Best Hamstring Exercises12 Picks, Ranked
Your hamstrings run down the back of your thigh from the hip to just below the knee. They have two jobs: they bend the knee, and they extend the hip, which is what pulls your torso up from a bent-over position. Exercises fall into the same two groups. Hip hinges such as Romanian and stiff-legged deadlifts load the hamstrings on a long stretch, while leg curls train knee bending. A balanced plan includes at least one of each.
- Weekly working sets
- 6–20
- The weekly range KasMaker measures hamstrings volume against. Fewer is a light week; more is past what most lifters recover from.
- Recovery window
- ~72 hours
- The base time KasMaker's recovery map allows for hamstrings to recover, scaled up or down by how much you did.
The list
The list mixes barbell, dumbbell, kettlebell, machine and bodyweight options. Pick one or two from the top as staples, such as Romanian Deadlift and Lying Leg Curls, so you cover both the hinge and the curl. Then add a variant for a different position or setup, like Seated Leg Curl, or Kettlebell One-Legged Deadlift for one leg at a time. Progress slowly over the weeks with a little more weight or a few more reps, and keep the hinge controlled.
Covers: Biceps femoris (long and short heads), semitendinosus and semimembranosus.
Romanian Deadlift
The best hamstring exercise. Stretch under load through the full hip-hinge pattern. Hits hamstrings through hip extension.
Lying Leg Curls
Machine isolation for hamstrings through knee flexion. Complements RDLs which hit through hip extension.
Stiff-Legged Barbell Deadlift
Similar to RDL but with less knee bend, more lower back involvement. Barbell allows heavier loading.
Seated Leg Curl
Better for the long head of the biceps femoris than lying curl, since hip flexion puts it on stretch. Growing in popularity.
Stiff-Legged Dumbbell Deadlift
Dumbbell version allows unilateral work and natural hand positioning. Great for home gyms.
Bodyweight Walking Lunge
Hits hamstrings eccentrically during the lowering phase. Dynamic movement adds a conditioning element.
Natural Glute Ham Raise
Bodyweight hamstring exercise through knee flexion. One of the most challenging and effective ham exercises.
Ball Leg Curl
Exercise ball hamstring curl. Challenging stability work that targets hamstrings through knee flexion at home.
Kettlebell One-Legged Deadlift
Single-leg kettlebell deadlift builds hamstring strength and balance. Addresses left/right imbalances.
Smith Machine Stiff-Legged Deadlift
Smith machine provides a fixed path for stiff-leg deadlifts. Removes balance demands for focused hamstring loading.
Power Clean
Explosive barbell movement that trains hamstrings through hip extension. Builds power and athleticism.
Prone Manual Hamstring
Bodyweight hamstring curl with partner or self resistance. No equipment needed for effective hamstring work.
Other muscle groups
See how much each muscle is getting
KasMaker colors every muscle on a body map by how much you've trained it, so you can tell at a glance whether your hamstrings got enough work this week. Logging and the body map are free on iPhone.
