The hamstrings are a group of three muscles that run down the back of your leg, from your pelvis to just below your knee joint. They bend your knees and assist in extending your hips. There are an extensive number of strength-training exercises that can be done in your home for your hamstrings. By using your own body weight, dumbbells and a stability ball, you can mimic nearly every exercise that commercial equipment in a gym provides.
Lying Leg Curl
The lying leg curl is an effective exercise for people of all strength levels and it only requires a chair or bench. It targets the hamstrings by requiring them to extend your hips. Lie on your back with your arms down by your side and your heels up on a chair. Drive your heels down into the chair to pick up your hips as high as possible. Hold a moment at the top before lowering down to starting position. Lying leg curl can easily be modified to make more difficult as strength improves. The closer your bottom is to the chair in the starting position, the more the exercise will isolate the hamstrings. Once you're ready to increase the intensity, you can perform the exercise single-legged or use a stability ball instead of a chair. To make the stability ball technique even more difficult, once your hips are in the air, bend your knees and use your heels to roll the ball in towards your bottom.
Single Leg Deadlifts
Single leg deadlifts develop the hamstrings by requiring them to extend the hips. They are highly beneficial because their single-leg technique requires each hamstring to work independently of itself. Stand on one leg, the other leg with the knee bent and foot behind you. Bend forward at the waist, keeping your back straight and head up, and reach down to touch the floor in front of you with both hands. Return back up to starting position. Complete a set on one leg before switching to the other leg. To increase the intensity, hold dumbbells in each hand. As strength progresses further, however, performing the double-leg deadlift with a barbell in a gym may be necessary.
Good Mornings
The hamstrings must extend the hips in order to complete the movement throughout the good morning exercise. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and place your hands behind your head with your elbows flaring out. Keep your legs straight as you bend over at the waist. Be sure to keep your back straight and your head up. Lower down forward as far as you comfortably can. You should feel a stretch in your hamstrings. Rise back up to starting position. This is an exercise that can potentially put your lower back in a vulnerable position, so increasing weight should be done so with discretion. To increase intensity, a barbell can be added onto your shoulders as you perform the movement. It's not recommended to use significant weight on good mornings. If you no longer feel they're effective for you at light weights, trade the exercise out for another, such as double-leg deadlifts.
Four Point Hip Extension
The four point hip extension is more of an exercise for beginners. Get down on your knees and hands in a four point position. Drive one leg up and back, coming up as far as you comfortably can. Complete a set on one leg before switching to the other leg. To increase the intensity, ankle weights can be worn or a dumbbell can be squeezed in your knee between your calf and thigh. The four point hip extension also works the gluteal muscles and should only be used as an accessory exercise to a hamstring workout.
Russian Hamstring Curl
The Russian hamstring curl is the most difficult of hamstring exercises. It requires your hamstrings to contract eccentrically, which means that they contract while at the same time lengthening. It's not uncommon to be sore from this exercise, but it's highly effective in improving hamstring strength. Kneel down onto your knees, keeping your torso straight and upright. Anchor your feet, ideally with the assistance of a partner holding your ankles down. Slowly bend forward towards the floor. This is a difficult exercise, so it's important that you're ready to catch yourself if you start to fall forward. Lower yourself down as far as you can go, then contract your hamstrings to pull your torso back to starting position.
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