Hamstrings Resistance Training
The hamstrings are the group of three muscles that run along the back of the thigh. They have two primary functions — flexing the knee and extending the hip — which means they’re involved in both pulling the heel toward the body and driving the hip forward. That dual function makes them one of the more complex muscle groups in the lower body and one that requires attention to both movement patterns to develop completely.
The hamstrings are also one of the most commonly injured muscle groups in both athletic and general populations, and weakness or imbalance relative to the quadriceps is a significant contributing factor. Most people’s training naturally emphasizes the front of the leg — squats and lunges load the quads heavily — without providing equal stimulus to the back. The hamstrings need direct training to balance that equation and to build the kind of resilience that holds up under the demands of both sport and daily life.
Hip hinge movements — deadlifts and Romanian deadlifts — are the foundational hamstring exercises. They load the hamstring through its hip extension function across a long range of motion, producing significant strength and muscle development. Leg curl movements train the knee flexion function directly and are a valuable complement to hinge work for complete hamstring development. Both patterns belong in a lower body program.
Below are the hamstring movement patterns in the library.
Reference Card
Muscles
- Biceps femoris — long and short head
- Semitendinosus
- Semimembranosus
Movement Patterns
- Hip hinges — hip dominant movements that load the hamstrings through hip extension across a long range of motion
- Leg curls — isolation movements that train the hamstrings through knee flexion
Considerations
- Train both hip hinge and leg curl patterns for complete hamstring development — each loads the muscle through a different function
- Hamstring strength relative to quad strength matters for knee health and injury resilience — don’t neglect it
- The Romanian deadlift in particular loads the hamstring through a significant stretch — control the eccentric carefully and use a load that allows full range of motion
Programming Notes
- Hip hinge movements work best early in a lower body session alongside compound quad work
- Leg curls work well as a finishing movement after compound hinge and squat work
- Responds well to moderate rep ranges on compound movements (6–10) and higher ranges on isolation work (10–15)