What Exercises Work The Hamstrings?
Q: I’ve been neglecting my hamstrings more than I’ve been neglecting my children. I know, that’s terrible of me and it’s something I need to fix. So yeah, what exercises work the hamstrings? Ooooooooh, I bet I had you fooled there for a minute by thinking that I was going to ask for help on how to be a better parent! Ha, the joke’s on you, jack!!! By the way, please don’t call child protective services on me…
A: There are muscles on your body that you should train even if you can’t see them or they fall short of making the list of those that men and women find attractive on a potential mate. The hamstrings are one such muscle group.
Located on the back of the thighs, the hamstrings are involved in basically every activity that involves the lower extremities, such as walking, running, sprinting, jumping, sitting, standing, and bending. As far as the muscles within the group, they consist of the biceps femoris, semitendinosus, and semimembranosus. The biceps femoris is responsible for bending the knee and straightening the hip. The other two muscles have the same function but also help with internal rotation of the knee when the knee is flexed.
Given the multi-faceted nature of their function, muscle and strength building exercises for the hamstrings are divided into two categories based on where most of the primary movement occurs. In hip-dominant exercises, all or a majority of the movement takes place at the hips with very little involvement of the knees. In the case of knee-dominant exercises, the knee joint is where all or a majority of the movement is centered around.
HIP DOMINANT:
• Deadlifts
• Stiff-Legged Deadlifts
• Romanian Deadlifts
• Three-Way Romanian Deadlifts
• Single-Leg Deadlifts
• Good Mornings
• Kettlebell Swings
• 45-Degree Hip Extensions
• Glute Bridges
• Single-Leg Bridges
• Barbell Hip Thrusts
• Split Squats
• Bulgarian Split Squats
• Reverse Sprinter Lunges
• Harop Curls
• Razor Curls
• Modified Razor Curls
KNEE DOMINANT:
• Swiss Ball Rollouts
• Swiss Ball Leg Curls
• Swiss Ball Circle Curls
• Sliding Leg Curls
• Seated Leg Curls
• Prone Leg Curls
• Kneeling Leg Curls
• Nordic Curls
• Razor Curls
• Modified Razor Curls
• Glute-Ham Raise Machine
Of the available exercises to choose from that work the hamstrings, there’s reason to suggest that seated leg curls are the best for all-around hamstrings development because the movement elicits relatively equal activation of the biceps femoris and semitendinosus while other exercises significantly bias one muscle more than the other.1What about the semimembranosus?, you ask. Well, it works in company with the other two hamstring muscles, so any exercise for the hamstrings will also involve it. To what degree, that’s not known because on account of the muscle’s deep location, it’s not possible to place surface electrodes on the leg to conduct testing for its activation levels during exercise. That said about the effectiveness of seated leg curls, your hamstrings workout should consist of two or three exercises, with at least one exercise from each category for complete hamstrings development, which is important for a number of reasons.
The hamstrings are critical for knee stability, so training them can help prevent muscle imbalance between the quads to reduce the risk of strains, tears, and injuries to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) of the knee, which is common among people with weak hamstrings. Weak hamstrings can also shift your hip position forward and contribute to back pain. As such, strong hamstrings can prevent the excess stress that’s placed on the lumbar by anterior pelvic tilt. Additionally, developed hamstrings contribute to overall leg strength and give the legs a fuller look to compliment the quads and glutes. Those are a handful of reasons why you should work the hamstrings.
The hamstrings are important and there are many exercises that work them. Provided was a list split into those that are predicated on hip extension and knee flexion, the two primary functions of the hamstrings group. As stated, you should select at least one exercise from each category to incorporate into your program.
Upon choosing the hamstring exercises that align with your capabilities and available equipment, you should train in the appropriate rep range for your goal. Moreover, for optimal results, it might behoove you to begin your leg day workout with hamstrings or train them on their own separate day instead of putting them off until the end of the workout like most people do.2By hitting your hamstrings first or by themselves, you can hit them with the proper intensity and focus, which may be harder to do when they’re saved for last because of fatigue from the work you’ve already done and your mind being on getting done so you can leave.
Onto the less serious matter, were we to save every child from neglect, then who would grow up to be our poets, comedians, authors, painters, musicians, actors, and so forth? The answer is people who aren’t that fucking good. Frankly, I don’t want to live in such a world!!! Sure, it’s a stereotype that most of the truly creative people have traumatic backgrounds where their physical and/or emotional needs weren’t met as children but stereotypes often exist because there’s a kernel of truth to them. So on the off chance that your neglect might help your child build the character necessary for them to succeed as someone capable of entertaining me and the rest of the world, rest assured that you have no worry of child protective services showing up at your door. In fact, neglect that little bastard even more for my selfish interests!
Now, does anyone else have a fitness or nutrition question of their own that they want to ask?
Glossary: deadlift, exercise, exercise equipment, fitness, glutes, goal, hip thrusts, intensity, leg day, lunge, muscle, muscle group, nutrition, program, reps, results, train, workout
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