17 Highly effective Hamstring Workouts For Girls

The decrease half of your physique comprises a few of your greatest muscle mass together with your glutes, hamstrings and quads. Strengthening these massive decrease physique muscle mass is nice on your total bodily well being, efficiency and steadiness.

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When these muscle mass are robust, it’s not solely your exercises that get simpler, however all of your day by day actions, too. All good causes to by no means skip leg day!

Whereas glute energy and glute activation could also be a preferred focus space for a lot of girls, hamstring energy is equally as essential and might generally be missed.

Proceed studying to learn to carry out a number of the most useful hamstring workouts you should use to develop decrease physique energy at house and within the health club.

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The place are your hamstrings?
At-home hamstring workouts
Hamstring workouts for the health club

The place are your hamstring muscle mass?

Your hamstrings are a posterior muscle group (posterior that means the again aspect), positioned behind your thigh. They’re made up of three muscle mass: the semitendinosus, semimembranosus and biceps femoris. These muscle teams work collectively in essential actions together with extending your hips, tilting your pelvis and bending your knees.

Why do you have to train your hamstrings?

Wholesome hamstrings ought to be robust but additionally versatile — in case your muscle fibres can simply lengthen and contract, there may be much less danger of muscle tears and soreness. By strengthening this muscle space, you might assist enhance your posture, mobility and efficiency, whereas lowering your danger of damage.

For those who’re a runner, hamstring strengthening workouts can even assist to enhance your velocity and working stride.

Creating robust hamstrings is essential on the subject of your total health — robust but versatile hamstrings may also help enhance your potential to maneuver with correct muscle and joint operate, which suggests you’re much less prone to depend on different small muscle teams while you’re in movement.

This over-reliance can contribute to accidents or muscle tightness and will make it laborious to progress by means of your exercises and construct energy.

How do you strengthen your hamstrings?

As with every muscle growth, the important thing to constructing hamstring energy is progressive overload.

In an effort to progress, your physique must be pressured to adapt to a stress above what it has beforehand skilled. This implies step by step rising the bodily calls for in your physique over time. To achieve energy, dimension and endurance, you have to to step by step elevate heavier weights, or elevate the identical weights however for extra reps.

The purpose is to consistently problem your physique with additional stress in order that it’s pressured to adapt and develop, moderately than hitting a exercise plateau.

Hamstring workouts you may do at house

As one of many bigger muscle teams in your physique, your hamstrings will reply properly to figuring out with heavier weights. However that does not imply you may’t give your hamstrings a troublesome exercise at house utilizing minimal gear or simply your body weight.

Strive these leg workouts to strengthen your hamstring muscle mass at house.

Good mornings

This hip-hinging train primarily targets the hamstrings, however advantages the glutes and decrease again muscle mass as properly. All you want is a barbell or perhaps a picket broomstick!

With a bar resting throughout each shoulders, stand along with your ft hip-width aside. Draw your shoulder blades down and again to push your chest out barely. That is your beginning place.
Inhale. Bend your knees barely and with out altering the angle of your knees, hinge ahead out of your hips. Be sure that you preserve a proud chest and that your head is according to your backbone. It’s best to really feel pressure in your hamstrings (again of your legs).
Exhale. Push by means of your heels and use your glutes and hamstrings to increase your hips to return to the beginning place.

Goal to finish 3 units of 10-12 repetitions.

Glute bridge

This bridge train is usually used for glute activation and energy, but it surely’s additionally actually helpful for strengthening your hamstrings. You’ll be able to add extra weight or simply use your body weight – making it a straightforward train to carry out anyplace.

Begin by mendacity flat in your again on a yoga mat. Bend your knees and place your ft firmly on the mat, hip-width aside along with your backbone in a impartial place. Permit your arms to relaxation by your sides on the mat. That is your beginning place.
As you exhale, press your heels into the mat, activate (squeeze) your glutes and lift your pelvis off the ground till your physique kinds one straight line from chin to knee, resting in your shoulders.
Inhale. Decrease your pelvis to return to the beginning place. Repeat for the required variety of repetitions.

Study extra: Bridge Workouts: Advantages, How To Do It & Variations

Kettlebell swing

Performing a kettlebell swing accurately is all in regards to the hips, and the hamstring muscle mass will see a lot of the advantages! For those who don’t have a kettlebell, you would additionally use a dumbbell.

Holding a kettlebell immediately in entrance of your physique, stand along with your ft barely additional than shoulder-width aside. Inhale. Whereas sustaining a slight bend in your knees, tilt forwards out of your hips and permit the kettlebell to softly swing backwards between your legs. That is your beginning place.
As you exhale, use your glutes and hamstrings to increase your legs and hips to swing the kettlebell forwards and upwards to shoulder peak.
Inhale. Bend your knees and tilt ahead out of your hips to decrease the kettlebell and return to the beginning place. Repeat for the required variety of repetitions, guaranteeing your glutes and hamstrings energy the motion and you aren’t lifting the kettlebell along with your arms and shoulders. You additionally wish to be sure to are bending primarily on the hip, moderately than your knees. It ought to really feel very totally different to a squat!

Stiff-legged deadlift (with dumbbells)

Whereas deadlifts are arguably top-of-the-line workouts to incorporate in your decrease physique exercise routine, this stiff-legged variation lets you focus extra in your hamstrings. All you want is a pair of dumbbells.

Holding a dumbbell in every hand with an overhand grip (palms dealing with in the direction of your physique) in entrance of your legs, stand along with your ft barely additional than shoulder-width aside. Draw your shoulder blades down and again to push your chest out barely. That is your beginning place.
Inhale. Bending from the hips solely, permit the dumbbells to run alongside the size of your thighs and midway down your shins, guaranteeing you preserve a proud chest and your head stays according to your backbone. It’s best to really feel pressure in your hamstrings (again of your legs).
As you attain midway down your shins, exhale. Push by means of your heels and use your glutes and hamstrings to increase your knees and hips to return to the beginning place. Make sure the dumbbells stay very near your legs. Repeat for the required variety of repetitions.

Romanian kettlebell deadlift

Much like the stiff-legged deadlift, this kettlebell variation of the train lets you focus in your hamstrings.

Holding a kettlebell with each palms in an overhand grip (palms dealing with in the direction of your physique) in entrance of your legs, stand along with your ft barely additional than shoulder-width aside. Draw your shoulder blades down and again to push your chest out barely. That is your beginning place.
Inhale. Bending from the hips solely, permit the kettlebell to run alongside the size of your thighs and midway down your shins, guaranteeing that you simply preserve a proud chest and that your head is according to your backbone. It’s best to really feel pressure in your hamstrings (again of your legs).
As you attain midway down your shins, exhale. Push by means of your heels and use your glutes and hamstrings to increase your knees and hips to return to the beginning place, with the kettlebell remaining very near your legs. Repeat for the required variety of repetitions.

Single-leg deadlift

This deadlift variation is surprisingly troublesome! The additional steadiness and stability wanted for the train is what makes it difficult, so you may both do it with a light-weight dumbbell or kettlebell or your body weight.

Maintain a weight along with your left hand in a impartial grip (palm dealing with inward) and place your proper hand in your hip, along with your ft shoulder-width aside. That is your beginning place.
Inhale. Bend your left knee barely and with out altering the angle of your left knee, hinge ahead out of your hips till your torso is parallel to the ground, extending your proper leg behind you. On the identical time, prolong your left arm and the dumbbell in the direction of the ground. Maintain your hips stage, preserve a proud chest and hold your head according to your backbone. It’s best to really feel pressure in your left hamstring (again of your leg).
Exhale. Push by means of your left heel and use your glute and hamstrings to increase your hips to return to the beginning place. Full half of the required repetitions on the identical aspect earlier than finishing the remaining repetitions on the opposite aspect.

Hamstring curl (fitball)

This train isn’t as straightforward because it seems to be and also you’ll undoubtedly really feel the burn in your hamstrings and glutes! You’ll be able to carry out this train on a ball or along with your heels resting in TRX handles (suspension trainers).

Begin by mendacity flat in your again on a yoga mat along with your ft elevated on a fitball. Permit your arms to relaxation by your sides on the mat.
Inhale. Utilizing your glutes and hamstrings, gently increase your hips off the ground till you might be resting in your higher again and your physique kinds one straight line from head to toe. That is your beginning place.
As you exhale, bend your knees to deliver your ft in in the direction of your glutes whereas protecting your ft collectively and hips elevated off the mat. This motion will trigger the fitball to roll in in the direction of you.
Inhale. Prolong your knees to return to the beginning place, protecting your hips elevated the complete time. This motion will trigger the fitball to roll away from you.

Goal to finish 3 units of 10-12 repetitions.

Bulgarian break up squat

The Bulgarian break up squat is a compound train that requires steadiness and likewise works your quads (the muscle mass on the entrance of your thighs). It could possibly take a short while to seek out the correct foot placement, however that is an efficient decrease physique train when you do.

Be at liberty to start out along with your body weight as you discover your steadiness and confidence, after which progress to including weights like dumbbells.

With a bench or chair positioned behind you and a dumbbell in every hand, stand along with your ft shoulder-width aside. Fastidiously place your proper foot behind you with the ball of your foot resting on high of the bench. Shuffle your left foot ahead, if wanted, till you are feeling balanced. Your entrance standing leg ought to be about half a metre in entrance of the bench.
Maintain your arms by your sides to carry the dumbbells in a impartial grip (palms dealing with inwards). That is your beginning place.
Inhale. Bend each knees to roughly 90 levels, with out letting your entrance knee journey in entrance of your toes.
Exhale and push by means of the heel of your left foot and toe of your proper foot to increase each legs and return to the beginning place.

Goal to finish 10-12 repetitions on one aspect, earlier than finishing the remaining repetitions on the opposite aspect. Repeat this for a complete of three units.

Single leg glute bridge

This variation of the glute bridge provides an additional problem and checks your stability with out including any weights.

Lie flat in your again on a yoga mat. Bend your left knee and place your foot firmly on the mat, extending your proper leg immediately in entrance of you or to the ceiling, protecting your backbone in a impartial place along with your arms resting by your sides on the mat. That is your beginning place.
Inhale. Exhale. Press your left heel into the mat, activate your glutes and lift your pelvis off the ground till your physique kinds one straight line from chin to knee, resting in your shoulders.
Inhale. Decrease your pelvis to return to the beginning place. Full half of the required repetitions on the identical aspect earlier than finishing the remaining repetitions on the opposite aspect.

Single leg field squat

Do this single leg squat utilizing your body weight or enhance the problem by holding a plate, dumbbell or kettlebell all through the motion.

Place a bench horizontally behind you. Holding an optionally available weight plate with each palms towards your chest, stand along with your ft hip-width aside earlier than lifting your left foot so that you’re balancing in your proper leg. That is your beginning place.
Inhale. Protecting your left leg prolonged, bend at your hips and proper knee, protecting your knee according to your toes. Proceed bending your knee till you’ll be able to evenly sit on the bench behind you, along with your again remaining between a 45- to 90-degree angle to your hips.
Exhale. Push by means of the heel of your proper foot and prolong your leg to return to the beginning place. Full half of the required variety of repetitions on the identical aspect, earlier than finishing the remaining repetitions on the opposite aspect.

Hamstring workouts to do on the health club

The next gym-based workouts are a number of the strongest hamstring strengthening workouts you are able to do. Attempt to incorporate these into your decrease or full physique days with a concentrate on good type. Keep in mind, it’s extremely really helpful that you simply carry out a warm-up earlier than any weights session!

These workouts would require a superb vary of health club gear, however the additional resistance they supply will enable you to see extra progress. Simply bear in mind, so as to see and really feel outcomes you must constantly and usually work this space, with the proper type.

Standard deadlift

The traditional deadlift is the OG posterior chain train. As a robust compound train, your entire physique will profit from performing deadlifts.

Maintain a barbell in entrance of your legs with each palms in an overhand grip (palms dealing with in the direction of your physique) along with your ft shoulder-width aside. Draw your shoulder blades down and again to push your chest out barely. That is your beginning place.
Inhale. Bend your knees barely and with out altering the angle of your knees, hinge forwards out of your hips and permit the barbell to run alongside the size of your thighs and midway down your shins. Make sure you preserve a proud chest and hold your head according to your backbone. It’s best to really feel pressure in your hamstrings.
As you attain midway down your shins, exhale. Push by means of your heels and, utilizing your glutes and hamstrings, prolong your knees and hips to return to the beginning place. Be sure that the barbell stays near your legs.

Goal to finish 3 units of 10-12 repetitions.

Hamstring curl (leg curl machine)

No leg day on the health club is full with out a few units on the leg curl machine! Be sure to have the machine arrange properly and comfortably earlier than you start.

Start mendacity in a susceptible place (face down) on the leg curl machine. Place your legs beneath the round leg pad in order that your legs are straight and the pad is resting between your calf and your ankle. Place each palms on the handles. That is your beginning place.
As you exhale, hold your torso as nonetheless as attainable and bend your knees to tug your heels in the direction of your glutes and convey the round pad up. It’s best to really feel pressure in your hamstrings.
Inhale. Slowly prolong your knees to return to the beginning place.

Goal to finish 3 units of 10-12 repetitions.

Seated leg curl

If the machine isn’t accessible for susceptible leg curls, utilizing the seated leg curl machine is one other nice strategy to strengthen your hamstrings.

Start in a seated place on the leg curl machine along with your again pressed firmly into the again pad. Place your legs on the round leg pad so the pad is resting between your calf and your ankle. Regulate the place of the lap pad so it’s resting on high of your thighs. Place each palms on the handles. That is your beginning place.
As you exhale, hold your torso as nonetheless as attainable and bend your knees and push the round pad right down to deliver your heels in the direction of your glutes. It’s best to really feel pressure in your hamstrings (on the underside of your legs).
Inhale. Slowly prolong your knees to return to the beginning place. Repeat for the required variety of repetitions.

Cable hip extension

Higher physique workouts like lat-pulldowns, tricep pushdowns and cable flies are often among the many hottest cable machine workouts, however the cable hip extension reveals simply how helpful it may be for working your hamstrings, too.

Join the rope attachment and set the cable pulley on the backside of the pole. Flip to face away from the cable pulley. Standing one step away along with your ft barely additional than shoulder-width aside, protecting one foot on both aspect of the cable pulley. Place each palms on the rope with a impartial grip (palms dealing with inwards) and discover a impartial standing place, holding the rope immediately in entrance of your physique with arms prolonged. That is your beginning place.
Inhale. Whereas sustaining a slight bend in your knees, hinge ahead out of your hips till your torso is parallel to the ground.
As soon as your torso is parallel with the ground, exhale, push by means of your heels and use your glutes and hamstrings to increase your hips to return to the beginning place. Maintain your arms prolonged and relaxed. Repeat for the required variety of repetitions.

Sumo deadlift

A small change in your stance could make a giant distinction to your deadlift. Do this variation of a traditional deadlift in your subsequent leg day.

Holding a barbell or kettlebell with an overhand grip (palms dealing with in the direction of your physique) in entrance of your legs, stand along with your ft additional than hip-width aside and your ft pointing barely outwards. That is your beginning place.
Inhale. Bending from the hips solely, permit the barbell to run alongside the size of your thighs. As soon as the barbell reaches your knees, bend your knees and permit it to run midway down the size of your shins, protecting your chest proud and your head according to your backbone.
As you attain midway down your shins, exhale, push by means of your heels and use your glutes and hamstrings to increase your knees and hips to return to the beginning place. Be sure that the barbell stays near your legs.

Goal to finish 3 units of 10-12 repetitions.

Barbell glute bridge

What is the easiest strategy to take your glute bridge to the following stage? Add additional weight with a barbell.

Begin by mendacity flat in your again on a yoga mat. Bend your knees and place your ft firmly on the mat, hip-width aside along with your backbone in a impartial place. Lay a barbell throughout your hip bones, holding it with an overhand grip (palms dealing with in the direction of your physique). That is your beginning place.
As you exhale, press your heels into the mat, activate your glutes and lift your pelvis off the ground till your physique kinds one straight line from chin to knee, resting in your shoulders.
Inhale. Decrease your pelvis to return to the beginning place. Repeat for the required variety of repetitions.

Barbell hip thrust

This glute and hamstring barbell train might look just like a glute bridge, but it surely makes use of a bench. Each have a spot in a superb decrease physique program! Like deadlifts, that is an train the place you may take pleasure in seeing the burden you may elevate enhance over time.

Start seated on the bottom, with a bench positioned horizontally behind you, and your knees bent. Lay a barbell throughout your hips, holding it with each palms on both aspect of your hips. Relying on the burden of your barbell, you might wish to place a barbell pad or towel across the bar to extend consolation. Along with your knees bent and ft firmly planted on the ground, lean again onto the bench in order that it’s gently urgent into your higher again. That is your beginning place.
As you exhale, maintain onto the barbell, press your heels into the mat and squeeze your glutes to boost your hips off the ground till your physique kinds one straight line from chin to knee, resting your shoulders on the bench and protecting your head according to your backbone.
Inhale and decrease your hips to return to the beginning place, however with out resting your glutes on the mat. Repeat for the required variety of repetitions.

Strengthen your legs with hamstring workouts

Whether or not you like to exercise at house or take pleasure in a difficult leg day utilizing health club gear, together with a spread of hamstring workouts in your exercises is essential for creating energy and stability.

Now you realize a number of the greatest hamstring workouts, you may put them into apply! Keep in mind, the easiest way to realize outcomes along with your health is consistency. Be affected person and keep targeted in your journey.

Many hamstring workouts additionally contain your glutes, so it’s a good suggestion to incorporate some glute and hamstring stretches after your exercises for one of the best outcomes and restoration!

17 Highly effective Hamstring Workouts For Girls

The place are your hamstring muscle mass?