The hamstrings are an oft-overlooked muscle, sometimes only entering the conversation when they have been injured (pulled hammy, anyone?) and require rehabilitation. But the fact that they are frequently injured, even among world-class athletes, points to how critical it is to overall health and fitness and athletic performance to have strong and supple hamstrings. Here’s everything you need to know about these muscles, plus the best hamstring exercises and stretches to keep them strong and flexible.
Benefits of Strong Hamstrings
Stronger hamstrings equal healthier movement, in everything that you do. Here are some of the reasons why.
Fewer Injuries
According to a study in Frontiers in Physiology, hamstring strains are the most common non-contact injury in professional sports, representing 37% of muscular injuries among athletes. While we’re obviously not all professional athletes, it’s clear that if the people receiving the best care and undertaking the most personalized training programs are still injuring their hamstrings, we’re also at an increased risk. That said, making sure you’re giving the muscles the proper attention in your workout regimen to keep them healthy and strong can mitigate this risk.
Better Posture and Less Back Pain
Hamstring flexibility is critical to maintaining optimal mobility in your hips and knees. Without it, you’ll be walking around hunched over, with poor posture and a small range of motion that can lead to back, hip, and knee pain and other joint problems down the road. But if your hamstrings are strong and loose, your hips, spine, and pelvis will stay well supported and aligned, promoting good posture and lowering your risk of developing back pain.
Improved Athletic Performance
The hamstrings and glutes are the most powerful muscles in the posterior chain, or the back of the body. It’s these muscles that generate your power for jumping, sprinting, and other activities that involve pushing with the lower body, like rowing or powerlifting. Indeed, a recent review in the journal Healthcare confirmed that exercises that specifically target the hamstrings improve muscle activation and sprint performance.
Guide to Your Hamstrings
The hamstrings are actually made up of three muscles on the back of the thigh, all of which attach at the pelvis and knee and all of which are responsible for bending the knee and extending and rotating the hip. They are:
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Biceps femoris: The outermost and largest of the three.
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Semimembranosus: The innermost of the three.
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Semitendinosus: Located between the biceps femoris and the semimembranosus.
Best Hamstring Exercises
A lot of people are quad dominant, which means their quadriceps muscles (the ones on the front of the thigh) naturally take over in movements for which they should be using their hamstrings. These six exercises specifically target the hamstrings and other muscles in the posterior chain to strengthen them and balance the body.
Good Mornings
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Weight to use: Light to medium or bodyweight
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How to do it: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent. If you’re using weights, bring them up to your shoulders or put your hands by your ears. Keeping your back flat, hinge forward at the hips until your torso is parallel to the floor, then squeeze the hamstrings and glutes to lift back up.
Hamstring Curls
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Weight to use: Light to medium ankle weights, bodyweight, or medium to heavy weight on a machine
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How to do it: There are a number of ways to do hamstring curls—standing, leaning on a bench, on all fours, or with a curl machine. In all of them, you’ll keep your back and thigh steady while you curl your heel up toward your butt, then extend your leg back out to straight.
Romanian Deadlifts
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Weight to use: Medium to heavy
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How to do it: Stand with your feet hip-width apart, dumbbells in front of you facing your thighs. With your knees slightly bent and back flat, hinge at the hips until the dumbbells reach mid-shin, then squeeze your butt to lift back up.
Single-Leg Glute Bridges
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Weight to use: Light to medium
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How to do it: Lie on your back on the floor and bend your knees to bring your feet flat with your heels about six inches from your butt. If you’re using weights, hold them on your hip bones. Extend one leg out straight and hold it off the ground. Squeeze your glutes to lift your butt and lower back off the floor, keeping your upper back down, then lower back down.
Split Squats
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Weight to use: Medium to heavy
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How to do it: Stand in front of a bench or chair, facing away, holding weights at your sides. Take a large step forward, then place one foot on the bench or chair behind you. With all your weight on your front foot, bend your knee to lower into a squat, keeping your front knee over your toes, then press back up.
Nordic Hamstring Curls
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Weight to use: Bodyweight
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How to do it: Kneel on the floor with your knees together. Have someone hold your feet on the floor or tuck them under something heavy so they can’t lift off the floor. Keeping a straight line from your knee to your shoulder, slowly lower your body toward the ground, as far as you can before you need to catch yourself with your hands, then push back up.
The Importance of Flexible Hamstrings + Three Stretches
As we touched on above, hamstrings flexibility is just as important as strength when it comes to pain and injury prevention. A study published in the Journal of Sport and Health Science found that both flexibility and strength exercises were effective for lengthening the hamstring muscles and reducing the risk of hamstring strains. That’s why it’s critical to incorporate both into your fitness routine.
The good news: There’s no wrong way to stretch your hamstrings. Research in the Journal of Athletic Training found that stretching from a standing position is just as effective as stretching from a supine position, so whatever method feels best for you is the way to go. Here are three of the best stretches to try.
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Standing Forward Fold: Stand with your feet as wide as is comfortable. Extend your arms overhead to lift your torso up off your pelvis, then fold your upper body down, placing your hands on the floor and letting your head hang heavy.
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Supine Hamstring Stretch: Lie on the floor with one leg bent and foot flat. Extend the other leg up, grabbing on wherever is comfortable, and pull gently toward you. You can also use a band or stretching strap around your leg.
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Classic Hamstring Stretch: From standing, place one heel on a chair or bench. Straighten the lifted leg and fold your body toward it until you feel the stretch.
Ready To Move Easier?
Hamstring strength and flexibility are key for good posture, optimal mobility, and powerful movement in everything you do. While the exercises above are a great place to start for targeting and building the hamstrings, the amp fitness device and its unique, pulley-based, easily adjustable strength training system can take your workouts to the next level. Reserve yours today!