Best Bodyweight Hamstring Exercises for All Levels – Fitness Volt (2024)

While there is nothing wrong with training in a gym, a lot of people prefer to do their workouts at home, in a park, or anywhere other than a commercial fitness center. The good news is that you can develop muscle mass, strength, and fitness almost anywhere with calisthenic or bodyweight training.

Pumping up your pecs and triceps is as easy as banging out a few sets of push-ups, whereas pull-ups and chin-ups will do the same for your back and biceps. And for quads, you can’t go wrong with squats, lunges, and step-ups.

But what about the hamstrings?

While the hamstrings ARE involved in most compound leg exercises, their contribution is relatively low, and the quads do most of the work (1). Therefore, you can’t rely on squats, lunges, and other knee-dominant movements to build your hamstrings.

While this may come as a shock to the “squats are the only exercise you need” folks, it helps explain why so many squatters have under-developed hammies but massive quads.

For this reason, if you want stronger, more muscular hamstrings, you need to perform exercises that recruit them preferentially. In the gym, that means leg curls, barbell Romanian deadlifts, and cable pull-throughs.

But what if you prefer bodyweight training?

The good news is that there are plenty of bodyweight hamstrings exercises you can do that’ll increase the strength and size of your hamstrings.

In this article, we reveal what those exercises are and how to do them. Plus, we’ve got a great bodyweight-only hamstring workout for you to try.

Hamstring Anatomy

While you don’t need to be an expert in anatomy and physiology to build bigger, stronger hamstrings, a basic knowledge of how your muscles work may help you determine which exercises are best.

So, feel free to skip this section if anatomy is not your thing or you are in a hurry to get to the exercises and workout!

Like the quadriceps, the hamstrings are a group of several individual muscles that work together. However, where the quads are made up of four muscles, the hamstrings are just three.

The three hamstring muscles are:

1. Biceps femoris
2. Semimembranosus
3. Semitendinosus

Because the hamstrings are a biaxial muscle, meaning they cross two joints, they have several functions. The hamstrings work together toextend your hip,flex your knee, and are involved inhip and knee rotation.

As such, if you want to develop your hamstrings fully, you need to include hip extension AND knee flexion in your leg workouts. For example, if you only do leg curls OR Romanian deadlifts, you would leave one hamstring function untrained, undermining your muscular development.

It’s also worth noting that all hip extension exercises involve your glutes, so many hamstring exercises also train your butt, and most butt exercises hit your hammies.

Why Train Your Hamstrings, Anyway?

Some people spend very little time training their hamstrings. After all, the hammies are on the backs of your legs, so they’re usually out of sight and out of mind. Also, some people STILL believe that squats are all you need to develop your legs and that direct hamstring training is unnecessary.

Sadly, this is not the case.

When you squat or do any leg exercise where the knees and hips move at the same time, the quads extend the knee while the hamstrings extend the hip. However, the simultaneous movement of the hip and knee means the hamstrings don’t change length much, if at all. This is called Lombard’s paradox.

So, while the hamstrings are working, they’re not contracting very hard or changing length, which is why squats don’t build huge hammies. Training them more directly will produce much more growth, and have a significant impact on how you look, feel, and perform.

Reasons for training your hamstrings include:

Less knee pain

Muscles are arranged across joints in pairs. Between them, these pairs of muscles keep your joints balanced and stable. If one muscle is allowed to get stronger than its partner, the joint may not function properly and could become unstable.

Strong quads and weak hamstrings mean your knees may not be as stable as they should be and are more prone to aches and injuries as a result. Hamstring training is often the solution to chronic knee pain.

Better sporting performance

Your hamstrings, working with your glutes, are powerful hip extenders. You extend your hips when you walk, run, jump, lift, and kick. If you want to do any of these activities better, you need strong hamstrings. That’s why athletes tend to spend a lot of time working on their hammies; they know how valuable they are for sporting performance.

Reduced risk of a hamstring injury

Weak muscles are much more prone to injury than strong muscles. The hamstrings have the potential to generate a lot of force, but if you don’t train them very often, you are more susceptible to muscle tears. Training your hamstrings will make them more resilient, and you’ll be less likely to “pull a hammie,” which is an excruciating injury.

Better squat and lunge performance

Confusingly, while the hamstrings aren’t best trained with squats, lunges, etc., strengthening them will improve your performance in those exercises. How? By making it easier to keep your torso upright and improving knee and hip stability. Strong hammies also help stabilize your pelvis and, therefore, your lumbar spine during hip flexion and extension.

Reduced risk of back pain

Back pain is a common problem that plagues many adults. It’s often caused or made worse by lifting heavy objects. Lifting should involve a cooperation between your glutes, hamstrings, and lower back.

But, if your hamstrings are weak, more stress ends up being directed toward your lower back, and back pain is the inevitable result. If you keep “throwing your back out” by lifting things at home, work, or the gym, strengthening your hamstrings could be the solution.

Better aesthetics

While YOU might not be able to see your hamstrings, other people can. The hamstrings are a large muscle group and, when well-developed, will add a lot to your physique. Not training your hamstrings leaves a lot of muscle mass untapped and will unbalance your entire lower body.

The hamstrings are essentially the biceps of your legs. No self-respecting lifter trains their triceps and not their biceps, so don’t do the same thing to your lower body by focusing on your quads and ignoring the backs of your legs.

Better posture

Strong hamstrings help to stabilize your pelvis and lumbar spine. When your hammies are weak, your pelvis tends to tilt forward, causing an excessive arch in your lower back. This is called hyperlordosis.

Hyperlordosis puts a lot of stress on the vertebrae, ligaments, and discs of your lumbar spine. Strengthening your hammies will help alleviate “duck butt” and create a more pleasing, structurally sound posture.

Related: Best Hamstring Stretches for a Healthier Lower Back and Knees

Best Bodyweight Hamstring Exercises

Now you know WHY you need to train your hamstrings, here are the best bodyweight exercises for this often-underdeveloped muscle group. Remember, many hamstring exercises also involve the glutes. These muscles often work together, so it makes sense to train them together, too.

1. Table bridge

The table bridge is an isometric or static exercise for your hamstrings and glutes. Contract your muscles as hard as possible to get the best possible effect from this move. Pull your heels toward your hands, and you’ll really feel your hammies flex!

Steps:

1. Sit on the floor with your legs bent to around 90 degrees. Place your hands on the floor just behind your hips, fingers pointing slightly outward or straight ahead as preferred.
2. Push your shoulders down and back, drive your palms into the floor, and extend your elbows to lift your butt a few inches off the ground. Look straight ahead.
3. Pushing through your heels, push your hips up as high as possible, so your torso is parallel to the floor. You should feel a strong contraction in all the muscles on the back of your body.
4. Once you feel ready, increase the tension on the target muscles by pulling your hands and feet toward your butt. Despite the extra muscle tension, your body should not move.
5. Hold for the desired duration, e.g., 20 seconds, and then relax.

Muscles targeted:

• Primary: Hamstrings.
• Secondary: Gluteus maximus, erector spinae, deltoids, triceps.

Benefits:

• An excellent postural exercise.
• As hard or as easy as you make it.
• Good for increasing shoulder mobility.

Tips:

• Instead of doing this exercise isometrically, i.e., statically, you can also do it for reps, pausing briefly at the top of each one.
• Tense your hamstrings as hard as possible for a more intense workout.

2. Crab walk

After mastering the table bridge, you are probably ready for a more demanding exercise. With crab walks, you adopt the table bridge position and then use your hammies to walk forward. This increases the stability demand of what is already an excellent bodyweight hamstring exercise.

Steps:

1. Sit on the floor with your legs bent and feet flat. Place your hands on the floor slightly behind your hips, fingers pointing forward. Brace your core and lift your butt off the floor.
2. Without locking your elbows scuttle forward while using your hamstrings to pull you along the ground. Do not let your hips drop to keep tension on your glutes and hammies.
3. Take care not to lift your hips too high, as doing so puts your shoulders into a hyperextended position, which could causeshoulder pain. Also, try not to round your lumbar spine excessively, as that could result inlower back pain.

Muscles targeted:

• Primary: Hamstrings.
• Secondary: Gluteus maximus, erector spinae, deltoids, triceps.

Benefits:

• Work your entire posterior chain simultaneously, as it works in nature.
• An excellent conditioning exercise – perfect for HIIT workouts.
• Crab walks burn a lot of calories compared to some other hamstring exercises.

Tips:

• Make sure the ground is free from hazards to avoid hurting your hands.
• Imagine you are pulling yourself forward using your hamstrings to maximize your engagement.

3. Prisoner good morning

Good mornings are traditionally done with a barbell resting on your upper back. No barbell? No problem! You can work your hamstrings just fine with nothing but your body weight. As for the name? This exercise is so-called because you look like you are bowing and saying, “good morning!”

Steps:

1. Stand with your feet roughly hip-width apart, knees slightly bent. Place your fingertips on your temples and push your elbows back to open your chest.
2. Push your butt back and lean forward from your hips, taking care not to round your lower back. Feel a stretch in your hamstrings.
3. Drive your hips forward to stand back up, and then repeat.

Muscles targeted:

Primary: Hamstrings, gluteus maximus.

Secondary: Erector spinae, mid-traps, rhomboids, rear deltoids.

Benefits:

• An excellent antidote to prolonged sitting.
• Good for improving hamstring and hip mobility and flexibility.

Tips:

• Place the balls of your feet on one-inch blocks to increase hamstring recruitment.
• Increase your range of motion as your hamstring flexibility improves.

4. Bodyweight Romanian deadlift

The Romanian deadlift is another of those exercises that’s traditionally performed using a barbell or dumbbells. However, that doesn’t mean you have to do it that way! In fact, it works perfectly well as a bodyweight exercise and may be more comfortable than prisoner good mornings, especially if you have tight pecs and struggle to keep your arms back.

Steps:

1. Stand with your feet roughly hip-width apart, knees slightly bent. Cross your hands over your chest or hold your arms by your sides as preferred.
2. Push your butt back and lean forward from your hips, taking care not to round your lower back. Feel a stretch in your hamstrings.
3. Drive your hips forward to stand back up, and then repeat.

Muscles targeted:

• Primary: Hamstrings, gluteus maximus.
• Secondary: Erector spinae.

Benefits:

• A less intense exercise than prisoner good mornings.
• Good for developing hamstring strength and flexibility.
• A helpful back and hip mobilizer after prolonged sitting.

Tips:

• Keep your weight on your heels to maximize hamstring engagement.
• Maintain a “proud” chest to avoid rounding your lower back.
• Progress to single-leg Romanian deadlifts (#5) when this exercise is no longer challenging.

5. Single-leg Romanian deadlift

So, you’ve mastered bodyweight Romanian deadlifts – good for you! Take your hamstring training to a new level by doing the same exercise on one leg. This is not only more muscularly challenging but also a great way to improve your balance and stability.

Steps:

1. Stand with your feet together and your arms by your sides. Shift your weight over onto one leg. Bend your supporting knee slightly.
2. Hinge forward from your hips and reach down toward the floor in front of you. Extend your other leg out behind you as a counterbalance. Bend as far as you can without rounding your lower back.
3. Stand back up and repeat.
4. Switch legs and do the same number of reps on the opposite side.

Muscles targeted:

Primary: Hamstrings, gluteus maximus.

Secondary: Erector spinae.

Benefits:

• A functional hamstring exercise that’s also good for balance and coordination.
• More demanding than most other standing bilateral hamstring exercises.
• A good way to fix left-to-right strength or mobility imbalances.

Tips:

• Stand next to a wall and use it for support if you lose your balance.
• Move away from the wall and use it less as your balance improves.
• Experiment with touching the floor with both hands vs. one hand to see which you feel most in your hamstrings.

6. Gymnastic ring leg curl

Leg curls are a popular gym exercise. However, bodyweight training doesn’t mean you can’t do this type of movement. In fact, all you need is some cheap gymnastic rings or a suspension trainer. This is a VERY effective hamstring exercise.

Steps:

1. Set up your rings/trainer handles, so they’re a few inches above the floor. Lie on your back and place your heels in the rings/handles. The straps should be vertical.
2. Lift your hips, so your body is straight. Feel the tension in your glutes and hamstrings.
3. Bend your legs and push your hips up toward the ceiling. Contract your hammies as hard as possible.
4. Extend your legs but don’t lower your butt down. Keep the tension on the target muscles.
5. Repeat until your hamstrings are begging for mercy!

Muscles targeted:

• Primary: Hamstrings.
• Secondary: Gluteus maximus, erector spinae.

Benefits:

• A very challenging exercise for the hamstrings.
• One of the few bodyweight hamstring isolation exercises.
• A very lower back-friendly movement.

Tips:

• Try this exercise using an alternating leg action for an even more intense workout.
• End each set with a 15 to 20-second isometric hold to really light up your hamstrings.

7. Sliding leg curl

No gymnastic rings or suspension trainer? Don’t worry – you can do leg curls with nothing more than a towel and a smooth floor. Or, if you prefer, you can use sliders, which are a popular bodyweight training tool. Regardless of how you do them, this is an intense hamstring exercise.

Steps:

1. Lie on the floor with your legs bent and feet flat. Place your towel/sliders beneath your feet. Push your hips up toward the ceiling and contract your hamstrings.
2. Slide your feet away from you until your legs are almost straight and your butt is a couple of inches above the floor.
3. Use your hammies to pull your heels back in toward your butt as you simultaneously lift your hips.

Muscles targeted:

• Primary: Hamstrings.
• Secondary: Gluteus maximus, erector spinae.

Benefits:

• Provides an intense hamstring workout using just your body weight.
• An excellent alternative to machine leg curls.
• Ideal for stronger, more advanced exercisers.

Tips:

• Pull your toes up toward your shins to maximize hamstring engagement.
• Do this exercise with one leg for an even more intense hamstring workout.

8. Stability ball leg curl

Most people associate stability balls with abs training, but you can use them for so much more than that, including hammering your hamstrings. This challenging exercise is very low-back friendly and delivers an awesome glute and rear thigh workout with just your body weight.

Steps:

1. Lie on your back with your legs straight and your heels resting on a stability ball. Lift your hips up, so your body is straight. Brace your abs.
2. Bend your legs and, using your hamstrings, roll the ball toward your butt as you push your hips up to the ceiling.
3. Extend your legs and repeat.

Muscles targeted:

• Primary: Hamstrings.
• Secondary: Gluteus maximus, erector spinae.

Benefits:

• Trains knee flexion and hip extension at the same time, which are both functions of the hamstrings.
• A challenging exercise that’s ideal for more experienced exercisers.

Tips:

• The smaller the ball, the more challenging this exercise will be.
• Keep your hips off the floor between reps to maintain muscle engagement.
• Press your arms into the floor by your sides to prevent unwanted lateral movements.
• Use one leg for a more intense hamstring workout.

9. Nordic curls

The Nordic curl is one of the most popular bodyweight hamstring exercises for athletes. That’s because it’s also one of the hardest! So, don’t worry if you can’t do Nordic curls right away – you won’t be alone! Persevere, and one day you’ll be strong enough to do them.

Steps:

1. Kneel down, so your thighs are perpendicular to the floor. Anchor your feet, or have someone hold them down. Contract your glutes and hamstrings and brace your core.
2. Using your hamstrings to control your descent, keep your body straight and lower yourself down to the floor. Put your hands out in front of you to avoid doing a face plant!
3. Using your arms for assistance if necessary, pull yourself back up to the starting position and repeat.

Muscles targeted:

• Primary: Hamstrings.
• Secondary: Gluteus maximus.

Benefits:

• One of the most intense and challenging hamstring exercises around.
• Good for building muscle strength and size.
• A very functional exercise.

Tips:

• Place a folded exercise mat under your knees or kneel on a foam pad for comfort.
• Use your arms less as your hamstrings get stronger.
• Do band-assisted Nordic curls if your hamstrings are not strong enough yet.

10. Donkey kicks

Donkey kicks are often thought of as a glute exercise when, actually, they also work the hamstrings. This relatively straightforward exercise is good for beginners and any time you want an easier hamstring exercise, e.g., warming up.

Steps:

1. Kneel on all fours with your shoulders over your hands and your hips over your knees. Brace your abs.
2. Keeping your leg bent, extend your hip and push your heel back and up toward the ceiling, taking care not to hyperextend your back.
3. Lower your leg and repeat.
4. Do the same number of reps on each leg.

Muscles targeted:

• Primary: Gluteus maximus, hamstrings.
• Secondary: Erector spinae, core.

Benefits:

• A low-stress exercise that’s ideal for beginners.
• A great glute AND hamstring exercise.
• Very low-back friendly.

Tips:

• Think about pushing your heel and not your toes up toward the ceiling to maximize muscle engagement.
• You can also do this exercise while lying on your front. The range of motion is shorter, but it’s easier to balance.

11. 45-degree back extensions

The 45-degree back extension is a common gym exercise; however, it’s also a bodyweight move. Back extensions DO work your back but also challenge your glutes and, of course, the hamstrings, which is how they made it onto our list!

Steps:

1. Place your feet on the footplate and rest your hips on the leg pad. Bend your knees slightly to take the stress off your joints. Put your hands across your chest, on your temples, or behind your head.
2. Hinge forward from the hips and lower your upper body toward the floor. Try not to round your lower back.
3. Push your hips into the pad and raise your upper body until your body is straight. Take care not to hyperextend your spine.

Muscles targeted:

• Primary: Erector spinae, glutes, hamstrings.
• Secondary: N/A

Benefits:

• A typical gym exercise – most training facilities have them.
• Easy to learn.
• An effective posterior chain exercise.

Tips:

• Flex your knees as you lift your upper body to increase hamstring engagement. Imagine you are doing a short-range leg curl.
• Adjust the machine, so the pad is level with the top of your pelvis. This will make the exercise more effective and more comfortable.
• Make this exercise harder by holding weights in your hands.

12. Reverse hypers

The reverse hyper is a popular accessory exercise in powerlifting. It’s typically done using weights on a special machine. Still, you can also do it with your body weight for resistance and using a regular exercise bench.

Steps:

1. Lie face down on a flat exercise bench, so your chest is supported, and your hips are on the edge. Your legs should be straight, and your toes should touch the floor. Hold the bench to keep your upper body stationary.
2. Flex your glutes and hamstrings, and lift your legs up, so they’re parallel to the floor. Keep your knees straight. Take care not to hyperextend your lumbar spine.
3. Lower your toes back to the floor and repeat.

Muscles targeted:

• Primary: Erector spinae, glutes, hamstrings.
• Secondary: N/A

Benefits:

• A lower back-friendly exercise.
• An efficient posterior chain exercise.
• No special equipment is required.

Tips:

• Raise your bench on blocks to do this exercise with a bigger range of motion.
• Hold a dumbbell between your feet to make it more challenging.
• You can also do this exercise on a stability ball or even a tabletop.

13. Glute bridge (bent legs)

The bent leg glute bridge is more than a butt exercise; it also works your hamstrings. This move is popular in group exercise classes and ideal for home workouts, too. However, it may be too easy for more experienced exercisers.

Steps:

1. Lie on your back with your legs bent and feet flat. Lift your toes and push your heels into the floor.
2. Flex your glutes and hamstrings, and lift your hips up toward the ceiling. Pause for 1-2 seconds.
3. Lower your butt back to the floor and repeat.

Muscles targeted:

• Primary: Gluteus maximus, hamstrings.
• Secondary: Erector spinae.

Benefits:

• No equipment is required – do this exercise anywhere and anytime.
• Very back and knee-friendly.
• A safe yet effective posterior chain exercise.

Tips:

• Increase the difficulty by using a booty band around your knees.
• Progress to the single-leg glute bridge if this variation is too easy (#15).
• Do this exercise for reps or, if preferred, as an isometric or static hold.

14. Glute bridge (straight legs)

Straight-leg glute bridges aren’t better than the bent-leg version, but they are different. It’s often useful to know a few different variations of the exercises in your workouts so you can rotate them from time to time and avoid boredom.

Steps:

1. Lie on your back with your legs straight and your heels resting on a chair, step, or bench. Brace your abs.
2. Push your heels down and lift your hips up, so your body is straight. Pause for 1-2 seconds.
3. Lower your butt back to the floor and repeat.

Muscles targeted:

• Primary: Gluteus maximus, hamstrings.
• Secondary: Erector spinae.

Benefits:

• A useful alternative to bent-leg hip bridges.
• Even more knee and lower-back friendly.

Tips:

• Do this exercise for reps or isometric holds as preferred.
• Pull your toes up to increase posterior chain engagement.
• Use a booty band to make this exercise more challenging.

15. Single-leg glute bridge

One of the most straightforward ways to make any bodyweight exercise more challenging is to use one supporting limb instead of two. After all, single-leg squats and push-ups are far harder than the two-limbed version, right? If you’ve mastered regular glute bridges, this is the next exercise you should try.

Steps:

1. Lie on your back with your legs bent and feet flat. Lift one leg and point your knee up toward the ceiling. Pull up your toes and drive your heels into the floor to increase muscle engagement.
2. Drive your foot into the floor and lift your hips up as high as possible without hyperextending your spine.
3. Lower your butt back to the floor and repeat.
4. Do the same number of reps on each leg and repeat.

Muscles targeted:

• Primary: Gluteus maximus, hamstrings.
• Secondary: Erector spinae.

Benefits:

• More intense than regular glute bridges.
• A very lower back and knee-friendly exercise.
• You don’t need any equipment to do this exercise other than a mat to lie on.

Tips:

• Increase your range of motion by placing your foot on a step.
• Focus on pulling your heel toward your butt to increase hamstringing engagement.
• Do this exercise for reps or, if preferred, as an isometric or static hold.

16. Glute bridge marches

Are bent-leg glute bridges too easy, but the single-leg version is too hard? This variation lies somewhere between the two and is an excellent progression that’ll increase hamstring strength one leg at a time.

Steps:

1. Lie on your back with your legs bent and feet flat. Lift your toes and push your heels into the floor.
2. Flex your glutes and hamstrings, and lift your hips up toward the ceiling.
3. Keeping your hips hip, bend one leg and pull your knee toward your chest.
4. Lower your leg, swap sides, and repeat.
5. Keep alternating legs and marching for the desired number of reps or duration.

Muscles targeted:

• Primary: Gluteus maximus, hamstrings.
• Secondary: Erector spinae.

Benefits:

• A helpful transition between bent-leg and one-leg glute bridges.
• A useful exercise for improving dynamic hip and core stability.
• Very knee and lower-back friendly.

Tips:

• Pull your toes up toward your shins to increase hamstring and glute engagement.
• Put your foot on a step to increase the range of motion.
• Drive your heel into the floor to feel your hamstrings working more.

17. Standing long jumps

Most bodyweight hamstring exercises are best done slowly and deliberately, so you keep the muscles under constant tension. This one’s a little different! Standing long (or broad) jumps are the bodyweight equivalent of kettlebell swings or power cleans and are much more explosive.

Steps:

1. Stand with your feet about hip-width apart, arms by your sides. Bend your knees slightly, push your hips backward, and swing your arms to the rear.
2. Explosively swing your arms forward, drive your heels backward, and jump out as far as possible. Go for distance more than height.
3. Land with your knees bent to absorb the shock, descend smoothly into another rep, and repeat.

Muscles targeted:

• Primary: Hamstrings, gluteus maximus, quadriceps.
• Secondary: Gastrocnemius, soleus.

Benefits:

• An excellent exercise for athletes.
• Develop muscle power, which is your ability to generate strength quickly.
• A fun change of pace if you are more used to doing slow, controlled exercises.

Tips:

• Wear shock-absorbing shoes to reduce the impact of landing.
• Do this exercise outdoors on grass/AstroTurf for a more forgiving workout.
• End your set when you notice your jumps are getting shorter.

18. Pilates leg kick

Many people think that Pilates only focuses on core exercises. This is not true! There are also Pilates exercises for your legs, arms, and upper body. Pilates leg kicks are a type of leg curl that targets your hamstrings.

Steps:

1. Lie on your front with your legs straight and your head resting on your folded arms.
2. Pointing your toes, bend one leg and pull your foot into your butt.
3. Half-lower your leg, pull your toes down toward your shins and bend your knee again.
4. Alternate between this ankle pointed/ankle flexed position for the required number of reps.
5. Swap sides and repeat.

Muscles targeted:

• Primary: Hamstrings.
• Secondary: N/A.

Benefits:

• A good exercise for knee mobility.
• Very lower-back friendly.
• A good option for beginners.

Tips:

• Keep your spine long and your shoulders down and back throughout.
• Use an alternating leg action if preferred, or curl both legs together.

19. Sliding hamstring curl

The sliding hamstring/leg curl is truly an amazing exercise and a genius idea for working the hamstrings. It engages both the hamstrings and glutes and it’s a difficult exercise when done through a full range of motion. But even if this exercise gets too easy, there’s always the single-leg variation which is much harder.

To do this exercise, you’ll need to be able to slide your feet across the surface that you’ll be lying down on. So you can wear socks on tile or wood, or you place two slidable items under your feet.

Steps:

1. Lie on your back so your knees are bent with feet flat on the floor. Place your arms down by your sides for balance.
2. Tighten your core and keep your pelvis straight.
3. Lift your butt off the floor and slide your feet until your legs are extended.
4. Slide your feet toward your butt while keeping your butt off the ground and squeeze your hamstrings.
5. Repeat.

Muscles targeted:

• Primary: Hamstrings

Not everyone will be able to perform this exercise through the full range of motion. That’s completely fine. Use a shorter range of motion at first, and gradually increase the range of motion.

20. Single stiff-legged deadlift

Few exercises will have your hamstrings sore the next day like a stiff-legged deadlift variation. The great thing about the bodyweight-only version is that there’s a lot less stress on the lower back compared to if you were to use a lot of weight with this exercise.

Doing it on one leg also challenges the muscles much better which is more conducive to building muscle.

Steps:

1. Stand with feet together and extend your arms out for balance.
2. Keeping the working leg straight and then hinge forward at the hips as low as you can go. Your non-working leg should lift up behind you.
3. Return to the starting position and repeat.

If you lack the balance to do this exercise in its basic form, hold onto a solid object with one hand for balance. This will also allow you to perform the movement with a larger range of motion to get an optimal stretch in the hamstrings.

21. Forward-leaning Bulgarian split squat

One of our absolute favorites, the forward-leaning Bulgarian split squat is a unilateral (affecting one side) exercise that allows you to load the hamstrings. It does require balance and if you do have access to weights or bands, you can increase the difficulty of the movement.

Steps:

Note: if you have dumbbells you can use them as shown in the video. If not, that’s OK. Just use your own bodyweight.

1. Stand facing away from a bench and place the top of one foot on top of it.
2. Hop your other foot forward several feet away from the bench so that your shin remains vertical.
3. Lean forward and squat down to parallel or slightly below.
4. Drive upward through your heel and midfoot into a standing position then repeat for reps.
5. Don’t forget to switch sides and work your other leg, alternating legs for sets.

22. Skater jumps

The only exercise on our list that involves joint impact due to jumping side to side, skater jumps are also a more functional hamstring developer. Besides working your hamstrings, this exercise requires and improves stabilization and balance.

We do suggest you have healthy joints before doing this exercise though. It requires ankle and knee mobility while the hips are also involved in a more dynamic fashion than other hamstring exercises.

Steps:

• Hop side to side, keeping your shins relatively vertical. The non-landing foot should follow behind the working leg as shown in the video. You can squat down as low as you find suitable to be able to perform the exercise efficiently.

23. Cossack squat

The cossack squat is an advanced lower body bodyweight exercise. Therefore, you should already be able to perform similar exercises that require you to be in a deep squat position. The range of motion required really places significant stress on the hamstrings. But the glutes, quads, and core are also engaged due to the nature of the exercise.

This isn’t the movement for those with limited joint mobility or bad knees so just keep this in mind. There are other effective variations that you can do instead.

You can also use a progression to work your way up to doing the exercise most proficiently.

24. Overcoming isometric leg curl

Overcoming isometrics involves contracting your muscles against an immovable object. This allows you to train your muscles with maximum intensity without much equipment. This is a good exercise for developing strength in your hamstrings.

Steps:

1. Sit on a chair and place a stick or bar across the chair legs. Place your heels against the stick. Hold the edges of the chair to stabilize your body.
2. Contract your hamstrings and pull your heels back against the bar. Generate as much muscular tension as possible.
3. Hold for 10-20 seconds, and then relax.

Muscles targeted:

• Primary: Hamstrings.
• Secondary: Gastrocnemius.

Benefits:

• You can make this exercise as easy or as hard as you want by tensing your muscles less or more.
• Very knee and lower-back friendly.
• A great exercise for improving joint-specific strength.

Tips:

• Do this exercise with two legs or one leg as preferred.
• You can also do this exercise standing, e.g., in a doorway.
• Do not hold your breath, as doing so could cause increases in your blood pressure.

Bodyweight Hamstring Workout

While you could just do a few of these exercises and hope your hamstrings get stronger, you’ll probably get better results from a more structured approach to training. Do the following workout 1-2 times per week after a thorough warm-up of light cardio and dynamic mobility and flexibility exercises.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the function of the hamstrings?

The hamstrings are located on the lower posterior opposite the quadriceps. They play a big role in helping us to walk, run, squat, and bend at the pelvis.

Do I still have to train my hamstrings even if I do squats, leg presses, lunges, etc.?

Yes, you do! Knee-dominant movements like squats, lunges, etc., are great for building bigger quads and involve the glutes and hamstrings. Still, the hammies are much less active, so they probably need some direct attention to develop them fully.

A couple of sets of hamstring-specific training after your other leg exercises will ensure your hamstrings don’t get left behind.

How often can I do bodyweight exercises for the hamstrings?

2-3 times per week should suffice for most people, and once a week if your hamstrings are as big and strong as you want, and you just need to maintain them. To maximize muscle growth, aim to do 10-30 sets of hamstring training per week.

What is the best number of reps for bodyweight hamstring training?

You can train your hamstrings with anywhere from about five to 35 reps per set. So long as you take your set to within a couple of reps of failure, your muscles will grow (3). That’s good news for bodyweight exercisers, as the low loads often mean you’ll have to do high reps to fatigue your muscles.

Can you build strength with bodyweight hamstring exercises?

Building brute strength with bodyweight hamstring exercises may not be possible or practical. Strength is best developed by lifting heavy weights for low reps. However, if you are training with your body weight, you may not be able to apply enough load to your muscles to meet this criterion.

The only exception is overcoming isometric training, where you generate maximal force against an immovable object. That WILL build strength, which is why you’ll see some isometrics on our list of bodyweight hamstring exercises.

Are there any effective freeweight exercises to train the hamstrings?

There sure are! Good freeweight (dumbbell and barbell) hamstring exercises include:

• Barbell Romanian deadlift
• Dumbbell Romanian deadlift
• Barbell good morning
• Zercher good morning
• Singe-leg dumbbell Romanian deadlift
• Kettlebell swings
• Barbell power cleans
• Dumbbell leg curls

Are there any downsides to training hamstrings muscles?

The main downside to hamstring training is the risk of pulling a muscle. Some hamstring exercises, such as good mornings, can also be hard on your lower back. However, providing you warm up properly, use perfect technique, and don’t lift too much weight too soon, hamstring training should be pretty safe.

Do I need to stretch my hamstrings?

Most people need to stretch their hamstrings as well as strengthen them. Stretching your hammies is good for your posture, range of motion, and knee and back health. Tight hamstrings are a common problem made worse by prolonged sitting, and a few minutes of hamstring stretching per day will do you nothing but good!

Can exercises treat my pulled hamstring muscles?

The answer to this question very much depends on how badly you’ve pulled your hamstrings and what stage of recovery you are at. In the case of mild hamstring injuries, some gentle strength training could help speed up the recovery process. However, it could also make more severe injuries worse.

Consult a medical professional to discuss the best way to treat your hamstring injury. Then, once you are recovered, use the exercises in this article to strengthen your hammies and reduce the chance of reinjuring them.

Can you build strength with bodyweight hamstring exercises?

Absolutely! However, certain exercises are better than others for building strength. But, depending on your goals, there will come a point when bodyweight exercises will not be sufficient for progressing in building maximal hamstring strength.

How many sets and reps should I do for bodyweight hamstring exercises?

There’s no perfect answer to this question. But we recommend doing at least two hamstring exercises per workout, with no more than 4 sets of varied rep ranges between 5-25 reps.

How often can I do bodyweight exercises for the hamstrings?

This depends on the amount of training volume that you do for your hamstrings. The more overall sets and reps you do, the less frequently you should train and vice versa.

You don’t want to overtrain but you don’t want to undertrain either. This isn’t something that we can accurately guide you on so you’ll need to experiment and learn how to listen to your body.

Does training hamstrings prevent injury?

Research shows that working your hamstrings does, in fact, reduce hamstring injury. This was determined when testing the Nordic ham curl exercise in athletes over several different studies.

Final Thoughts

Your hamstrings are a large, powerful muscle group – or they SHOULD be! Squats, lunges, and leg presses definitely involve your hamstrings. Still, they don’t really provide them with enough stimulation to grow to their fullest potential. Most people need to train their hamstrings directly.

In the gym, that usually means exercises like Romanian deadlifts and leg curls. However, there are plenty of bodyweight hamstring exercises too.

So, no matter where you train, you have no excuse for neglecting your hamstrings. Beef up your leg biceps to improve your appearance and performance and even reduce your risk of injury.

References:

Fitness Volt is committed to providing our readers with science-based information. We use only credible and peer-reviewed sources to support the information we share in our articles.

1. British Medical Journal: The Impact of Exercise Selection on Hamstring Muscle Activation https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/51/13/1021.short
2. PubMed: Muscle Activation Differs between Three Different Knee Joint-Angle Positions During a Maximal Isometric Back Squat Exercise https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4967668/
3. PubMed: Strength and Hypertrophy Adaptations Between Low- vs. High-Load Resistance Training: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28834797/

This article was written by Patrick Dale, a Training Editor with 30 years of experience in Personal Training and Strength & Conditioning. Passionate about accuracy and reliability, Patrick delivers content that is both informative and engaging. Should you have any questions or require further clarification on this article, please leave a comment below. Patrick is dedicated to addressing your queries promptly.