Hamstrings
10 exercises that train the hamstrings directly, compound lifts first. Pick one or two that suit your gym and train them hard and consistently. Steady progress on a few lifts beats rotating through all of them.
Surpass gives every set a target based on last time, so you know when to add weight.
The conventional deadlift lifts a barbell from the floor to standing, feet hip width and hands just outside the legs. It trains the whole posterior chain and grip, and is a key strength test for lifters comfortable with a hinge.
A Romanian deadlift done standing on a low platform so the bar can travel lower. The extra range puts the hamstrings and glutes on a longer stretch. Best for lifters who already own a solid RDL and have the hamstring flexibility to use the extra depth.
The dumbbell Romanian deadlift is a hip hinge holding a dumbbell in each hand, lowered down the front of your legs. It trains hamstrings and glutes with an easier setup than a barbell, suiting beginners and home gyms.
A barbell hinge with the bar on your upper back, bowing forward at the hips with soft knees. It works the hamstrings, glutes, and spinal erectors and builds hip strength for squats and deadlifts. Best for intermediate lifters with a solid hinge pattern.
A kneeling bodyweight hamstring exercise where you slowly lower your torso toward the floor with your ankles anchored. It is very demanding on the hamstrings, especially the lowering phase. Good for intermediate and advanced lifters and athletes.
The Romanian deadlift (RDL) is a hip hinge where you lower a barbell down your thighs with slightly bent knees, then stand back up. It's one of the best hamstring and glute builders and suits anyone who can hold a neutral back.
A one-leg hinge with dumbbells, tipping forward on the standing leg as the free leg reaches back. It trains hamstrings and glutes one side at a time and challenges balance. Good for runners, field-sport athletes, and anyone with side-to-side imbalances.
The lying leg curl is a machine exercise where you lie face down and curl a padded lever toward your glutes. It isolates the hamstrings at the knee and suits anyone adding direct hamstring work alongside hinges.
The seated leg curl isolates the hamstrings by bending the knee against resistance while your hips are flexed. That seated position stretches the hamstrings more than lying curls, making it one of the better machine choices for hamstring size, and it suits nearly everyone.
The standing leg curl trains one hamstring at a time by curling the heel toward the glute while standing against a pad. It is a good way to fix side-to-side differences and get focused hamstring work, and suits anyone with access to the machine.
These exercises work the hamstrings as a secondary muscle, which counts toward your weekly work but not as much as a direct set.
Direct weekly sets for the hamstrings in each free program. Secondary work is not counted.