How to Fix and Bullet-Proof Your Hamstrings
Your hamstrings—those three muscles running from your pelvis to behind your knees—are injury magnets, not only in the sports world but also for all you weekend warriors who spend the week sitting at a desk. Let me explain why and then offer you an active solution.
Whether you’re a trainer, coach, jock, a weekend warrior or just someone who cheers from the couch, you’ve got to give your hamstrings some love with targeted training or a dedicated leg session day. Why? Picture your favorite sprinter blasting out of the blocks, leaping hurdles with ease, leaving the pack choking on dust—until, wham, they crash mid-race, clutching the back of their thigh like they’ve been tagged by a dart. The crowd hushes. The energy tanks. Another hamstring bites the dust.
If you’re glued to a desk chair all day, you might be in deeper trouble—especially if you’re plotting a fitness comeback. A 2017 study on college kids (average age 20) found 82% had stiff hamstrings from too much sitting (1). And if you’re a gym buff who’s been all about those quad gains, treating hammies like an afterthought, you’re basically begging for a blowout. Research in Isokinetics and Exercise Science ties lopsided quad-to-hamstring strength to leg injuries you never see coming. Furthermore, a decade-long NFL study clocked 1,716 hamstring tweaks, averaging out to about five or six per team each season (2). Pros in soccer and hoops, plus everyday folks in pickup games, see similar stats (3,4).
Hamstrings are tricky by nature. They’re a two-joint muscle. Spanning the hip and knee joints, they shrink at both ends—teaming with glutes up top to straighten your hips (think rising from a squat) and flexing your knees below to lift your heel. When you’re booking it full speed, pushing one leg back, they’re pulling double shifts: ends tugging inward like a stretched rubber band under max strain. That’s why they’re prone to cramping or snapping.
The fix? Train both jobs—hip straightening and knee bending—with solid technique and the right weight. Hamstring-focused routines toughen them up, boost their juice for power, and cut your odds of ending up a cautionary tale.
Combining mobility for the agonist (hamstring) and strengthening the antagonist (quadriceps) in one exercise can train the hamstrings to be long and strong, doubling the benefit and adding an actual adaptation/training effect to the muscle.
The 6 Best Hamstring Exercises…
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The 6 Best Hamstring Exercises
1. Hamstring Sweeps:
Imagine a smooth, flowing stride where each step transforms into a deliberate dance with your hamstrings.
With one leg stretched straight ahead, toes flexed skyward, you hinge forward at the hips, sweeping your hands upward along the leg in a gentle arc—like brushing dew off a blade of grass.
As you rise and step into the next sweep, your hamstrings hum with a dynamic stretch, waking up those backside powerhouses while keeping your rhythm fluid and alive.
It’s a walking meditation that primes your legs for action, teasing out tightness with every graceful pass.
Muscles worked: Quads, Hamstrings, Gluteals, Lumbar Erector muscles.
2. Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift
Grab a dumbbell in one hand, stand on the opposite leg, foot pointing forward.
Slightly bend the standing leg’s knee. Keep your back straight and core tight, push your hips back, lowering your chest until your hamstrings max out—don’t let your lower back round.
Tighten your glutes to stand up. Wobbly? Rest the other leg’s toes just behind the working heel, hip-width apart, heel off the ground. That’s a B-stance Romanian deadlift—it steadies you while targeting hamstrings and glutes.
Muscles worked: hamstrings, glutes, adductors
3. Dumbell or Kettlebell Swing
Set a kettlebell on the floor, stand two feet back, feet shoulder-width.
Pull shoulders back and down (“proud chest”), ribs in, tailbone tucked, abs tight.
Hinge at hips, grab the kettlebell with both hands, overhand grip.
Spine straight, shoulders down, weight on heels—knees soft. Lift the kettlebell and swing it back between legs.
When arms hit thighs, snap hamstrings and glutes, thrust hips forward, swing kettlebell to eye level. Let it drop back between legs, hinging hips and bending knees for the next rep.
Note: Don’t hoist with your arms—glutes and hamstrings drive this explosive move.
Muscles worked: core, hamstrings, quads, adductors and gluteals.
4. Swiss-Ball Leg Curl
Lie on your back, heels on a Swiss ball, feet six inches apart, hands flat on the floor beside you.
Point your toes up, tighten your core, dig heels into the ball, and lift your hips—keep your neck chill, but fire up those glutes and hamstrings.
Curl your knees like a leg curl machine, rolling the ball toward you—core stays solid to protect your lower back.
Hold tight for two seconds, squeezing glutes and hamstrings hard, then slowly straighten legs back to start.
Muscles worked: hamstrings, gluteals and core
5. Bulgarian Split Squat
Stand a lunge step from a 6–12-inch bench, step, or box.
Place your left foot back, top of foot resting on the bench, knee bent 90 degrees. Right foot points straight ahead.
Tip your hips back slightly, chest forward, back straight. Lower by bending your right leg until your left knee hovers above the floor—front knee hits about 90 degrees. Pause, then rise, squeezing glutes to stand.
Note: Go bodyweight, or grab dumbbells, kettlebells, or a barbell for extra juice. You should be feeling this in your thighs and gluteals.
Muscles worked: quads, glutes, adductors
6. Dumbell Stiff Legged Deadlift
Target: Deep stretch from your butt down the back of your thighs
Grab dumbbells, hold ‘em at your sides, stand feet hip-width, toes forward. Pull shoulders back and down (“proud chest”).
Breathe deep, ribs in, core tight. Push hips back, keep spine straight, lower until your hamstrings stretch—knees almost straight but not locked. Don’t force depth; stay safe, back flat, pull weights close.
Straighten hips, stand tall.
Tip: It looks light, but take each set one rep shy of failure—where form wobbles. Say you hit 8 reps, it’s brutal, and 9’s a no-go with good form? Stop there. Done right, this’ll torch you, even with Bulgarian split squats in the mix.
Muscles worked: hamstrings, glutes, adductors
Rep and Set Dosing Instructions:
Stay shy of failure; that’s when you start to lose form and try to compensate by changing your posture or using non-targetted muscles, get shakey and wobbly, etc. Don’t go there.
Run through the exercises from start to finish: 1-6. This combines a balanced mobility and strengthening routine
8-12 reps for most. Can do up to 20-30 for the Hamstring Sweeps. That one is a good precursor warm-up.
If you’re ambitious, do a 2nd run through, or split it into AM/PM routine. If before a big training session, pick three that combine mobility/strengthening.
Besides Injury Prevention, Why Should I Train the Hamstrings?
Regardless if you’re an elite athlete or weekend warrior, hamstrings do so much for your sport/activity. They juice your speed, hops, and explosive moves, plus crank up your deadlift numbers and lifting power. They slow you down so you can change directions on a dime and that’s often where they strain. They pull your leg back and bend your knee—key for sprinting, leaping, or any explosive move. Lots of folks obsess over quads with squats and presses since they’re front-and-center, but neglecting hamstrings caps your strength and athletic edge.
You also want to mix in moves that bend your knee and push your hips back. Start leg day with hamstring sweeps—they get blood flowing, prime your legs for bigger lifts like squats or deadlifts, and let you smash hamstrings with full focus for max gains.
Toss in the stiff-legged deadlifts, once you’re warm. These dynamic mobility movements target your hamstrings, so save them for when your body’s ready. Aim for 5–10 reps per set, bumping weight or reps as you get stronger.
Keep in mind that squats, while strengthening the hip and knee extensors, do not target hamstrings. Squatting stretches your hips but bends your knees, so hamstrings don’t fully lengthen under tension—no big growth there. Compare that to stiff-legged deadlifts or leg curls, where they stretch long and squeeze hard against resistance. Squats rock for quads, inner thighs, and sometimes glutes, but they’re not a direct hamstring fix.
How do I beef up hamstrings at home?
Try slider leg curls or Swiss-ball curls—they hit both hip and knee action. All you need is sliders, a ball, or even paper plates on a slick floor. Got dumbbells? Add RDLs or stiff-legged deadlifts.
How often should I work ‘em?
Shoot for three times a week. A Monday and Friday (or tweak to your split), or go Monday, Wednesday, Friday for full-body. If you can get in just one hamstring move per day, 1–3 sets, mix a mobility (Hamstring Sweeps) with a strengthening (Dumbell Stiff Legged Dead Lift).
Keep in mind that hamstrings team up with glutes for hip power, and most hamstring moves nudge glute growth too. While distinct, they’re buddies that help each other.
References
"Extended sitting can cause hamstring tightness"
https://journals.lww.com/sjsm/fulltext/2017/17020/extended_sitting_can_cause_hamstring_tightness.8.aspxHamstring muscle strains in professional football players: a 10-year review: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21335347/
Injury in the National Basketball Association - A 17-Year Overview: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3445097/
Patterns of Hamstring Muscle Tears in the General Population: A Systematic Review https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4856270/
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