Before you build your hamstrings with free weights, you should first know a little bit about anatomy. The hamstrings have three parts--the semitendinosus, semimembranosus and biceps femoris--which are all involved with knee flexion and hip extension. Knee flexion takes place when you bend your lower leg backward and hip extension takes place when your thigh moves backward. These are the key motions involved with hamstring building exercises.
Step 1
Lift a barbell off a squat rack to do barbell squats. Rest the bar across the top of your shoulders behind your neck and hold it with a wide grip. Step back three to four feet and spread your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Tighten your core, keep your back straight and lower your butt toward the floor. Stop when your thighs parallel the floor, stand back up and repeat.
Step 2
Grab a set of dumbbells to do lunges. Hold the weights at your sides and take a step forward with your right foot. Lower yourself down by bending your knees and stop when they both form 90-degree angles. Keep your back knee off the floor when lowering. Stand back up, repeat for a set of reps and switch sides.
Step 3
Stand behind an exercise platform to do step ups. Hold dumbbells at your sides and place your left foot on the platform. Press down to lift your body in the air and move your right leg forward. Lift your thigh so it parallels the floor and hold for a full second. Lower yourself back onto your right foot, repeat for a set of reps and switch sides.
Step 4
Execute a set of single-leg, stiff-leg deadlifts. Stand with your feet together and hold dumbbells at your sides. Lift your right foot off the floor, bend forward at the hips and lower the dumbbells toward the floor as you raise your right leg straight in the air behind you. Feel the contraction on your left hamstrings. Raise yourself back up to the start and lower your leg back down. Repeat for a set of reps and switch sides.
Step 5
Hold a barbell in front of your thighs with a shoulder-width grip to do stiff-leg deadlifts. Bend forward at the hips and lower the bar down toward the floor as you push your butt backwards. Stand back up and repeat for a set of reps. Bend your knees slightly when you lower the bar.
Step 6
Hold dumbbells at your sides to do squat jumps. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, lower yourself into a squat and jump in the air as high as possible. Land softly on the balls of your feet and repeat.
Tips and Warnings
- Perform 10 to 12 reps and three to four sets of your exercises and work out every three days.
Things You'll Need
- Barbell
- Dumbbells
- Exercise platform
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