The hamstrings are an essential muscle group for overall leg strength, balance, and injury prevention. Despite their importance, many people often overlook them in favor of training the more visible quadriceps. For men, focusing on hamstring workouts can lead to better athletic performance, better posture, and lower risk of injury. In this blog post, we’ll explore some of the best hamstring exercises that can help you develop a well-rounded leg routine and reap the benefits of stronger hamstring muscles.
Hamstring workouts for men
1. Romanian Deadlifts
Romanian deadlifts are a great compound exercise that targets the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back. They are especially good at building hamstring strength and improving hip mobility.
How to perform:
. Standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, hold a barbell or dumbbells in front of your thighs.
. Keep your chest up, your shoulders back, and your knees slightly bent.
. Hinge at the hips, push your glutes back and lower the weight through your legs until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings.
. Engage your hamstrings and glutes to bring your body back to the starting position.
. Perform 3 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions.
2. Butt Ham Augmentation
The glute-ham raise is an isolation exercise that focuses on both the hamstrings and the glutes. It is excellent for building strength and hamstring muscle mass in your hamstring workouts for men.
How to perform:
. Position yourself on a glute-ham bench, with your feet secured and your knees just behind the cushion.
. Start with your body in a horizontal position, parallel to the ground, and your arms crossed over your chest.
. Engage your hamstrings and glutes to lift your torso upward until it’s vertical.
. Slowly lower yourself back to the starting position.
. Perform 3 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions.
3. Leg Curl
The leg curl is a classic isolation exercise which primarily targets the hamstrings. It can be done on a machine or with a resistance band.
How to perform:
. Lie face down on a squat machine with the padded bar resting just above your ankles.
. Keep your torso flat on the bench and grab the handles for stability.
. Engage your hamstrings to curl your legs toward your glutes, stopping when your hamstrings are fully contracted.
. Slowly lower your legs back to the starting position.
. Perform 3 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions.
4. Swiss Ball Hamstring Curl
The Swiss ball hamstring curl is an effective bodyweight exercise that challenges the hamstrings and improves core stability in hamstring workouts for men.
How to perform:
. Lie on your back with your heels resting on a Swiss ball and your arms at your sides for support.
. Engage your core and lift your hips off the floor, forming a straight line from your shoulders to your heels.
. Use your hamstrings to pull the ball towards your glutes, bending your knees and keeping your hips elevated.
. Slowly straighten your legs to return to the starting position.
. Perform 3 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions.
5. Deadlift with stiff legs
The stiff-legged deadlift is a variation of the conventional deadlift that puts more emphasis on the hamstrings and lower back.
How to perform:
. Standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, hold a barbell or dumbbells in front of your thighs.
. Keep your chest up, your shoulders back, and your legs straight or with only a slight bend in your knees.
. Hinge at the hips, push your glutes back and lower the weight through your legs until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings.
. Engage your hamstrings and glutes to bring your body back to the starting position, maintaining the slight bend in your knees throughout the movement for a great hamstring workout for men.
. Perform 3 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions.
6. Romanian One-Leg Deadlift
The Romanian single-leg deadlift is a unilateral exercise that targets the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back while boosting balance and stability.
How to perform:
. Stand on one leg holding a dumbbell in the opposite hand.
. Keep your chest up, your shoulders back, and a slight bend in your standing leg.
. Hinge at the hips, push your glutes back and lower the weight onto your leg while extending the non-standing leg directly behind you.
. Engage your hamstrings and glutes to bring your body back to the starting position, maintaining balance throughout the movement.
. Perform 3 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions on each leg.
7. Nordic Hamstring Curl
The Nordic hamstring curl is an advanced bodyweight exercise that puts significant pressure on the hamstrings, making it very effective for building strength and muscle mass and is an excellent hamstring workout for people men.
How to perform:
. Kneel on a padded surface with your ankles secured by a partner or stationary object.
. Keep your body straight, hands ready to catch your fall.
. Slowly lower your torso forward, using your hamstrings to control the descent.
. When you can no longer control the movement, use your arms to catch yourself and push back to the starting position.
. Perform 3 sets of 5 to 8 repetitions.
Incorporating these hamstring exercises into your leg workout routine for men can help you build stronger, more balanced, well-defined legs. By focusing on hamstring workouts, you can improve your overall athletic performance, reduce injury risk, and achieve a more balanced physique. Remember to use proper form, increase resistance gradually, and allow adequate recovery time between workouts to maximize your results.
