The Best Hamstring Exercises for Strength and Definition
In our opinion, the best hamstring exercise's included but are not limited to the Romanian deadlift, the hamstring curl, the glute-ham raise and the single leg deadlift.
The hamstrings play a vital role in various movements such as walking, running, jumping, and simply getting through everyday life. Strengthening your hamstrings not only enhances athletic performance but also improves posture, supports healthy knees, builds a stronger lower body, and helps reduce your risk of injury. In this article, we'll explore some of the best hamstring exercises to incorporate into your workout routine while sharing the coaching philosophy we use when programming lower-body training.
Why Hamstring Training Matters More Than Most People Realize
One of the biggest misconceptions we see is that squats and traditional deadlifts are enough to fully build and strengthen your hamstrings. While both are excellent compound movements, they don't train every function of the hamstrings as effectively as dedicated hamstring exercises do.
Your hamstrings have two primary jobs: extending the hip and bending the knee. That's why a well-rounded lower-body program should include both hip hinge movements like Romanian deadlifts and knee flexion exercises like hamstring curls. Training both movement patterns leads to stronger, more balanced legs, healthier knees, and better athletic performance.
We also program hamstring-focused work at least twice per week. Over the years we've consistently found that prioritizing hamstring strength improves lower-body balance, supports knee health, creates stronger movement patterns, and contributes to better overall leg development. The benefits go far beyond aesthetics—they improve how your body performs.
1. Romanian Deadlift (RDL)
The Romanian Deadlift is a compound exercise that targets the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back. To perform RDLs, stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding a barbell or dumbbells in front of your thighs. Keeping your back straight and core engaged, hinge at your hips and lower the weight towards the ground while maintaining a slight bend in your knees. Lower the weight until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings, then return to the starting position by squeezing your glutes and driving your hips forward.
Why We'd Choose the Romanian Deadlift First
If we could only pick one hamstring exercise, it would be the Romanian deadlift. It does much more than strengthen your hamstrings. It teaches one of the most important movement patterns in fitness—the hip hinge—which carries over into countless other exercises and everyday activities.
Once you learn a proper hip hinge, it becomes much easier to progress into movements like single-leg deadlifts, rotational hinging exercises, transverse plane variations, and countless athletic movement patterns. The Romanian deadlift also challenges your core, improves posture, and reinforces body awareness every time you perform it correctly.
Common Coaching Mistake
The biggest mistake we see is losing a neutral spine. Many people either round their back or overarch their lower back, shifting tension away from the hamstrings.
One cue Toni has always liked is to imagine one of those drinking birds that tips forward for water. Your body should move like a pendulum, hinging from the hips while your head, spine, and hips stay connected as one long lever. When people understand that feeling, the exercise usually clicks immediately.
2. Hamstring Curl (Machine or Stability Ball)
Hamstring curls can be performed using a dedicated machine at the gym or a stability ball at home. To do hamstring curls on a machine, adjust the settings to fit your height and select an appropriate weight. Position yourself face down on the machine with your ankles secured under the pad and your legs straight. Curl your heels towards your glutes, contracting your hamstrings, then slowly lower them back to the starting position.
For hamstring curls on a stability ball, lie on your back with your feet resting on the ball and your arms by your sides. Lift your hips off the ground to create a straight line from your shoulders to your knees. From this position, bend your knees and roll the ball towards your glutes, then extend your legs back out to the starting position.
While compound lifts receive most of the attention, hamstring curls train knee flexion directly, making them an important complement to hip hinge movements like Romanian deadlifts. Together, these exercises develop stronger, more resilient hamstrings than relying on squats alone.
3. Single-Leg Deadlift
The single-leg deadlift is a unilateral exercise that targets each hamstring individually, helping to address any muscle imbalances. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and hold a dumbbell or kettlebell in one hand. Shift your weight onto one leg while keeping a slight bend in your knee. Hinge at your hips and lower the weight towards the ground while lifting your non-weight-bearing leg behind you for balance. Keep your back straight and core engaged throughout the movement, then return to the starting position by squeezing your glutes and driving your hips forward.
Why Unilateral Training Matters
Most people naturally favor one side of their body. Single-leg training exposes those imbalances while improving stability, coordination, balance, and hip control. These qualities carry over into running, sports, lifting, and everyday movement, making unilateral exercises one of our favorite additions to lower-body training.
4. Glute-Ham Raise
The glute-ham raise is an advanced bodyweight exercise that primarily targets the hamstrings and glutes. Start by kneeling on a padded surface with your feet secured under a sturdy object or partner. Lower your torso towards the ground while keeping your back straight, then use your hamstrings to push yourself back up to the starting position. Focus on controlling the movement and squeezing your hamstrings at the top of the exercise.
Which Hamstring Exercise Is Best?
If your goal is building stronger hamstrings, don't think about finding one perfect exercise. Think about building a complete movement program.
Romanian deadlifts teach the hip hinge and develop strength through hip extension. Hamstring curls train knee flexion. Single-leg work improves stability and balance. Glute-ham raises challenge strength and control through a long range of motion. Each movement contributes something different, and together they build stronger, healthier hamstrings.
How Often Should You Train Hamstrings?
For most people, training hamstrings one to two times per week is plenty. We typically include dedicated hamstring work at least twice weekly because of the improvements we've consistently seen in movement quality, lower-body balance, knee support, and overall physique development.
Like every muscle group, consistency matters far more than finding the "perfect" exercise. A well-balanced program performed regularly will always outperform constantly jumping from one workout to another.
Incorporating these hamstring exercises into your workout routine can help improve strength, stability, posture, and overall lower body function. Remember to start with lighter weights and gradually increase the resistance as you become more comfortable with each exercise. Always prioritize proper form and technique to maximize results while minimizing injury risk.
Train for the Future, Not Just Today
If there's one thing we'd want you to remember, it's this: train for the person you want to be in your 80s and 90s, not just the body you want this summer.
If you do anything consistently, you'll get better at it. That's why we believe in training movements rather than simply training muscles. Learning how to hinge, squat, balance on one leg, rotate, and move with control today makes everyday life easier decades from now. Strong hamstrings aren't just about athletic performance—they're about climbing stairs comfortably, picking things up from the floor, staying independent, and continuing to move confidently throughout your entire life.
Pair hamstring work with this glute-focused routine for balanced results. Our at home glute workout needs zero equipment and rounds out leg day nicely. Lower body strength work complements core-focused training too, our snatched waist meaning breakdown explains why. And make sure you're packed for leg day, check out what to bring to the gym for the full list.
Check out The Upper Glute Workout Guide
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