How to Build Muscle in Your Hamstrings with Resistance Training

Having strong hamstrings is essential for performance and injury prevention in many sports. The hamstrings are the muscles located on the back of the thigh and consist of three muscles: biceps femoris, semitendinosus, and semimembranosus. They extend the hip and flex the knee, so they’re used in running, jumping, kicking, and all kinds of other dynamic movements.

Shop The Collection: Kettlebells

Resistance training is a great way to build muscle in the hamstrings. Resistance training can be done with free weights, machines, or bodyweight exercises. These exercises target each of the three hamstring muscles. This article will discuss how to effectively use resistance training to build muscle in your hamstrings.

Shop The Gear: MAGMA Cast Iron Kettlebells, from $16.99 USD

Exercises

When doing resistance exercises for the hamstrings, it’s important to use a variety of exercises to target each of the three muscles. Here are some of the most effective exercises for the hamstrings:

Shop The Collection: Dumbbells

• Barbell Deadlift: This exercise targets the entire posterior chain, including the hamstrings. To perform the barbell deadlift, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and grip the barbell with an overhand grip. Lower the barbell towards the ground until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings. Then, drive through your heels and engage your glutes to lift the barbell back to the starting position. Make sure to keep your back flat and your core engaged throughout the movement.
• Romanian Deadlift: The Romanian deadlift targets the hamstrings and glutes. To perform this exercise, start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart and gripping the barbell with an overhand grip. Keeping your back straight and your core engaged, lower the barbell down towards the ground until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings. Then, drive through your heels and squeeze your glutes to bring the barbell back to the starting position.
• Lying Leg Curl: The lying leg curl is a great exercise for isolating the hamstrings. To perform the lying leg curl, lie face down on a leg curl machine and place the top of your feet beneath the roller pad. Grip the handles of the machine and then curl your legs up towards your glutes. Squeeze your hamstrings at the top of the movement, then slowly lower the weight back to the starting position.
• Kettlebell Swing: The kettlebell swing is a great exercise for working the hamstrings and glutes. To perform the kettlebell swing, stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart and grip the kettlebell with both hands. Swing the kettlebell between your legs, then explosively drive through your heels to swing the kettlebell up and forward. Make sure to keep your core engaged and your back flat throughout the movement.

Reps and Sets

When performing resistance exercises for the hamstrings, it’s important to choose the right number of reps and sets. Generally speaking, if you’re looking to build muscle, you should do 8-12 reps per set. If you’re looking to increase strength, you should do 4-6 reps per set. For most exercises, you should do 3-4 sets per exercise.

Shop The Gear: CAP Barbell Neoprene Dumbbells, from $1.99 USD

It’s also important to make sure that you’re using enough weight. You should be able to complete 8-12 reps for most exercises, but the last few reps should be challenging. If you find that you can easily complete all 12 reps without any difficulty, then you should increase the weight.

Rest Time

In addition to reps and sets, rest time is another important factor when it comes to building muscle in the hamstrings. Rest time is the amount of time you take between sets. Generally speaking, you should take 1-2 minutes of rest between sets. Taking too much rest can lead to fatigue, so try to keep your rest times as short as possible.

Form

When doing resistance exercises for the hamstrings, it’s important to focus on form. Poor form can lead to injuries, so make sure you’re performing the exercises correctly. Make sure you’re engaging your core and keeping your back flat throughout the movement. Also, don’t sacrifice form for weight. It’s better to use less weight with perfect form than to use more weight with poor form.

Building muscle in your hamstrings can be achieved through resistance training. It’s important to choose exercises that target the individual muscles in the hamstrings and to choose the right number of reps and sets. Additionally, make sure you’re taking enough rest time and focusing on form. With the right program, you can effectively build muscle in your hamstrings with resistance training.