Closed Chain Hamstring Exercises

The hamstrings are the muscles on the back of your thighs. Closed-chain exercises for hamstrings are exercises in which your feet are immobilized while your knee and hip joints move. Open-chain exercises for hamstrings are exercises which immobilize your hips and knees but enable your feet to move. Do closed-chain exercises to increase your strength, and do open-chain exercises if you are recovering from a hamstring injury.

Straight Leg Dead Lifts

Closed-chain exercises mimic activities of daily living, making them more functional and effective compared to open-chain exercises such as leg curls on a weight machine.
Use a barbell or hold one dumbbell in each hand for straight-legged dead lifts. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent. Perform a dead lift by sticking your buttocks out behind you and bending your hips to lower the weights just below your knees. Ensure that your back is flat and that you are looking straight ahead as you bend forward.
The American College of Sports Medicine recommends doing six to 12 reps for most sets to increase the size of your hamstrings. Complete 12 to 15 reps for muscular endurance.

One-Leg Dead Lifts

One-leg dead lifts require more balance from your working leg.
Hold a dumbbell in your right hand and stand near a flat bench. Keep your right foot on the floor with your right knee slightly bent. Perform a one-legged dead lift by lowering the dumbbell toward the toes of your right foot. Then raise your straightened left leg toward the ceiling as you bend your trunk forward to maintain a straight line from your head to your left foot. Hold on to the bench for balance and support only when you need it. Return to an upright position using your hamstrings to pull you back up.

Reverse Leg Curls

Reverse leg curls are done with your feet anchored underneath a barbell or between the knee pad and chair pad of a lateral pull-down machine. Use the lat machine if you have especially long feet. Place an exercise mat or folded towel underneath your knees if you are using a barbell. This exercise will make your hamstrings quite sore, so do only two sets of eight reps for your first session.
Perform a reverse leg curl by securing your feet between the pads of the lat pull machine or underneath a heavy barbell. Lean forward slightly until you feel the stretch on your hamstring muscles. Hold this forward position for five seconds, then return to the starting position.