The hamstring is the thin rope-like muscle situated in the posterior portion of your leg from the glutes up to the calves. Many people overlook this muscle as it is quite not the big one so they assume, it is not necessary to train hams. But, do you know, hamstring plays a vital role in moving our body, increasing our strength for heavy weightlifting like deadlift and squat and also helps to prevent unnecessary injuries or muscle strains in the lower body. A couple of strong, muscular hamstrings make you stronger and more athletic by improving your performance and preventing injuries. So, if you want to gain the hamstring muscles and make them stronger then, here are the top 5 best exercises for the hamstrings that you should include in your leg day.
Yes, it is true that there are very few numbers of exercises are available specifically for hamstrings. Most of them are exercises that help to build glutes and hamstrings altogether but don’t worry, we have selected the 5 best exercises for the hamstrings in which all of them may not be specifically isolated for only that muscle but all of them work great for hamstrings as well as the other muscles involved in those exercises. Without further ado, let’s know all of them in detail.
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Romanian Deadlift
The Romanian deadlift or in short, RDL is one of the best exercises for the hamstrings as well as glutes. While conventional deadlift targets the lower back, traps and glutes more, the Romanian deadlift targets the glutes and hamstrings more. That’s why, most athletes or bodybuilders perform RDL on leg day while conventional one in back day.
If you want to strengthen your hamstrings then RDL is a must. Go for 8 to 10 repetitions per set to get maximum tension on your hams. So, don’t forget to include RDL in your leg day if you want to build some thick and strong hamstrings. Keep in mind, focus on the proper form and keep your focus of mind on hamstrings and glutes only. If you want to know in detail of Romanian and other deadlift variations then read this article: Best Deadlift Variations.
Lying Leg Curl
Lying leg curl is literally the best isolation exercise for hamstrings. There is very few exercises that can match with leg curl when it comes to target hamstrings alone. While RDL is for gaining size and strength in the hamstrings, leg curl is for building lean muscle mass. In each set, go for 8 to 12 reps slowly while focusing the tension on your hams.
Unlike, compound movements like RDL and others, you don’t need to lift heavy weight here. Use a moderate weight and focus on the tension building on the muscle. That mind-muscle connection will provide you extra edge to build hams faster. Thus, it is no wonder that leg curl is one of the best exercises for the hamstrings which you should not miss at all.
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Glute Bridge
While the name glute bridge suggests that this exercise is specifically for glutes, this is also an excellent exercise for hamstrings to build strength and muscles fast. Moreover, this exercise can be done at home without any weight so one can easily perform this exercise anywhere. That means glute bridge is beginner-friendly too.
But, if you are an advanced lifter then you can also add weight to increase the resistance and effectiveness of your exercise so that you can put more tension on your hamstrings and glutes obviously. So, as you can see, one can build two important muscles which are glutes and hamstrings simultaneously by performing a glute bridge same like RDL.
Standing Butt Kicks
Butt kick is a very effective and popular cardio exercise that we all know but do you know, standing butt kick is one of the best exercises for the hamstrings that you should include in your leg session. Not only beginners can perform it easily at home or anywhere without any equipment but also advanced bodybuilders and athletes can also perform butt kicks with extra resistance with the help of resistance band. With 12 to 15 reps per set and focusing on the hamstrings muscles while doing the exercise is the best way to work your hamstrings out for muscular development.
Hypertension
Hypertension is a unique and outstanding exercise for the posterior chain, glutes, abs, and obviously, hams. It is an amazing exercise for building strength in the posterior portion of your whole body as you already have known the muscles primarily focused in this exercise.
Anyway, you should first learn and start performing hypertension with the help of your coach without any weight or resistance then when you will be accustomed to it, hold a plate or kettlebell to add more resistance in your exercise to put more tension on your muscles. With strong and muscular hamstrings, you will also be gifted with toned glutes, chiseled abs and strong posterior chain thanks to this unique exercise, hypertension.
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In The Concluding Lines
Therefore, these are the 5 best exercises for the hamstring muscle from which you should include 2 or 3 in your leg day to build a couple of strong and muscular hamstrings. A combination of compound and isolation movement would be the best idea to include for gaining muscle mass as well as strength. Lastly, as we always say, focus on your form and learn the movements properly first from your coach then start performing them. Anyway, hopefully, you have found this article about best exercises for the hamstrings helpful enough. If it really so then don’t hesitate to express your valuable thoughts in the comment section below. Thanks for visiting and appreciating our work.