---
title: "Hamstring exercises"
description: "Romanian deadlifts, machine leg curls and single-leg variations. See on video how a hip hinge differs from bending the knee."
locale: en
url: "https://hi.fitness/exercises/muscles/hamstrings"
count: 47
type: muscles
code: HAMSTRINGS
---

# Hamstring exercises

The hamstrings cross two joints at once: they extend the hip and they bend the knee. That splits
the exercises for them into two families that look nothing alike - the hip hinge, led by the
Romanian deadlift, and the leg curl.

The hinge loads the back of the thigh in the stretch and lets you use the most weight, but it
brings in the glutes, the spinal erectors and your grip along the way. The curl hits the muscle
narrowly, with the hip locked in place, so it depends far less on technique and on how strong the
rest of you is. The two families do different jobs, so choosing between them is not a matter of
picking the better exercise.

## Hip hinge or knee flexion?

A muscle that crosses two joints can be loaded from either end. In the Romanian deadlift the knee
stays nearly straight and the hip bends, so the hamstrings work hardest in the stretch, at the
bottom of the rep. In a leg curl the hip stays put and the knee does all the moving, and the hardest
point is at the top, with the leg bent tight.

The practical difference is that a hinge is an exercise for the whole back of the body. The glutes,
the spinal erectors and your grip all take a share, and under a heavier bar they are often the ones
that give out first. A leg curl has no such problem, because the rest of you is lying or sitting
still, which makes it easier to fatigue the hamstrings themselves.

The list also has single-leg variations. The single-leg Romanian deadlift adds balance work to the
hinge and exposes side-to-side differences that the two-leg version hides - the description suggests
outright that you rehearse the movement unloaded before you reach for a dumbbell.

## What if you have no leg curl machine?

Leg curls bring a machine to mind, but the catalog has several versions that do not need one: a
stability ball rolled in with the heels, a TRX, a band hooked around the ankle, a bodyweight version
lying down. They all do the same thing, which is bend the knee while the hip stays still.

The difficulty in those variations does not come from the load, it comes from the position. On the
ball and on the TRX it is your hips held high that decide how much work reaches the hamstrings; let
them drop and the movement turns into something much easier. That is why both descriptions start
with the same thing: a straight line from your shoulders to your heels.

On the hinge side it looks worse. With no load at all you are left with the single-leg deadlift,
where the resistance is the weight of your torso and your free leg. A pair of dumbbells or a band
opens up the rest of the list, including the good morning, which loads the same pattern starting
from an upright torso.

## Common mistakes

- **Bending over instead of hinging** - The Romanian deadlift description says it outright: bend at the hips, not at the waist. If the rep starts with your back rounding, the hamstrings barely stretch at all.
- **Hips lifting off the pad** - On lying curls, letting the hips rise shortens the range and lets the lower back into it. If that is the only way you finish the rep, the weight is simply too heavy.
- **Chasing depth** - The bar goes as low as the hinge allows with a flat back, for many people somewhere around the knees. The moment your back starts to round is the end of the range.

## By equipment

- [Bodyweight](https://hi.fitness/exercises/muscles/hamstrings/bodyweight) - 10 exercises
- [Machine](https://hi.fitness/exercises/muscles/hamstrings/machine) - 7 exercises
- [Dumbbell](https://hi.fitness/exercises/muscles/hamstrings/dumbbell) - 6 exercises
- [Barbell](https://hi.fitness/exercises/muscles/hamstrings/barbell) - 6 exercises
- [Mat](https://hi.fitness/exercises/muscles/hamstrings/mat) - 4 exercises
- [Resistance band](https://hi.fitness/exercises/muscles/hamstrings/resistance-band) - 4 exercises
- [Cable](https://hi.fitness/exercises/muscles/hamstrings/cable) - 3 exercises
- [Stability ball](https://hi.fitness/exercises/muscles/hamstrings/stability-ball) - 3 exercises
- [Suspension trainer](https://hi.fitness/exercises/muscles/hamstrings/suspension-trainer) - 2 exercises
- [Bench](https://hi.fitness/exercises/muscles/hamstrings/bench) - 2 exercises

## All Hamstring exercises

- [Barbell Romanian Deadlift](https://hi.fitness/exercises/barbell-romanian-deadlift) - Hamstrings · Barbell
- [Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift](https://hi.fitness/exercises/dumbbell-romanian-deadlift) - Hamstrings · Dumbbell
- [Lying Leg Curl Machine](https://hi.fitness/exercises/lying-leg-curl-machine) - Hamstrings · Machine
- [Seated Leg Curl Machine](https://hi.fitness/exercises/seated-leg-curl-machine) - Hamstrings · Machine
- [Barbell Stiff Leg Deadlift](https://hi.fitness/exercises/barbell-stiff-leg-deadlift) - Hamstrings · Barbell
- [Dumbbell Stiff Leg Deadlift](https://hi.fitness/exercises/dumbbell-stiff-leg-deadlift) - Hamstrings · Dumbbell
- [Single Leg Romanian Deadlift Dumbbell](https://hi.fitness/exercises/single-leg-romanian-deadlift-dumbbell) - Hamstrings · Dumbbell
- [Cable Assisted Inverse Leg Curl](https://hi.fitness/exercises/cable-assisted-inverse-leg-curl) - Hamstrings · Cable
- [Exercise Ball Leg Curl](https://hi.fitness/exercises/exercise-ball-leg-curl) - Hamstrings · Stability ball
- [Good Morning Resistance Band](https://hi.fitness/exercises/good-morning-resistance-band) - Hamstrings · Resistance band
- [Dumbbell Single Leg Deadlift](https://hi.fitness/exercises/dumbbell-single-leg-deadlift) - Hamstrings · Dumbbell
- [Cable Hamstring Curl](https://hi.fitness/exercises/cable-hamstring-curl) - Hamstrings · Cable
- [Suspension Trainer with Grips Leg Curl](https://hi.fitness/exercises/suspension-trainer-with-grips-leg-curl) - Hamstrings · Suspension trainer
- [Resistance Band Leg Curl](https://hi.fitness/exercises/resistance-band-leg-curl) - Hamstrings · Resistance band
- [Kneeling Leg Curl Machine](https://hi.fitness/exercises/kneeling-leg-curl-machine) - Hamstrings · Machine
- [Bodyweight Single Leg Deadlift](https://hi.fitness/exercises/bodyweight-single-leg-deadlift) - Hamstrings · Bodyweight
- [Cable Single Leg Deadlift](https://hi.fitness/exercises/cable-single-leg-deadlift) - Hamstrings · Cable
- [Barbell Single Leg Deadlift](https://hi.fitness/exercises/barbell-single-leg-deadlift) - Hamstrings · Barbell
- [Barbell Sumo Romanian Deadlift](https://hi.fitness/exercises/barbell-sumo-romanian-deadlift) - Hamstrings · Barbell
- [Hammer Strength Iso-lateral Leg Curl_both Leg](https://hi.fitness/exercises/hammer-strength-iso-lateral-leg-curl-both-leg) - Hamstrings · Machine
- [Hammer Strength Iso-lateral Leg Curl Single Leg](https://hi.fitness/exercises/hammer-strength-iso-lateral-leg-curl-single-leg) - Hamstrings · Machine
- [Hammer Strength Iso-lateral Leg Curl_alternate Legs](https://hi.fitness/exercises/hammer-strength-iso-lateral-leg-curl-alternate-legs) - Hamstrings · Machine
- [MTS Iso-lateral Kneeling Leg Curl](https://hi.fitness/exercises/mts-iso-lateral-kneeling-leg-curl) - Hamstrings · Machine
- [Bodyweight Lying Leg Curl](https://hi.fitness/exercises/bodyweight-lying-leg-curl) - Hamstrings · Bodyweight
- [Barbell Staggered Deadlift](https://hi.fitness/exercises/barbell-staggered-deadlift) - Hamstrings · Barbell
- [Dumbbell Close Legs Deadlift](https://hi.fitness/exercises/dumbbell-close-legs-deadlift) - Hamstrings · Dumbbell
- [Barbell One Arm Single Deadlift](https://hi.fitness/exercises/barbell-one-arm-single-deadlift) - Hamstrings · Barbell
- [Single Leg Romanian Deadlifts Right Cable Resistance Band](https://hi.fitness/exercises/single-leg-romanian-deadlifts-right-cable-resistance-band) - Hamstrings · Resistance band
- [Suspension Trainer with Grips Straight Hip Leg Curl](https://hi.fitness/exercises/suspension-trainer-with-grips-straight-hip-leg-curl) - Hamstrings · Suspension trainer
- [Dumbbell RDL Stretch Isometric](https://hi.fitness/exercises/dumbbell-rdl-stretch-isometric) - Hamstrings · Dumbbell
- [Exercise Ball One Legged Diagonal Kick Hamstring Curl](https://hi.fitness/exercises/exercise-ball-one-legged-diagonal-kick-hamstring-curl) - Hamstrings · Stability ball
- [Butt Kicks](https://hi.fitness/exercises/butt-kicks) - Hamstrings · Bodyweight
- [Butt Kicks Slow](https://hi.fitness/exercises/butt-kicks-slow) - Hamstrings · Bodyweight
- [Butt Kick with Row](https://hi.fitness/exercises/butt-kick-with-row) - Hamstrings · Bodyweight
- [Alternating Hamstring Curl](https://hi.fitness/exercises/alternating-hamstring-curl) - Hamstrings · Bodyweight
- [Alternating Hamstring Curl with Punch](https://hi.fitness/exercises/alternating-hamstring-curl-with-punch) - Hamstrings · Bodyweight
- [Seated Single Leg Hamstring Stretch](https://hi.fitness/exercises/seated-single-leg-hamstring-stretch) - Hamstrings · Mat
- [Standing Leg Elevated Hamstring Stretch](https://hi.fitness/exercises/standing-leg-elevated-hamstring-stretch) - Hamstrings · Bench
- [Hamstring Lying Straight Leg Stretch](https://hi.fitness/exercises/hamstring-lying-straight-leg-stretch) - Hamstrings · Mat
- [Hamstring Lying Curl Up Stretch](https://hi.fitness/exercises/hamstring-lying-curl-up-stretch) - Hamstrings · Mat
- [Standing Bow Hamstring Stretch](https://hi.fitness/exercises/standing-bow-hamstring-stretch) - Hamstrings · Bodyweight
- [Basic Toe Touch](https://hi.fitness/exercises/basic-toe-touch) - Hamstrings · Bodyweight
- [Runner Stretch](https://hi.fitness/exercises/runner-stretch) - Hamstrings · Bodyweight
- [Standing Hamstring Calf Stretch with Resistance Band](https://hi.fitness/exercises/standing-hamstring-calf-stretch-with-resistance-band) - Hamstrings · Resistance band
- [Leg Extended Stretch on Bench](https://hi.fitness/exercises/leg-extended-stretch-on-bench) - Hamstrings · Bench
- [Exercise Ball Seated Hamstring Stretch](https://hi.fitness/exercises/exercise-ball-seated-hamstring-stretch) - Hamstrings · Stability ball
- [Alternating Leg Downward Dog](https://hi.fitness/exercises/alternating-leg-downward-dog) - Hamstrings · Mat