Hamstrings: exercises and how to train

The hamstrings run down the back of the thigh: the biceps femoris on the outside, the semitendinosus and semimembranosus on the inside. Most of them start at the sitting bone and cross two joints, so they bend the knee and extend the hip. They power deadlifts, sprints and jumps and balance out the quads.

Group

Legs

Main muscle in

5 exercises

Helps in

7 exercises

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How to train it

You need two kinds of movement. Hip hinges like Romanian deadlift, Good morning and Deadlift train hip extension, while Lying leg curl and Seated leg curl train knee flexion. In the Romanian deadlift, push your hips back until you feel a stretch and keep your back flat. Most lifters do well on 8–14 hard sets a week, split between hinges and curls.

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Best hamstring exercises

These five cover both jobs of the hamstrings: two leg curls train knee flexion and three hinges train hip extension. The short head of the biceps femoris doesn't cross the hip, so it sits out hinges. The picks differ in stretch, load and lower-back demand.

Romanian deadlift

Barbell

The best hinge for hamstrings specifically. Your knees stay soft and fixed, so the work is hip extension from a deep stretch. You can go heavy with less lower-back strain than with a bar on your back. If your lower back tires before your hamstrings, go lighter.

Keep your weight over mid-foot and push your glutes back toward a wall behind you.
Lower until you feel a strong stretch under your glutes, which for most people is just below the knees.
Stand up by driving your heels into the floor and your hips forward, without leaning back at the top.

Seated leg curl

Machine

Sitting flexes your hips, so the two-joint hamstrings are already stretched before you curl. Training knee flexion at that longer length seems to pay off: in one study, seated curls built noticeably more hamstring size than lying curls. Make it your main hamstring curl, paired with the Romanian deadlift.

Adjust the seat so your knee lines up with the machine's pivot and your hips sit all the way back.
Curl as far as you can while leaning your torso slightly forward to add stretch at the start.
Return over two to three seconds to almost straight legs without fully relaxing.

Lying leg curl

Machine

Lying flat keeps your hips extended, so the hamstrings work at a shorter length and the top of the curl feels hardest. It pairs well with hinges and is the go-to if your gym has no seated machine. The short head works equally in both curls, but seated usually has the edge for the two-joint hamstrings.

Press your hips into the pad and lightly squeeze your glutes so your lower back can't jerk the weight.
Curl both legs evenly, keeping your thighs on the bench through the last third of the rep.
Hold the top for a second, then lower over a three-count to almost straight legs.

Good morning

Barbell

A hinge with the bar on your back. The longer lever means you need far less weight than with the bar in your hands, yet the hamstring stretch is just as strong. Your lower back works hard too, so master the Romanian deadlift first.

Start with an empty bar and add weight slowly, since your back usually tires before your hamstrings.
Push your hips back until your torso is nearly parallel or your back starts to round, whichever comes first.
Stand up by driving your heels into the floor and squeezing your glutes, chest open.

Deadlift

Barbell

The heaviest hinge, but not the most targeted hamstring builder. Your knees bend more, so the glutes, spinal erectors and quads take a big share of the work. It still counts as a full hamstring set because the hamstrings are prime movers. Use it for total-body strength and get loaded stretch from the Romanian deadlift and leg curls.

Set your hips a little higher than for a max attempt, so your knees bend less and your hamstrings stay tight.
Before the bar leaves the floor, pull the slack out until you feel tension behind your thighs.
On the way down, push your hips back first and bend your knees only once the bar passes them.

Hamstring workout: sample session

Put this on leg day after squats or on a separate posterior-chain day, but not the day before sprints or heavy deadlifts. One or two sessions a week is enough. Before the Romanian deadlift, do two or three warm-up sets with the empty bar and about half your working weight. Choose loads that leave 1–2 reps in reserve.

Exercise	Sets × reps	Rest
Romanian deadlift main mover: every set counts in full	4 × 8–12	105 s
Seated leg curl main mover: every set counts in full	3 × 8–12	105 s
Back extension helper: each set counts as half	3 × 10–15	75 s

Counted for this muscle: 8.5 sets per session — the same way the GymAssist log counts it.

Use double progression. On the Romanian deadlift, keep the weight until all four sets hit 12 reps, then add 10 lb and go back to 8. Curls work the same way within 8–12, the Back extension within 10–15. GymAssist counts the Back extension as half a set, since hamstrings only assist there, so the session totals 8.5.

Common mistakes

Only hinging, never curling. Hinges train hip extension, but the short head of the biceps femoris doesn't take part, and your knees barely bend. Skip curls and part of the muscle goes undertrained. Keep at least one leg curl in your week, seated or lying.
Rounding your back to go deeper. Once your back rounds, the hinge continues at the spine and the hamstrings stop lengthening. Go down only as far as your hips keep moving back with a flat back. Hamstring flexibility sets your depth, not how close the bar gets to the floor.
Dropping the weight on curls. On the way down your hamstrings still work, lengthening under load; let the stack fall and you lose half the rep. Take two to three seconds to lower and never let the plates bang. If you can't, the weight is too heavy.
Adding too much volume at once. Hamstrings get very sore after unfamiliar stretch-focused work, and sprinting on tired hamstrings invites injury. Add no more than two sets a week. If it hurts, cut the weight and range; if pain persists, see a doctor.

Exercises where it is the main mover

Deadlift Barbell Romanian deadlift Barbell Lying leg curl Machine Good morning Barbell Seated leg curl Machine

Exercises where it assists

Back extension Bench Hip thrust Barbell Sumo deadlift Barbell Bulgarian split squat Dumbbells Step-ups Dumbbells Cable glute kickback Cable Glute bridge Bodyweight

Weekly sets in ready-made programs

A set where the muscle is primary counts in full, a set where it assists counts as half — the same way the log’s stats count it.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best exercise for hamstrings?

No single exercise covers them fully, so pair a hinge with a curl. The Romanian deadlift is the best hinge for loading the hamstrings in a deep stretch, and the Seated leg curl is the best curl. Together they train hip extension and knee flexion. Squats alone do very little for them.

Seated or lying leg curl: which is better?

For muscle growth, the seated version likely wins. Sitting flexes the hip, so the two-joint hamstrings work in a stretched position, and in one study that produced more growth than lying curls. The Lying leg curl still works well, especially paired with hinges. With both machines available, alternate them by week.

Why don't I feel my hamstrings on the Romanian deadlift?

Usually because your knees bend and the hinge turns into a squat. Lock the knee angle, push your hips back and go down only to a strong stretch under your glutes. A lighter bar helps too: it is easier to keep a flat back and find the position where your hamstrings are pulled tight.

How many sets a week for hamstrings?

Most lifters need 8–14 hard sets a week, split between hinges and curls. Count exercises where the hamstrings only assist, like the Back extension, as half a set. Ready-made programs vary widely: about 3 weekly sets in full-body plans and 14 in the lower body focus plan. The 5×5 strength plan gives them just 1, so add curls there.

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