Hamstring Exercises
Hamstrings are one of the most crucial muscles in the lower human body. By facilitating the movement of hips and knees, these muscles are vital for walking, running, and climbing. These muscles lie in the back of the thighs, acting as a connection bridge between hips and knees. By strengthening your hamstrings, you can easily improve your agility, athleticism, and stamina. While most of you might think that you need weights and gym machines for stronger hamstrings, you don’t. To help you better, here we’ll check out the 9 best hamstring exercises without equipment.
Glute Bridge
Target Muscles – Hamstrings, Glutes, Quadriceps, Lower Back, Core, Abs
The Glute Bridge is one of the best exercises to stretch, tone, and strengthen the hamstring muscles. Furthermore, it helps to provide perfect shape to the thighs and buttocks. If done correctly, this workout can also help in eliminating excess fat from the core and abs area. Also, it helps to alleviate lower back pain by strengthening and stretching it.
How To Do The Glute Bridge Exercise?
- Lie down on the floor on your back and place your palms on the floor near your thighs.
- Bend your knees to bring your feet closer to your buttocks. Make sure that your heels are completely on the floor.
- While squeezing your hamstrings, use your core and lower body strength to raise your hips off the floor. Thus, your body will be balanced on your shoulders and heels.
- Stop when your shoulders, core, thighs, and knees come in a straight line.
- Hold this position for as long as possible without allowing your hips to dip.
- After that, slowly lower your body onto the floor.
- Repeat these steps 4-5 times daily.
Single Leg Romanian Deadlift
Target Muscles – Hamstrings, Glutes, Adductors, Back, Core
The Single Leg Romanian Deadlift is one of the best exercises to target your core, back, and lower body muscles. If done properly, this exercise helps to fortify and build the hamstrings muscles & glutes. Thus, it facilitates better speed, athleticism, stability, and explosive power in the lower body. Furthermore, it also improves the back strength while toning the core that Unbeatable Hamstring Exercises.
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How To Do The Single Leg Romanian Deadlift Exercise?
- Stand straight with both your feet apart at a shoulder-width distance. Hold a 1000ml water bottle in each hand to use as a weight.
- Now bend your knees slightly and keep the bottles in front of your thighs with straight arms.
- Squeeze your hamstrings and bend your upper body forward to lower your arms towards the floor. At the same time, raise your right leg backward.
- Stop when your upper body and right leg are in a straight line. While doing these steps, make sure to keep your back completely straight.
- Hold this position for 1-2 seconds and then slowly stand back to the initial position.
- Repeat these steps 15-30 times per set with alternate legs.
Single-Leg Glute Bridge
Muscles Worked – Hamstrings, Glutes, Quadriceps, Lower Back, Core, Abs
As the name suggests, the Single Leg Glute Bridge is a variation of the traditional glute bridge exercise. If done correctly, this workout can help to tone, build, and fortify the hamstrings and glutes. Furthermore, it helps to improve body balance, agility, mobility, and flexibility.
How To Do The Single Leg Glute Bridge Exercise?
- Lay down on the floor on your back. Extend your arms straight to place both palms on the floor near your thighs.
- Bend your knees to bring your feet close to your buttocks with heels entirely on the floor.
- Now lift your right leg and extend it straight up in the air. Stop when the lower right leg is in line with the left (leg) thigh.
- After that, squeeze your core and hamstrings to lift your hips off the floor. Stop when your shoulders, back, buttocks, thighs, and right leg come in a straight line.
- Hold this position for a second and then lower down your body slowly onto the ground.
- Do these steps again 15-20 times per set and then switch legs.
Lateral Lunges
Target Muscles – Hamstrings, Glutes, Quadriceps, Hips
Lateral Lunges are a highly effective lower-body workout that can be done without equipment. If done correctly, this exercise will tone, build, and fortify all your major lower body muscles. Furthermore, it’s also very helpful for improving agility, balance, mobility, and athleticism of the body and Unbeatable Hamstring Exercises.
How To Do The Lateral Lunges Exercise?
- Stand straight with both your feet apart at a shoulder-width.
- Now lift your right leg off the floor and place it wide to your right side.
- After that, bend your right knee to lower your buttocks diagonally to the right side. While doing so, make sure your left leg is completely straight.
- Go as low as possible without losing your balance. Then, push your right leg to stand back into the initial position.
- Do the same with your left leg to your left side.
- Repeat these steps 15-20 times on both sides per set.
Box Step Ups
Muscles Worked – Hamstrings, Glutes, Quadriceps, Calves, Core
Box Step Ups is an amazingly effective exercise for toning, building, and strengthening your entire lower body. This workout helps to improve body balance, steadiness, stamina, mobility, and explosiveness. Furthermore, it also targets your abdominal muscles to eliminate stubborn belly fat.
How To Do The Box Step Ups Exercise?
- Stand straight in front of a big, sturdy box or a big stair-step.
- Lift your right foot off the floor and place it on top of the box.
- Immediately after that, lift your left foot off the floor and get on top of the box.
- While doing so, squeeze both your hamstring muscles. Don’t place the left foot on the box, instead, keep it in the air as if you’re taking a step.
- Reverse these steps slowly to return to the initial position.
- Repeat these steps 15-30 times per set and then switch legs.
Sumo Squats
Muscles Worked – Hamstrings, Glutes, Inner Thighs, Quadriceps, Calves, Hips
As it’s self-evident, this exercise is a variation of the traditional squats exercise. Apart from all other muscles that squat targets, this exercise also targets the inner thighs. Thus, Sumo Squats are more intense and effective in toning, building, and strengthening the lower body. Furthermore, it helps to enhance your speed, steadiness, balance, and jumping power.
How To Do The Sumo Squats Exercise?
- Stand straight with both your feet apart at twice your shoulder-width.
- Now turn the toes of both your feet outwards, i.e. in opposite direction at about 45-degrees.
- After that, bend your knees and extend your hips backward to lower your body. While doing so, make sure to keep your back completely straight. Also, don’t let your knees extend ahead of your toes.
- Go as low as possible without losing balance, and then stand back slowly to the initial position.
- Repeat these steps 15-30 times per set.
Mountain Climbers
Muscles Worked – Hamstrings, Glutes, Quadriceps, Calves, Core, Triceps, Abs, Shoulders
When it comes to the best complete body exercises without equipment, mountain climbers are one of the best. This amazing bodyweight workout targets all the major lower body muscles to build strength and shape. Furthermore, it also helps to eliminate extra body fat from the upper body areas like the core and abs and Unbeatable Hamstring Exercises.
How To Do The Mountain Climbers Exercise?
- Get down on the floor into the extended arms plank pose or initial push-up position.
- Now lift your right foot off the floor and bring your right knee towards your chest.
- After that, return your right foot to the initial position. Immediately after that, do the same with your left foot and leg.
- Keep doing these steps with alternate legs as if you’re running up a vertical wall. Stop when you feel like you’re exhausted.
- Do 2-3 sets of this exercise.
Bulgarian Split Squat
Muscles Worked – Hamstrings, Glutes, Quadriceps, Calves
The Bulgarian Split Squat is another top-notch exercise to fortify your entire lower body. If done correctly, this workout will help to shape and build strong hamstrings, glutes, quadriceps, and calves. Furthermore, it helps to improve body balance, quickness, athleticism, and control.
How To Do The Bulgarian Split Squat Exercise?
- Stand straight with both legs apart at a shoulder-width. Place a sturdy chair or a bench approximately 1.5 feet behind you.
- Now raise your right leg and bend your knee to place your right foot on top of the bench.
- After that, lower your body slowly by bending both knees at about 90-degrees. Make sure that your left knee doesn’t go further than your toes.
- Stop when your right knee almost touches the floor.
- Squeeze your hamstrings to stand back slowly to the previous standing position.
- Repeat these steps 15-20 times per set, and then switch both legs.
Jump Squats
Target Muscles – Hamstrings, Glutes, Quadriceps, Calves, Abs
Self-evidently, this exercise is another variation of the conventional squats workout. By doing this workout correctly, you can build, fortify, and shape your lower-body muscles. Furthermore, it’s a great exercise for people involved in sports or athletic activities. This workout can help you run faster, jump higher, and react quicker and Unbeatable Hamstring Exercises
How To Do The Jump Squats Exercise?
- Stand straight with both your feet apart at a hip-width distance.
- Now bend your knees and extend your butt back to lower down your body to squat. Don’t allow your knees to extend further than your toes and keep your back completely straight.
- Stop when your thighs become parallel to the floor. While standing back up, squeeze your hamstrings to jump up high in the air.
- Land back on the floor and get into the squat position again.
- Repeat these steps 15-30 times per set.
The Bottom Line!
By including these exercises in your legs’ workout day, you can easily build rock-strong hamstrings. However, you’ll need to eat healthy foods rich in proteins, vitamins, minerals, and other essential nutrients. Always remember, your diet plays a bigger role in your body’s overall fitness than exercise. Thus, we recommend that you get a proper diet plan from a licensed dietician near your place.
