The hamstrings are the opposing muscles of the quadriceps. Their main purpose in the body is to flex the knee, which takes place when you lift your heel behind your body to kick a ball off the ground. There are several exercises that can help you build up your hamstrings.
Step 1
Lift a loaded barbell off the safety pins in a squat rack to do squats. Place your hands in a wide grip, step back 3 feet and stand with in a shoulder-width stance. Lower your body down by bending your knees. Stop when your thighs are parallel to the ground, then stand back up.
Step 2
Hold on to heavy dumbbells to do lunges. Step forward with your right foot and bend your knee at a 90-degree angle. Bend your back knee simultaneously until it is just above the floor. Come back up, take a step forward with your left foot and repeat the same motion. Alternate lunging across the room.
Step 3
Stand behind a weight bench with dumbbells in your hands and your palms facing in. Step up on the bench with your right foot and bring your left foot up to meet it. Step back off the bench with your right foot then left foot. Step back up, leading with your left foot then right. Alternate your lead foot every other step.
Step 4
Perform stiff-legged deadlifts with a loaded barbell. Bend over and grab the barbell with a shoulder-width grip. Stand back up and let your arms hang down in front of your body. Bend your hips and let the barbell go down towards the floor until the weights are a few inches away. Stand all the way back up and repeat.
Step 5
Lie on your back and place your heels up on a stability ball. Apply pressure into the ball and lift your hips up in the air until there is a straight line from your shoulders to your heels. Roll the ball back towards your body by engaging your hamstrings. Roll the ball back out and repeat.
Step 6
Perform 10 to 12 reps and three to four sets of each exercise in the order they appear. Do your workouts three times a week on alternating days.
Tips and Warnings
- To give yourself more clearance while performing stiff-legged deadlifts, stand on cardio planks.
Things You'll Need
- Barbell
- Weight plates
- Dumbbells
- Bench
- Stability ball
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