout the entire exercise.
- Curl your heels toward your glutes, then spend three seconds pressing both heels away from your body, back to the start position.
How to do it:
- Position both knees roughly hip-width apart, and place both knees on a mat or pad for comfort.
- Drive your toes into the ground, and keep your heels in a secure position (ask a gym partner to hold them down or place them under a comfortable and secure anchor point).
- For the entire duration of the exercise, keep your core engaged and maintain a tall position from your knees through your hips and up toward your shoulders to avoid arching at your lower back.
- Slowly lower yourself down toward the ground in front of you in a slow and controlled fashion for three seconds.
- Once three seconds have elapsed, press your hands down into the ground to get yourself back up to the starting position.
How to do it:
- Stand up tall with your left hand holding a dumbbell or kettlebell.
- Raise your left foot off the floor, and bend your knee.
- Your right foot will remain planted.
- Engage your core, then drive both hips back into a hip hinge while simultaneously lowering the weight down your shin.
- Reverse the motion and stand back up, squeezing your glutes at the top of the motion.
- Complete all reps for the right side, then repeat on the left (hold the weight in your right hand and raise your right foot off the floor).
How to do it:
- Stand upright with your feet shoulder-width apart and your hands on your hips.
- Step forward with your right leg, placing your foot down as if you were setting up a static lunge, flexing your knees (90 degrees), and dropping your hips.
- Lower your left knee toward the ground.
- Just before it makes contact with the floor, drive up and forward through your right leg, stepping into a lunge on your other side.
How to do it:
- Place your right foot on a bench or step, keeping your toes pointed, your foot flexed, and pressure on the ball of your left foot.
- Once in position, descend under control until your right knee just about touches the floor and drive back up through your left leg to the starting position.
- Make sure your back knee doesn’t collapse toward your body, and that your forward knee doesn’t slide past your toes.
How to do it:
- Stand with feet shoulder-width apart.
- Bend at the waist and grab your toes with your hands.
- Drop into a deep squat while keeping your arms straight, elbows inside your knees, back flat, and chest up.
- While holding your toes, raise your hips back and straighten your knees until you feel a stretch in the back of your legs.
- Hold for two seconds.
How to do it:
- From a standing position, hold two dumbbells or loop a band around your shoulders and under your feet.
- Slowly bend forward from the hips until your upper body is parallel to the floor and hamstrings are fully stretched.
- Hold for two seconds and return to starting position.
How to do it:
- Loop a heavy resistance band twice around waist.
- Sit on the ground, back to the bench, feet flat on the floor.
- Hook one loop under right heel. (The other loop will tighten around hips.)
- With shoulder blades hitting just above the edge of the bench, activate glutes and core, and lift left foot to start.
- Pressing through right heel, raise hips toward ceiling, then lower slowly to start. Do 15 reps, then switch sides.
How to do it:
- Stand holding a kettlebell with both hands in front of you with straight arms.
- Squat as you lower the kettlebell along an arc under and between your legs.
- Start the movement with the hips, driving your hips and swinging the kettlebell up until your arms are parallel to the floor.
- Without pausing, complete the set.
How to do it:
- Bend at the waist and walk your feet out into a pushup position.
- Keeping your knees straight, walk your hands toward your feet.
- Once you feel a stretch, walk your feet back out to a pushup position.
How to do it:
- Place a band around thighs, just above knees, and stand with feet just wider than shoulder-width apart, holding a kettlebell in both hands.
- Hinge at hips and push butt back as you lower your torso and kettlebell toward the floor, maintaining tension in your hamstrings and glutes.
- Push through heels to stand.
How to do it:
- Stand, feet hip-width apart, to start.
- Shift weight left, inhale, lift right knee to chest, elbows down at sides, palms facing up near chest.
- Exhale, soften left knee, hinge forward, and extend arms, and right leg back.
- Reverse to start, then repeat on the right side for one rep.
How to do it:
- Grab two kettlebells that are half the weight you’d typically use for a regular kettlebell swing.
- Stand tall with feet hip-width apart, shoulders retracted and core tight.
- With a neutral spine, hip hinge back, letting chest lower toward the floor, and keep arms locked out along the torso.
- Then use glutes and hamstrings to press hips forward and swing kettlebells to shoulder height.
- Engage shoulder and chest muscles to control the weights at the top of the movement, then hip hinge again for one rep.
How to do it:
- Stand with the ball between your lower back and a wall.
- Straighten left leg and flex foot to start.
- With core tight and shoulders engaged for stability, lower hips, allowing the ball to travel up back, until the left leg is parallel to the floor.
- Reverse to start for one rep. Do all reps with left leg raised, then switch legs.
How to do it:
- Hold a kettlebell at face height.
- Stand on one foot, lift the other leg behind you, shin parallel to the floor.
- Shift hips back and slowly lower until shin meets floor.
- Press through standing heel to reverse. Make sure to hit both sides equally.
How to do it:
- Stand holding dumbbells in each hand by your sides.
- Step to one side and lower your hips by squatting with the stepping leg, keeping the other leg straight.
- Return to the starting position by pushing up with your bent leg.
How to do it:
- Start in a high plank, core tight, hands under shoulders.
- Draw left knee towards the chest, as if doing a mountain climber.
- In an explosive movement, kick left leg out and bend knee so foot points toward ceiling, and allow right foot to come off floor momentarily.
- When landing, straighten your right leg, then straighten and lower your left leg to return to start.
- Do all reps on the left side, and switch to the right for the next set.
How to do it:
- Lock yourself into a hyperextension or glute-ham machine, feet anchored, hips over pad.
- Hug a weight plate at chest and bend at hips to lower and lift slowly for counts of two, squeezing glutes to protect low back at top.
How to do it:
- Lie on your back on the floor and bend your knees so your feet rest on the floor close to your butt.
- Brace your abs and drive your heels into the floor to raise your hips into the air.
- From there, walk your feet out in a V shape, taking small steps with your heels forward and away from the midline of your body. Keep your hips up.
- Continue until your legs are extended and then walk them back in.
- That’s one rep.
James Michelfelder
How to do it:- Stand with feet hip width.
- Bend your hips back and grasp the handles.
- Keeping your lower back in its natural arch, drive through your heels to stand up straight and extend your hips and knees.
Why Should You Do Hamstring Workouts?
"Hamstrings are typically a vulnerable area for strains and tears, especially in training, running, and sport performance," says Ibrahim.
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A 2020 study, published in The Bone & Joint Journal, stated that hamstring injuries account for between 12 and 26 percent of all injuries sustained during sporting activities. You can avoid fitting into that statistic by actively training your hamstrings.
In fact, another 2020 study, published in the International Journal of Sports Medicine, revealed that when a group of high school soccer players started performing Nordic hamstring curls—an exercise featured in our list—they were much less likely to experience injury than players who didn't train their hamstrings.
Nordic hamstring curls can help prevent injuries.
Forrest Conner
As such, you want to program lower-body exercises that strengthen each hamstring and hip flexor unilaterally. They're arguably the most important groups of muscles, because they ensure mobility and stability, as well as safeguard the knees, hips, and low back.