Use isometric hamstring exercises to help strengthen, tone and develop power in your hamstring muscles while in the gym or at home. These exercises target your hamstring muscles through contraction without requiring muscular movement. Isometric exercises can help athletes get stronger faster because the muscles targeted contract harder during isometric exercise, according to Exercise Goals. Your hamstring muscles are those long muscles that run up the back of your leg. They are used to help bend your knee and extend your hip back when walking and running.
Wall Chair
This exercise is one of the more difficult isometric exercises. Stand with your back to a sturdy wall and your feet a little more than a foot away from the wall. Bend both knees at the same time until your back is resting on the wall and your knees are bent at a 90-degree angle. If you are in the proper position your thighs will be parallel to the floor. Lower your upper body until you are "sitting" using only the resistance of the wall for support. You can make this exercise a little easier by standing up slightly. Hold this position for as long as possible, working up to a several-minute contraction.
The Bridge
The bridge can be performed using an exercise ball, a bench, chair or other support. Lie down on the ground and place your feet and heels on an exercise ball with your feet about hip-width apart. Tighten the muscles of your core, back and legs and spread your arms out by your sides for stability. Lift your abdomen and trunk off the ground by pressing down with your legs. Continue pressing down until you have formed a straight line from your ankles to your shoulders. Hold this position for the desired amount of time and return to the starting position. Repeat as many times as you like. This exercise can become more challenging if you place your feet closer together on the bench or exercise ball.
Leg Curls
Sit down in a chair with your feet flat on the ground in front of you. Keep your feet on the ground and tighten the muscles on the backs of your legs as if you were trying to touch your heels to your buttocks. You can perform this exercise using both legs at the same time, or you can exercise one leg at a time. Hold each contraction for 30 seconds and repeat.
Isometric Leg Press
This exercise often requires a machine like the leg press machine found in most gyms, but it can also be performed by lying down at home and placing your feet against an immovable object like a wall. Sit down in the machine and select enough weight that you will be unable to lift it. Place both feet on the platform and push as hard as you can as if you were trying to lift the weight. Hold this contraction for as long as you can and then relax. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions. If you're using a wall to perform this exercise, simply lie down on your back with both knees bent and both feet on the wall in front of you. Push against the wall as hard as you can while holding onto something to keep you from sliding away.
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