10 Best Hamstring Exercises To Maximize Leg Day Gains!

If you ask most people about their favorite leg exercises, they’ll probably mention squats, lunges, or leg press. Quads get all the glory — and then the poor hamstrings get left playing catch-up. But if you want powerful, athletic legs that look as good from the back as they do from the front, you have to show your hamstrings some serious love.

Strong hamstrings do way more than just make your jeans fit better. They protect your knees, boost your squat and deadlift numbers, help you sprint faster, jump higher, and keep your hips healthy. They’re basically the unsung heroes of your lower body.

So if your leg days are all quad-dominant, it’s time to fix that. Here are 10 hamstring exercises — from old-school staples to underrated gems — to help you build thick, strong hams and round out your lower body like a real athlete.

Romanian Deadlift (RDL) — The King of Hamstring Builders

When people think “hamstrings,” this should be the first move that comes to mind. The RDL smokes your hammies and glutes while keeping your lower back strong. It’s simple, brutal, and it works.

How to Do It:

  • Stand tall with a barbell or dumbbells in front of you.
  • Keep a soft bend in your knees.
  • Push your hips back as you lower the weight down your thighs.
  • Stop when you feel a big stretch in your hamstrings (don’t round your back).
  • Squeeze your glutes and drive your hips forward to stand up tall.

Pro Tip: Think “hips back, hips forward.” Not “bend and lift.” Control the descent — that stretch under load is where the magic happens.

Lying Leg Curl — Isolate and Squeeze

You can’t beat a good machine when it comes to pure hamstring isolation. The lying leg curl zeroes in on your hamstrings without letting other muscles help out too much.

How to Do It:

  • Lie face down on the machine, knees lined up with the pivot point.
  • Curl your heels toward your glutes.
  • Pause at the top for a strong squeeze.
  • Lower back down slow — don’t just let the weight drop.

Pro Tip: Point your toes straight or slightly inward to bias your hamstrings more than your calves.

Seated Leg Curl — The Hamstring Staple Nobody Should Skip

Sitting down for curls might sound easy — until you try them. Seated leg curls hit the hammies slightly differently than lying curls and stretch them a bit more at the hip.

How to Do It:

  • Sit down, lock your thighs under the pad.
  • Curl your heels back as far as you can.
  • Squeeze, pause, and control the negative.

Pro Tip: Mix lying and seated curls for the best of both worlds.

Good Morning — Old School and Brutal

It doesn’t get more old-school than this. Good mornings work your hamstrings, glutes, and lower back — but you have to keep your form tight.

How to Do It:

  • Set a barbell on your upper traps, feet shoulder-width apart.
  • Keep a slight bend in your knees.
  • Push your hips back while keeping your chest up and back flat.
  • Stop when your torso is about parallel to the floor (or when you feel a deep stretch).
  • Drive your hips forward to stand tall.

Pro Tip: Start light. This move punishes sloppy form — master the movement first.

Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift — Fix Weak Links

Unilateral moves like the single-leg RDL force each hamstring to pull its weight. They also challenge your balance and your core.

How to Do It:

  • Hold a dumbbell in one hand.
  • Stand on the opposite leg.
  • Hinge at the hips and lower the weight while lifting your back leg behind you.
  • Keep your hips square to the ground.
  • Squeeze your glute and hamstring to stand back up.

Pro Tip: Go slow. Use a wall or rack for balance until you get the hang of it.

Nordic Hamstring Curl — The Brutal Bodyweight Challenge

The Nordic curl is humbling — but if you want bulletproof hamstrings, this is the gold standard. Athletes swear by these for knee injury prevention.

How to Do It:

  • Kneel down with your feet locked under something sturdy (or have a partner hold your ankles).
  • Slowly lower your body forward, keeping your hips extended and core tight.
  • Catch yourself with your hands at the bottom, push off lightly, and pull yourself back up using your hammies.

Pro Tip: If you can’t do a full rep yet, use a band for assistance or lower as far as you can under control.

Kettlebell Swing — Power and Hypertrophy in One

The kettlebell swing isn’t just for conditioning — it’s a sneaky good hamstring and glute builder when you hinge right.

How to Do It:

  • Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, kettlebell between your legs.
  • Hinge at the hips, swing the bell back between your legs.
  • Drive your hips forward explosively to swing the bell up to chest height.
  • Let the bell swing back down and repeat.

Pro Tip: It’s not a squat. Your knees bend a little, but the power comes from your hips snapping forward.

Dumbbell Leg Curl on Stability Ball — Zero Machines Needed

No leg curl machine? No problem. A dumbbell and a stability ball do the trick.

How to Do It:

  • Lie on your back with your heels on a stability ball.
  • Squeeze a light dumbbell between your feet if you want to make it tougher.
  • Lift your hips off the floor, pull your heels toward your glutes by bending your knees.
  • Extend your legs slowly.

Pro Tip: Even without the dumbbell, just doing this bodyweight fires up the back of your legs.

Glute-Ham Raise — Classic Gymnast Strengthener

If your gym has a glute-ham developer (GHD), use it. This machine makes your hamstrings do both their jobs: extending the hip and flexing the knee.

How to Do It:

  • Kneel on the GHD with your feet secured.
  • Lower your upper body forward until you’re parallel to the floor.
  • Squeeze your glutes and hamstrings to pull yourself back up.

Pro Tip: Think “hinge then curl” — push your hips forward at the top for a full contraction.

Cable Pull-Through — The Sneaky Hinge Finisher

This move looks funny but works like a charm. It’s a hip hinge that hits the hammies without loading your spine much — great if your back is tired from deadlifts.

How to Do It:

  • Attach a rope handle to a low cable.
  • Stand facing away, straddle the rope.
  • Grab the handles and walk forward to create tension.
  • Hinge at your hips, letting the rope pass between your legs.
  • Snap your hips forward and squeeze your glutes at the top.

Pro Tip: Keep your arms straight — they’re just along for the ride.

How to Plug These Into Leg Day

So, how do you use all these? Don’t overcomplicate it — pick 2–4 each leg day, mixing a hip hinge (like an RDL) with a curl (like lying curls). Heavy hinges build mass and strength, curls isolate and polish the muscle.

Sample finisher for extra ham growth? Do 3 sets of lying curls to failure, then hop on the stability ball for dumbbell leg curls until you can’t move your hamstrings.

One Last Hamstring Secret

Want hamstrings that pop? Train them more than once a week. They recover fast — hit them hard, recover well, and don’t skip your stretches. Tight hammies make squats and deadlifts suffer. Loose, strong ones? That’s where the real power shows up.

So next time leg day rolls around, don’t stop at squats. Steal a few of these moves, light those hamstrings up, and build a lower body that’s strong from every angle — front and back. Time to grow those hams and earn that sore walk out of the gym!

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