Semitendinosus: exercises and how to train
The semitendinosus runs down the back inner side of the thigh, from the sitting bone to a long tendon that attaches on the inner shin just below the knee. It bends the knee, extends the hip and rotates the shin inward. It is one of the main hamstring muscles and is especially active in leg curls.
How to train it
Knee flexion loads it hardest: Lying leg curl and Seated leg curl, with Romanian deadlift and Deadlift chipping in on the hinge side. On curls, lower the weight until the leg is almost straight and keep your hips down on the pad. About 8–14 sets a week for the hamstrings as a whole, roughly half of them curls, usually works.
Exercises where it is the main mover
Exercises where it assists
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.
Other legs muscles
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