11 Best Hamstring Exercises for Men to Build Leg Strength

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Whether or not you’re the kind of man who hits leg day exhausting or prefers total-body workouts as a substitute, likelihood is you continue to may be neglecting your hamstrings greater than it’s best to. We are inclined to favor workouts that concentrate on the quads and glutes, but it surely’s equally essential to strengthen the hamstrings. This muscle group, which consists of three separate muscle tissues — the semimembranosus, semitendinosus, and biceps femoris — works along with your glutes to propel you ahead while you run and stroll and upward while you soar (maybe while you sink three-pointers each Saturday in your pickup video games!). Subsequently, if you wish to run faster, soar greater, squat heavier, or just develop extra sculpted, meaty legs, you positively need to begin incorporating the next hamstring workouts into your exercise routine. Ease into it although, particularly when you’re a newbie or if it’s been some time because you’ve set foot within the health club — the hamstrings are vulnerable to cramps and strains.

Conventional Deadlifts

The deadlift is a foundational transfer within the health club and might be thought-about the king of posterior chain (glutes, hamstrings, spinal extensors, and calves) workouts. Mastering the deadlift might be essential for strengthening and constructing your hamstrings. The transfer is actually a hip hinge, and as quickly as you may have mastered the correct method, you may actually load the bar to stimulate muscle development.

Directions

Stand along with your toes shoulder-width aside, your arms down at your sides, and a barbell in entrance of your ankles.
Sit your hips again so far as doable and bend your knees simply sufficient to succeed in and seize the bar.
Have interaction your core to raise the bar whilst you increase your physique as much as the tall standing place. Your again ought to keep straight and the bar ought to observe up alongside your shins.
Slowly decrease the bar again to the ground by sitting your hips again. Preserve your chin up and gaze ahead throughout the transfer.
Carry out 6-8 reps per set.

Learn extra: Best Leg Workouts

Hex Bar Deadlifts

The benefit of this variation on conventional deadlifts is that the hex bar permits you to use a impartial grip, which relieves stress in your higher physique and permits you to raise extra weight. Since you’re capable of load your muscle tissues with extra weight, they’re pushed that a lot tougher and the stimulus to get stronger is bigger. The consequence? Even larger features.

Directions

Stand contained in the loaded hex bar along with your toes shoulder-width aside.
Brace your core as you squat down and seize the handles on both aspect of the hex bar.
Squeeze your glutes and hamstrings to increase your hips and knees to face upright, holding your again straight.
Slowly decrease the hex bar again to the ground by sitting your hips again.
Repeat 6-8 occasions.

Single-Leg Romanian Deadlifts

Single-leg Romanian deadlifts present all the superb posterior chain recruitment advantages of normal deadlifts, whereas enhancing your single-leg stability, which is essential for damage prevention and purposeful efficiency. It may be a difficult transfer to grasp, particularly when you are inclined to wrestle with steadiness and coordination, however keep it up — it’s a highly-effective train to your whole posterior chain and a purposeful transfer that may assist push you in direction of changing into the athlete you need to be. It has additionally been demonstrated to be one of many high three best hamstring workouts, in line with a research study performed by ACE Health.

Directions

Stand along with your toes shoulder-width aside, knees barely bent, chest up and proud, arms at your aspect, and a dumbbell in your proper hand.
Deliver your left arm out to your aspect for steadiness and have interaction your core.
Bend your left knee (the one in your standing/help leg) about 20 levels to activate your hamstrings and glutes whilst you raise your proper leg off the bottom.
Contract your glutes and hinge out of your hips to convey your torso in direction of the ground, holding your gaze on the ground to stop hyperextending your neck. Your proper leg ought to lengthen behind you as a counterbalance.
Attain the dumbbell in your proper hand down in direction of your left foot till you’re feeling sufficient of a stretch within the hamstrings of your supporting leg.
Have interaction your core and glutes to return again up, extending your hips till they’re totally locked out. If you could regain your steadiness, you may contact your proper foot again right down to the ground; in any other case, maintain it lifted and transfer into your subsequent rep.
Full 10 reps per aspect per set.

Glute Bridges

Bridges are a basic train for creating glute and hamstring power. Novices ought to begin with each legs collectively, however as you get stronger, progress the transfer to a single-leg bridge by lifting one leg off the mat.

Directions

Lie in your again along with your knees bent and toes flat on the ground as when you have been going to carry out belly crunches. Cross your arms over your chest.
Press via your heels to raise your hips up till your physique is in a straight line out of your knees to your shoulder blades.
Maintain for a full breath, developing your glutes and hamstrings.
Decrease again down.
Repeat 20 reps or 15 reps per leg.

Barbell Hip Thrusts

This train ups the depth of glute bridges by requiring extra hip extension and loading your posterior chain with weights.

Directions

Place your shoulder blades on the lengthy aspect of a bench along with your physique bridging off the aspect in order that your knees are bent 90 levels, your toes are shoulder-width aside and flat on the ground, your core and glutes are engaged, and your hips are up in a tabletop place.
Maintain the barbell throughout your hips.
Elevate and decrease your hips in direction of the ground, reaching the highest place the place your thighs are parallel to the bottom for every rep.
Full 10 managed reps per set.

Bulgarian Cut up Squat

Cut up squats are nice for strengthening your decrease physique, core, and spinal extensor muscle tissues, and this variation, which elevates your rear foot, will increase the activation of your hamstrings. As a result of it’s a unilateral train, the Bulgarian cut up squat requires coordination and steadiness, whereas additionally putting a higher demand in your muscle tissues, so it’s a extremely efficient transfer so as to add to your lineup on leg day.

Directions

Stand about three toes in entrance of a bench, going through away, with the highest of your rear foot up on the bench behind you.
Your legs must be shoulder-width aside. Your entrance foot must be far sufficient ahead that while you drop right into a lunge, your entrance knee doesn’t lengthen past your toes.
You possibly can load this squat by holding dumbbells in every hand along with your arms prolonged down at your sides.
Protecting your shoulders again and core engaged, bend your entrance knee to drop right into a cut up squat/lunge.
When the thigh of your entrance leg is parallel to the bottom, press via your heel to return to the standing place.
Full 8-10 reps per leg per set.

Learn extra: Best Butt Workouts

Nordic Hamstring Curls

You’ll want a accomplice or one thing to lock your heels beneath for this train, and whereas the precise motion you carry out is minimal, you’ll positively really feel your hamstrings screaming when you do that train accurately.

Directions

Kneel on a mat going through away from a accomplice who might be holding your toes and ankles secured to the bottom (or hook them beneath one thing stationary).
Preserve your torso upright along with your shoulder blades pulled again and your chest up. Cross your arms throughout your chest, holding an non-obligatory weight plate in opposition to your physique for added resistance.
Protecting your physique stiff and straight, lean barely ahead out of your knees, guaranteeing your hips keep locked within the prolonged place, till you’re feeling a enough stretch in your hamstrings.
Contract your glutes and hamstrings to slowly pull your physique again to the beginning place.
Repeat 20 reps per set.

Sumo Squats

Though squats primarily goal the quads and glutes, the sumo variation prompts your hamstrings and adductors as properly.

Directions

Maintain a barbell behind your neck in your shoulders or maintain dumbbells at every shoulder as if making ready to do again squats.
Stand along with your toes barely wider than shoulder-width aside, along with your toes pointing about 45 levels outward. Your hips also needs to be externally rotated.
Inhale, pushing your hips backward as if reaching your butt again to sit down in a chair. Be certain your core is engaged, your chest is up, and your again is straight.
Exhale, urgent via your heels to return to the beginning place.
Repeat 8-10 reps per set.

Kettlebell Swings

Whereas this will appear to be an higher physique train, the entire energy to swing the kettlebell truly comes out of your legs. In actual fact, kettlebell swings have been demonstrated to be one of many three best hamstring workouts, in line with a research study performed by ACE Health. In addition they assist with metabolic conditioning and develop power and energy in your shoulders, core, again, and glutes.

Directions

Stand upright along with your toes barely wider than shoulder-width aside, gripping the deal with of a moderately-heavy kettlebell with each fingers. Your arms must be lengthy so the kettlebell is hanging down in entrance in your physique.
Preserve your heels planted and have interaction your core and glutes whilst you enable your knees to bend.
Press via your heels and explode via your hips to drive the kettlebell upward till it’s roughly chest top and your arms are totally prolonged.
Management the kettlebell because it descends, loading your hamstrings. It ought to swing backwards behind your legs considerably.
On the finish of the arc of the swing, snap your hips ahead once more to drive the kettlebell again as much as chest top.
Full 12-15 reps.

Learn extra: Best Kettlebell Workouts

Leg Curl Machine

When you have entry to a health club, the leg curl machine is an effective one to hit up if you wish to goal your hamstrings. You need to use the machine both seated or inclined (in your abdomen). When you’re figuring out at house, you may attempt to replicate the movement by mendacity in your abdomen with heavy ankle weights strapped on.

Directions

Choose your required weight with the pin.
Lie in your abdomen along with your toes flush in opposition to the footplates and your ankles locked beneath the rollers.
Maintain on to the handles on both aspect of the physique platform.
Contract your hamstrings and glutes to convey your heels to your butt. Be certain your hips keep flush with machine and don’t stand up.
Prolong your knees to slowly decrease the load again down.
Full 10-12 reps per set.

Stability Ball Curls

This train additionally engages your abs, glutes, and hip flexors, and because it has you mendacity in your again on a mat, it’s a straightforward transfer to slot in on the finish of your exercise earlier than your ultimate stretch.

Directions

Lie in your again along with your legs straight and your heels up on a stability ball. Place your arms at your sides along with your palms down on the mat.
Have interaction your abs and glutes to raise your hips up in order that your physique is in a straight line out of your heels to your head. Your shoulder blades must be down in your mat.
Have interaction your hamstrings and press your heels into the ball.
Bend your knees to convey the ball in direction of your butt.
Return to the beginning place.
Full 15 reps per set.