The hamstring muscle group is in the back of the upper leg and is made up of three muscles -- the biceps femoris, semimembranosus and semitendinosus. The whole hamstring group plays an important role in lower-body strength and speed, as well as stabilizing the knee joint to help prevent injuries. The dead lift is considered by many to be the best hamstring exercise.
The Setup
Stand with you feet shoulder-width apart and your heels firmly planted on the floor. The bar should be in front of you, about 2 inches away from your shins. Bend down and take a firm grip of the bar with your arms just outside of your legs. Bend your knees and bring your hips down until your shins are lightly touching the bar. Push your chest out and pull your shoulders back until your back is at a 45-degree angle, and keep your head and eyes facing upward slightly.
The Pull
Take a deep breath while tensing and pushing out your abdominals. Begin to extend your knees and hips to bring the bar off the floor, and imagine pushing the floor away from you. Keep your leg muscles, abdominals and glutes contracted, and your head looking forward. The bar should remain close to your body at all times, and your back should not round.
The Lockout
To finish the lift, contract your glutes strongly, and push your chest out when the bar is 2 to 3 inches above your knees. Doing this should ensure that you finish standing upright with the weight fully locked out. Avoid overextending your lower back, or jerking the weight up with your arms and shoulders; these practices may result in injury. To lower the bar, bend forward from your hips while keeping a flat back, and put the bar back down on the floor. If you're dead-lifting on an Olympic platform and using bumper plates, you can just drop the bar.
Variations
Taller lifters may be more suited to sumo dead lifts. These are the same movement as the conventional dead lift, but the feet are placed much wider, and the hands are kept inside the knees.
Rack deadlifts can be performed to emphasize the lower back muscles and improve dead-lift lockout. Place the barbell on pins in a power rack just below knee level, and start the lift from there.
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