How the hamstrings work
The hamstrings are three muscles: the biceps femoris on the outer side of the back of the thigh, and the semitendinosus and semimembranosus on the inner side. They start at the sitting bone of the pelvis and attach just below the knee, so they cross two joints. With the hip fixed they bend the knee; with the knee fixed they pull the hip straight, a job they share with the glutes every time you stand up from a hinge. One part, the short head of the biceps femoris, crosses only the knee and has no say at the hip.
That anatomy sets the rules. Hinges work the hamstrings through the hip, under heavy load and at long muscle lengths. Leg curls work them through the knee, and they are the main way to reach the short head of the biceps femoris. A plan with only one of the two leaves part of the muscle undertrained. Running, jumping and above all sprinting demand a lot from the hamstrings, which is why field-sport training rarely skips them.
What machine trains the hamstrings?
The leg curl. It is the machine built specifically for the hamstrings, and it comes in three forms that differ mainly in where your hip is.
Seated leg curl
You sit upright, the pad behind your lower legs, and pull it down and back under the seat. Because the hip is bent, the hamstrings work at a longer length than in the lying version, and many coaches prefer it for that reason. A thigh pad holds you in place; set it snug before the first rep.
Lying leg curl
Face down on the bench with the pad behind your ankles, curling your heels towards your glutes. The hip is straighter, so the hamstrings work shorter and cramp more easily at the top. Keep the hips pressed into the bench; if they lift, the load is too heavy.
Standing single-leg curl
One leg at a time, at a standing curl machine or a cable with an ankle strap. It evens out a weaker side and needs less load.
Other machines contribute. A back extension bench trains the hamstrings and glutes together, and a glute-ham raise is a demanding knee-and-hip exercise for strong lifters. The leg press works the hamstrings only lightly, even with the feet high on the platform, so it does not replace a curl. The leg curl page covers set-up and technique step by step.
Hinges and free-weight hamstring exercises
Free weights load the hamstrings through the hip. These are the options in the library and beyond it:
- The Romanian deadlift: the hips travel back with soft knees and the weight close to the legs. It is the most direct free-weight hamstring exercise, done with a barbell or with dumbbells.
- The deadlift: from the floor, with more knee bend and more help from the quads and back, so it is heavier and more of a whole-body lift. Romanian deadlift vs deadlift explains how to choose.
- The kettlebell swing: the hinge done fast, for power and conditioning.
- The single-leg Romanian deadlift: the same hinge on one leg with a dumbbell or kettlebell, for balance and an even split between the sides.
- The hip thrust: mainly a glute lift, but the hamstrings help, and placing the feet further from the bench gives them more of the work.
- The Nordic curl: kneeling with your ankles held, you lower your body slowly towards the floor. It is very hard, so most people start with part of the range and push back up with their hands.
How often and how much
Train the hamstrings twice a week and include one hinge and one curl across those sessions: Romanian deadlifts on one day and seated curls on the other, for example, or both on the same leg day. The volume range is the one used for the other leg muscles: about 10 to 20 hard sets a week for people who have trained a while and 6 to 10 to begin with, counting hinges and curls together.
Expect real soreness after your first Romanian deadlift sessions, because the lowering phase stretches the hamstrings under load. Start with two or three sets and build up over a few weeks. On curls, take two or three seconds to lower, and stop each set with a rep or two left. Add load when every set reaches the top of its rep range.
Two sample hamstring sessions
Session A: gym with machines
A hinge first, then curls. The Romanian deadlift and leg curl pages cover technique.
| Exercise | Sets × reps | Coaching note |
|---|---|---|
| Romanian deadlift | 3–4 × 6–10 | Hips back; stop where the back would start to round |
| Seated leg curl | 3 × 10–12 | Three seconds on the way back |
| Back extension | 2–3 × 10–15 | Bend at the hips, not the lower back |
| Single-leg lying or standing curl | 2 × 12 each leg | Match the reps on both sides |
Session B: free weights, no machines
For a day without a curl machine, or a home version with dumbbells. The kettlebell swing adds speed.
| Exercise | Sets × reps | Coaching note |
|---|---|---|
| Dumbbell Romanian deadlift | 3–4 × 8–12 | Dumbbells slide down the front of the thighs |
| Single-leg Romanian deadlift | 3 × 8 each leg | Hips stay square to the floor |
| Kettlebell swing | 4–5 × 10 | Hips drive, arms relax |
| Sliding leg curl | 2–3 × 8–10 | Hips up in a bridge, heels slide out slowly and pull back in |
With no weights at all, single-leg bridges, sliding curls on a smooth floor and slow single-leg hinges keep the hamstrings working until you get to a gym.
Stretching versus strengthening
Many people searching for hamstring exercises want looser hamstrings rather than stronger ones. Both goals are reasonable and they overlap: a Romanian deadlift through its full range loads the muscle while it lengthens, which is strength work and flexibility work at once. Gentle stretches after a session, such as a standing reach towards the toes or lying on your back with one leg raised against a door frame, are fine for comfort and range of motion.
Tightness at the back of the thigh is not always a muscle matter. Pain that travels down the leg, numbness or tingling, or pain that began with a sudden sharp pull during a sprint needs a doctor or physiotherapist rather than more stretching. This page cannot tell you which it is.
Mistakes that hold the hamstrings back
- Only hinging and never curling, or only curling and never hinging.
- Rounding the back to reach lower in a Romanian deadlift. The range ends where your back starts to round, not at the floor.
- Letting the knees bend further and further in the hinge until it turns into a squat.
- Fast, bouncing curls. The lowering half is where the hamstrings work hardest, so control it.
- Lifting the hips off the lying leg curl bench, which hands the work to the lower back.
Hamstring training at RPM
Every hinge on this page can be done with what RPM's floor photos in Al Manhal show: barbells with colour bumper plates, a dumbbell rack, kettlebells, flat benches, and multi-station cable towers for pull-throughs. Leg curl machines, a back extension bench and a glute-ham raise are not in those photos, so ask what is on the floor during your free tour. Personal training helps if you want a coach to check your Romanian deadlift, and the exercise library lists every movement page.
Questions, answered.
Why train the hamstrings?
They bend the knee and straighten the hip, so they matter for running, jumping, bending to lift and balancing the strength of the quads. Strong hamstrings are a standard part of preparation for sprint and field sports.
Does running train the hamstrings?
Running uses them, and sprinting uses them heavily, but easy jogging does not load them enough to build much strength. Most runners add hinges and curls; the legs guide shows a full leg day.
Which hamstring exercises can I do with dumbbells?
Dumbbell Romanian deadlifts, single-leg Romanian deadlifts, and a leg curl lying face down on a bench with a dumbbell held between the feet. The first two carry most of the load.
What hamstring exercises can I do at home with no equipment?
Glute bridges with the heels further out, single-leg bridges, sliding leg curls on a smooth floor and slow single-leg hinges. Progress by moving to one leg and slowing the lowering phase.
Are hamstring exercises suitable for older adults?
Many are, at the right level: bridges, light hinges to a bench and machine curls are common starting points. Anyone with a heart, joint or other medical condition should ask their doctor first, and a coach can scale each exercise to the person.
Can I train hamstrings with resistance bands?
Yes. Band leg curls with the band anchored low, band good mornings and band pull-throughs all work and suit warm-ups or home training. Bands are hard to progress far, so move to weights when they get easy.