Build Bulletproof Legs: The Ultimate Guide to Hamstring Training
Walk into any commercial gym on leg day, and you will likely see the squat racks occupied and the leg press machines loaded to the brim. While quads often get the glory because they are the "mirror muscles" you see every morning, the posterior chain is the true powerhouse of athletic performance. Neglecting the back of your legs is a recipe for stalled progress and potential knee injuries. If you are wondering what are the best hamstring exercises to balance out your physique and improve your deadlift, the answer lies in understanding how the muscle functions.
The hamstrings are bi-articular muscles, meaning they cross two joints: the hip and the knee. To fully develop them, you cannot rely on just one movement pattern. You need a combination of hip extension (hinging) and knee flexion (bending). The most effective hamstring exercises address both functions. If you want a direct answer before we dig into the mechanics: the Romanian Deadlift (RDL) and the Seated Leg Curl are the two non-negotiable staples you need in your routine. Mastering these two foundational movements will provide 80% of your results.
The King of Hinging: Romanian Deadlifts
When discussing hamstring development exercises, the Romanian Deadlift (RDL) stands alone at the top. Unlike a conventional deadlift where the quads help break the floor, the RDL keeps the tension strictly on the posterior chain. This movement targets the hamstrings through hip extension, placing a massive stretch on the muscle belly under load.
To perform these correctly, you must master the hip hinge. Imagine you are trying to close a car door behind you with your glutes while holding a barbell or dumbbells. Keep your knees soft but not bent like a squat. As you lower the weight, push your hips back as far as possible. The range of motion ends the moment your hips stop moving backward. If you continue to lower the bar after your hips lock, you are just rounding your lower back, which shifts tension away from the hamstrings and onto the spine.
I remember spending years trying to bring up my legs with heavy conventional deadlifts, thinking that was enough. It wasn't until I dropped the weight and focused strictly on the deep stretch of an RDL that I saw actual size changes. The soreness you feel the next day from a properly executed RDL is unlike anything else; it is a clear signal that you have tapped into deep muscle fibers that squats simply don't reach.
Optimizing Knee Flexion: The Seated Leg Curl
While hinging is crucial, you also need hamstring movements that involve bending the knee. This is where many lifters get confused and ask, what are the best exercises for hamstrings when it comes to isolation? For a long time, the lying leg curl was the gold standard, but biomechanics suggests the seated leg curl might actually be superior.
The reasoning comes down to the length-tension relationship. Because the hamstrings cross the hip, sitting up creates a flexed hip position. This stretches the hamstrings at the origin (the hip) before you even begin the curl. When you curl the weight down, you are contracting a muscle that is already lengthened, leading to a more potent stimulus for hypertrophy. If your gym has both machines, prioritize the seated version. Lock your quads down tight against the pad to prevent your hips from rising, and control the eccentric (lowering) portion of the rep.
The Nordic Hamstring Curl
If you have no equipment and are looking for the best hamstring exercises using body weight, the Nordic curl is the undisputed champion. It is essentially a bodyweight leg curl, but the leverage makes it incredibly difficult. Research consistently shows that this movement significantly reduces the risk of ACL injuries and hamstring strains in athletes.
You will need a partner to hold your ankles down, or you can wedge your feet under a loaded barbell or a sturdy piece of furniture. Keeping your torso rigid and hips extended (no bending at the waist), lower your body toward the floor as slowly as possible. Most people cannot pull themselves back up initially, and that is fine. Focus entirely on resisting gravity on the way down. This eccentric overload creates massive mechanical tension, which is a primary driver of muscle growth.
Stiff-Legged Deadlift vs. RDL
Confusion often arises between the Stiff-Legged Deadlift and the Romanian Deadlift. While they look similar, they are distinct hamstring-focused exercises. The RDL starts from the top (holding the bar) and emphasizes the hip hinge with a slight knee bend. The Stiff-Legged Deadlift usually starts from the floor (or blocks) with the legs nearly straight and the bar slightly further away from the body.
The Stiff-Legged variation places a longer lever arm on the lower back and hamstrings. It is excellent for flexibility and strength, but for pure hypertrophy, the RDL usually allows for better load management and safety. However, if you have the mobility, rotating Stiff-Legged Deadlifts into your program can target the lower portion of the hamstring complex effectively.
Structuring Your Leg Day
Knowing the exercises is only half the battle; programming them correctly is what leads to growth. If your hamstrings are a weak point, do not leave them for the end of your workout when you are exhausted from squats. Prioritize them. Start your leg day with a seated leg curl to get blood into the area and pre-fatigue the muscles. This ensures that when you move to compound lifts, your hamstrings are firing hard.
A solid approach for hamstring development exercises involves varying your rep ranges. Since the hamstrings are composed of a mix of fast-twitch and slow-twitch fibers, they respond well to both heavy, low-rep work (like RDLs for 6-8 reps) and higher-rep metabolic work (like leg curls for 12-15 reps). Avoiding failure on the heavy compounds is wise to protect your lower back, but you should absolutely take the isolation machine movements to failure—and occasionally beyond, using partial reps or drop sets.
The Glute-Ham Raise (GHR)
We cannot discuss hamstring-focused exercises without mentioning the Glute-Ham Raise. This apparatus is less common in commercial gyms but is a staple in powerlifting and athletic performance facilities. The GHR is unique because it works the hamstrings at both the knee and hip joint simultaneously if performed dynamically.
The movement requires you to extend your hips and flex your knees against gravity. It is humbling. If you find the Nordic curl too difficult but standard machine curls too easy, the GHR is the perfect middle ground. It teaches you to control your body weight and builds a resilient posterior chain that carries over to squatting and running speed.
Why You Should Care About Balance
Many knee issues, specifically anterior knee pain, stem from a quad-to-hamstring strength imbalance. If your quads are overpowering, they can pull on the knee joint unevenly. By dedicating time to the best hamstring exercises, you aren't just building a better physique; you are essentially bulletproofing your knees. This is why athletes, particularly sprinters and football players, spend an inordinate amount of time on posterior chain work.
Incorporating these movements requires patience. You won't see the pump in the mirror immediately like you do with a bicep curl. But over time, the thickness of your legs from the side profile will improve dramatically. When you ask yourself what are the best hamstring exercises, remember that the boring, painful, stretching movements are usually the ones that work best.
FAQ
How often should I train my hamstrings for maximum growth?
For most lifters, training hamstrings twice a week is optimal. This allows you to split the volume between hip-dominant movements (like RDLs) on one day and knee-dominant movements (like curls) on another, ensuring full recovery and high intensity for each session.
Can I build big hamstrings with just squats?
No, squats are primarily a quad and glute exercise. While the hamstrings play a stabilizing role, they do not undergo significant changes in length during a squat, meaning they don't get enough stimulus for maximum growth. You must include direct isolation work.
What should I do if I feel RDLs in my lower back instead of my legs?
This usually happens because you are lowering the bar too far or losing your spinal brace. Reduce the range of motion so you stop exactly when your hips stop moving back, and focus on keeping the bar in contact with your legs throughout the entire movement to reduce sheer force on the spine.
