1. Neither Hammy Nor Stringy Hamstrings
Most people find it difficult to strike the right balance in exercising the legs, since too much exercise creates thick, oak-like legs and too little results in unattractive chicken legs. One of the simplest ways to find the middle path is to start doing lots of cardio exercise. Running is very hamstring heavy, which is why serious runners often have hamstrings that make you drool. Swimmers and even inveterate walkers also get a good hamstring focused cardio workout that leaves them with well-toned hamstrings.
2. Curl it Up
One of the most effective ways to build hamstring muscle is to do hamstring curls. The curls isolate both the hamstrings and the more visible part of the calf muscles, giving you nicely toned and strong hamstrings. To put on hamstring muscle in a hurry, do low reps of high weight. If you're more interested in building endurance for running or other cardio exercise, ramp up the reps and lower the weight.
3. Don't String Yourself Along
Like all other muscles in the human body, the hamstrings burn local fat at very limited levels. The idea that you can "spot reduce," or burn the fat around a certain muscle by working that muscle a lot, is simply a myth and is completely unsupported by science. Instead of wasting time (and eventually doing damage) by pounding out hundreds of reps on hamstring exercises, you need to control your diet and do some cardio in order to get nicely toned hamstrings.
4. Stretch for Balanced Hamstrings
Stretching is crucial as you begin to focus more on your hamstrings since the muscles have a tendency to cramp more easily than most other muscles in the body. Also, since the hamstring is such a large muscle and is intimately connected to a injury prone joint--the knee--you need to make sure that you balance your muscle work by doing inner thigh and outer thigh exercises like squats so you don't end up with a problematic muscle imbalance.
5. Work Your Hamstrings at Work
Since most people spend most of their days crouched over office desks and computers, the hamstring ends up in a completely dormant position. What happens is the hamstring begins to adapt to this position by shortening and weakening itself on account of not being used. Break up this negative cycle by standing up and stretching your hamstrings every 15 to 30 minutes. If you have the space, try doing some straight-kneed front leg kicks for a dynamic hamstring stretch.
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