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Best Hamstring Exercises: 7 Moves for Stronger, Healthier Hamstrings
By Nadia Popescu, Strength & Conditioning Writer · Updated 2 July 2026
Your hamstrings are the powerful muscles running down the back of your thigh, and they do a lot more than most people realise. They bend your knee, they help your glutes extend your hip, and they are heavily involved in walking, running, sprinting and jumping. Neglect them and you get the classic combination of a flat back-of-leg, nagging tightness and a raised risk of a hamstring strain when you sprint. Train them well and you get stronger lifts, faster running and healthier knees and hips. This guide covers the seven best hamstring exercises, how to do each one properly, and how to put them together into a simple, effective routine.
The hamstrings: what they are and what they do
The hamstrings are a group of three muscles, the biceps femoris, semitendinosus and semimembranosus. Because they cross both the hip and the knee, they have two main jobs: extending the hip (driving your thigh backwards, as in a deadlift or sprint) and flexing the knee (curling your heel towards your backside). That dual role is the key to training them: some exercises load the hip-extension job and others load the knee-flexion job, and you want both.
Different exercises also emphasise different parts of the hamstrings. Research classifying common moves by intensity found that lower-intensity exercises like the deadlift and kettlebell swing tend to favour the inner hamstring (semitendinosus), while the highest-intensity moves such as the Nordic curl load the whole group hard (hamstring exercise classification, Open Access Journal of Sports Medicine). The practical takeaway is simple: variety works.
1. Romanian deadlift
The Romanian deadlift (RDL) is the king of hamstring exercises and the first one most people should learn. Holding a barbell, two dumbbells or a kettlebell in front of your thighs, push your hips back and let the weight travel down the front of your legs while keeping your back flat and your knees only slightly bent. You should feel a strong stretch down the back of your thighs, then drive your hips forward to stand tall.
It builds strength and size across the whole hamstring while also working the glutes and lower back. Keep the bar or dumbbells close to your legs, stop when your back is about to round, and control the lowering phase. For the full walkthrough see our dedicated Romanian deadlift guide. A pair of adjustable dumbbells makes this easy to load at home.
2. Single-leg Romanian deadlift
The single-leg RDL takes the same hip hinge and puts it on one leg, which hammers the hamstring while also challenging your balance and ironing out left-to-right differences. Hold a dumbbell or kettlebell in one hand, hinge at the hip and let your free leg extend behind you as the weight lowers, keeping your hips level. Stand back up under control.
It is brilliant for runners and anyone doing single-leg sport, because it trains the hamstring to control the hip the way it has to during running. Start light while you find your balance, and use a wall or chair for support if you need it at first.
3. Nordic hamstring curl
The Nordic curl is the most demanding knee-flexion exercise here and a favourite of sports scientists for good reason. Kneel on a pad with your ankles anchored (under a heavy sofa, a loaded barbell or a partner's hands), then lower your torso towards the floor as slowly as you can while keeping your hips straight, catching yourself with your hands. In an EMG comparison of eccentric hamstring exercises, the Nordic curl produced the highest activation of all three hamstring muscles, though the authors suggest starting with easier moves like stiff-leg deadlifts and leg curls before progressing to it (muscle activation during eccentric hamstring exercises, Sports Health 2020).
It is worth the effort: strong eccentric hamstrings are one of the best-known protectors against hamstring strains in running and sport. Expect it to be hard at first, so use your hands to assist heavily and cut the range short until you build strength.
4. Hamstring bridge and single-leg variation
The hamstring bridge is a floor exercise that needs no kit and is great for beginners and rehab. Lie on your back with your heels on the floor and your legs fairly straight, then drive through your heels to lift your hips, squeezing the hamstrings and glutes at the top. To make it harder, do it one leg at a time, or rest your heels on a raised surface like a step or a weight bench.
It teaches you to feel the hamstrings working and is a smart way to warm them up before heavier lifts. Push through your heels rather than your toes, and pause briefly at the top of each rep.
5. Kettlebell swing
The kettlebell swing turns the hip hinge into an explosive, ballistic movement, building power and conditioning as well as hamstring and glute strength. Hinge at the hips to send the kettlebell back between your legs, then snap your hips forward to drive it up to chest height, letting momentum do the rest. The power comes from the hips, not the arms.
Because it is lower intensity per rep but done for many reps, it is a great conditioning finisher and it favours the inner hamstring. Keep your back flat and think "hips" not "squat". Learn it properly in our kettlebell swing guide, and choose a bell from our best kettlebells round-up.
6. Good morning
The good morning is a hip hinge with the weight on your back rather than in your hands, which lets you really focus on the hamstrings and lower back. With a barbell across your upper back (or a resistance band or light dumbbell if you are training at home), push your hips back and hinge forward until you feel a strong hamstring stretch, then stand back up.
It is superb for teaching the hinge pattern and strengthening the whole back of the body, but it demands good form, so start very light. Keep a small bend in the knees and never let your back round under load.
7. Lying or stability-ball leg curl
Finally, a dedicated knee-flexion move. If you have a machine, the lying leg curl isolates the hamstrings simply and effectively. At home, a stability-ball leg curl does the same job: lie on your back with your heels on the ball, bridge your hips up, then curl the ball towards you by bending your knees. A sliding leg curl on a smooth floor with a towel works too. You can also add light resistance bands to floor curls for extra tension.
This is the move that balances out all the hip-hinge work, and it is gentle enough to use for higher reps at the end of a session.
How to program your hamstring training
A simple, effective weekly plan pairs a hip-hinge move with a knee-flexion move:
- Hip hinge (pick one): Romanian deadlift or single-leg RDL, 3 to 4 sets of 6 to 12 reps.
- Knee flexion (pick one): Nordic curl or leg curl, 2 to 3 sets of 6 to 12 reps.
- Optional finisher: kettlebell swings or hamstring bridges, 2 to 3 sets of 12 to 20 reps.
Train hamstrings twice a week with a rest day between, which fits the guidance to strengthen the major muscle groups on at least two days a week. Add a little weight or one more rep once you can complete every set with clean form, and always control the lowering phase, because that is where the hamstrings do their most protective work.
Common mistakes to avoid
Bending the knees too much on hip hinges. A Romanian deadlift is not a squat. Keep the knees only softly bent and push your hips back so the hamstrings, not the quads, do the work.
Rounding the lower back. Chasing extra range by letting your back round takes load off the hamstrings and risks your spine. Stop the descent when your back is about to lose its flat shape.
Only ever doing hip hinges. Deadlifts and swings are excellent, but skipping knee-flexion work like curls and Nordics leaves part of the hamstring undertrained. Include both.
Going too heavy on the Nordic curl too soon. It is brutally hard done full-range. Use your hands to assist and shorten the range until you are strong enough.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best hamstring exercises?
The most effective hamstring exercises are hip hinges and knee flexion moves: the Romanian deadlift, single-leg Romanian deadlift, Nordic hamstring curl, hamstring bridge, kettlebell swing, good morning and lying or ball leg curl. A good hamstring session mixes a hip-hinge move (like the Romanian deadlift) with a knee-bending move (like the Nordic curl or leg curl), because the hamstrings act at both the hip and the knee.
How do I train my hamstrings at home without a machine?
You have plenty of options. Romanian deadlifts and good mornings with dumbbells or a kettlebell hit the hamstrings hard, kettlebell swings add power and conditioning, and hamstring bridges and Nordic curls need no weight at all. A stability ball leg curl or a sliding leg curl on a smooth floor gives you the knee-flexion movement that machines usually provide.
How often should I train hamstrings?
Two hamstring sessions a week is enough for most people to build strength and size, with at least a day of rest between them. That fits the general advice to strengthen the major muscle groups on at least two days a week. If you sprint or play sport, prioritise the Romanian deadlift and Nordic curl, because strong, resilient hamstrings are strongly linked to a lower risk of hamstring strains.
Why do my hamstrings feel tight all the time?
Tight-feeling hamstrings are often weak or deconditioned rather than genuinely short, and sitting for long periods makes them feel worse. Regular strengthening through a full range, especially Romanian deadlifts and controlled leg curls, usually eases that tightness more reliably than stretching alone. Persistent tightness or pain, especially after a specific incident, is worth getting checked by a physio.
Should I feel hamstring exercises in my glutes too?
Often, yes. The hamstrings and glutes work together to extend the hip, so hip-hinge moves like Romanian deadlifts, kettlebell swings and good mornings will hit both. That is normal and desirable. If you want to bias the hamstrings more, slow the lowering phase and keep the range long, and if you want more glute, drive the hips through harder at the top.
Are hamstring curls or Romanian deadlifts better?
Neither is better on its own, because they train different jobs. Romanian deadlifts load the hamstrings as they extend the hip and are excellent for strength and size across the whole muscle. Leg curls and Nordic curls train knee flexion and heavily involve the hamstrings too. The best results come from doing both a hip-hinge move and a knee-flexion move each week rather than choosing one.
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