The hamstrings determine the size and strength of the back of your thighs. Unfortunately, they are often forgotten by strenght athletes: they do squats and leg presses, for example, which target the front of the thighs, but they ‘forget’ exercises that specifically train the hamstrings. In this article you can read which exercises you can do to train your ‘hammies’ optimally.

1. ROMANIAN DEADLIFT

Your hamstrings are responsible for bending your leg and extending your hip. It is no wonder that deadlifts are one of the best exercises for this large muscle group at the back of your thigh. For optimal hamstring involvement, you can choose from a number of variations, of which the Romanian deadlift is the best known.

Romanian deadlifts, abbreviated as RDLs, are an equally unpopular and effective exercise to simultaneously strengthen your (lower) back, and especially your glutes and hamstrings.

In a sense, you can see the Romanian deadlift as a deadlift with a limited range of motion. But that is too simplistic. Typical for the Romanian deadlift is that you start the exercise standing upright and therefore do not actually ‘lift’ at all, but first lower the weight.

In this article you can read more about the correct execution of the RDL.

2. STIFF LEGGED DEADLIFT

The stiff legged deadlift eliminates the involvement of your knees in the movement; your butt now receives primary assistance from your lower back in lifting the weight, and the role of your quadriceps, at the front of your legs, is taken over by the hamstrings, at the back of your legs.

Please note that the stiff legged deadlift is considered a potentially dangerous exercise. It is extremely important to keep your back straight and pull the barbell up as close to your body as possible to prevent excessive pressure in your spine.

Obviously, you don’t want your forearms to fail before your hamstrings. You can prevent this by using lifting straps.

3. GLUTE-HAM RAISE

The glute-ham raise was first used by weightlifters in the USSR sometime in the twentieth century. Today, the exercise is increasingly used by powerlifters, who can use it to improve their squat and deadlift. But the exercise is also extremely suitable for bodybuilders. The glute-ham raise is a very effective exercise for growing the hamstrings.

Yet, the majority of gym-goers still pass the glute-ham bench by. Probably because they don’t know what the device is meant for, let alone how to perform the glute-ham raise. In this article, you can read all about the correct execution of this exercise.

As the name of the exercise suggests, the glute-ham raise also trains your buttocks (glutes).

4. LEG CURL

Leg curls are the only real isolation exercise for the hamstrings. They are best done lying down or standing. However, many gyms only have a seated leg curl machine. No problem, doing the exercise seated is also fine.

5. BULGARIAN SPLIT SQUAT

If you want to do a squat that also stimulates the hamstrings, choose the Bulgarian split squat. This is a great all-around exercise for growing bigger, stronger legs while developing your posterior chain as a whole.

In the Bulgarian split squat, you place one foot behind you on a 35 to 45 centimeter elevation. You place your other foot a bit in front of that elevation, after which you lower yourself, with your torso leaning forward slightly. The idea is to sink as deep as possible, namely until your back knee just barely touches the ground.

Learn more about the correct execution of this exercise in this article.

6. KETTLEBELL SWING

The kettlebell swing is a multi-joint exercise, which means an exercise that involves movement in multiple joints and therefore multiple (large) muscle groups. You mainly train your glutes and hamstrings with it.

The exercise is often performed incorrectly. In this article you can read what to look out for.

7. GOOD-MORNING

Barbell good mornings (with bent knees) primarily target your lower back. But it gets a lot of help from your gluteus maximus, hamstrings, and thigh adductors. Your quadriceps provide counterbalance and stabilize things. In your upper body, your abs do much the same.

Like any exercise you try for the first time, start your barbell good-mornings with a conservative, that is, relatively light weight. A standard 20-kilogram barbell will provide enough challenge for most beginners. In this article, you can read all about the correct execution.

PROGRAMMING

As an average-experienced bodybuilder, you do around 15 sets per muscle group per week, divided over two to three workouts per week. For the hamstrings, choose three exercises from the list above, preferably two compound exercises (for example Romanian deadlift and kettlebell swing) and one isolating exercise (the leg curl).

Do compound exercises in a range of 5-10 repetitions, isolation exercises in a range of 10-15 repetitions.