Unlock Leg Strength – Top 5 Bodyweight Hamstring Exercises

You have a wealth of excellent leg exercises at your disposal if you’re in the gym, but what if you’re trying to get a great leg workout from the comfort of home? How can you make great gains in leg strength and hypertrophy if you have little to no equipment at your disposal?

As it would turn out, there’s a wide variety of bodyweight exercises available for all the major muscle groups of the legs, including your glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves. Today, we’re covering the Top 5 bodyweight hamstring exercises that’ll make those hammies squeal!

Fill your water bottle, get in a warm-up, and let’s get to work, fitness fam!

 

Top 5 Bodyweight Hamstring Exercises

You don’t need a big, bulky barbell or specialized machines to give those hamstrings a solid workout. Here are the best exercises for hamstrings without equipment.

 

1. Nordic Curls

The Nordic curl provides some major posterior chain muscle activation, including the lower back, glutes, calves, and, of course, the hamstrings.

According to the British Journal of Sports Medicine, incorporating the Nordic curl in your hamstring workout without equipment may reduce your risk of hamstring injury by up to 51%.

To perform the Nordic curl with proper form:

1. Begin in a kneeling position with your chest tall, core braced, and back straight.
2. Secure your feet by wedging them under a heavy piece of furniture or asking a friend to hold them.
3. Slowly lower your torso towards the floor using your hamstrings to control the descent.
4. Continue until you reach the floor and end in a push-up position.
5. Pause, then use your hamstrings to bring yourself back to the starting position.
6. Repeat as needed.

 

2. Walking Lunges

The walking lunge and other lunge variations are essential calisthenics for hamstrings, quads, and other lower body muscle groups. With no equipment whatsoever, you get a great stretch and plenty of muscle activation, helping improve your hamstrings’ strength, size, and endurance.

To perform walking lunges with proper form:

1. Take a big step forward with your right leg, leaving your left foot planted behind you.
2. Lean forward into the right leg, bending the knee until it forms a 90-degree angle. Let your left knee drop as well, lightly touching the floor as you lean into the front leg.
3. Pause, then drive into your right heel, lift your left foot, and take a big step forward with the left foot now, leaving the right foot in place.
4. Lean into your left leg, bending the knee, and let your right knee touch down.
5. Continue in this fashion, alternating leading legs for each step, until you reach the desired distance or number of reps.

 

3. Good Mornings

A 2014 study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research ranked the good morning exercise as one of the best in terms of hamstring muscle activation. It’s also one of the best for lengthening the hamstrings, helping improve hamstring flexibility and mobility.

To perform the good morning exercise with proper form:

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Push your hips back and lower your chest towards the floor. Your legs should be mostly straight except for a very slight bend in your knees to protect the joint.
3. Continue bringing your chest forward until it’s nearly parallel with the floor. You should feel a strong stretch in your hamstring muscles.
4. Pause, then slowly reverse the movement to return to the starting position.

 

4. Hamstring Slider Leg Curls

The hamstring slider leg curls exercise technically does use some equipment, but you definitely don’t need super official workout sliders to get the job done; a simple hand towel will do the trick.

Nonetheless, it’s a great movement for hitting the hamstrings, glutes, and core muscles too.

To perform the hamstring sliders exercise with proper form:

1. Lie on your back with your feet approximately shoulder-width apart and your heels on workout sliders, small towels, or anything that would slide across a smooth floor.
2. Place your arms at your sides and push into the floor as you lift your hips upward into a glute bridge. This is your starting position.
3. Slide your heels towards your butt using your hamstrings.
4. Squeeze the contraction, then slowly slide back to your starting position.

 

5. Jump Squats

One of the single best hamstring calisthenics exercises is the jump squat, which involves squatting normally and exploding from the bottom into a vertical leap.

According to the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, “jump squats may be an effective exercise for developing [power output] given the high velocities and forces generated,” meaning it’s a simple, effective, and equipment-free way of enhancing your athletic abilities.

To perform jump squats with proper form:

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, chest tall, core tight, and back straight.
2. Push your hips back and bend your knees to squat, keeping the weight on your heels.
3. Continue until your thighs are nearly parallel with the floor.
4. From the bottom, explode upward, extending your knees and pushing off of the floor with the balls of your feet into a vertical jump. Jump as high as possible.
5. Land softly, bringing the hips back and bending the knees to absorb the shock and cycle into the next rep.
6. Repeat as needed.

 

3 Pieces of Equipment That Could Help

 

1. Dual Sided Exercise Gliding Discs

 

2. Stretching Strap

 

3. Doorway Foot Holder 

 

The Importance of Strengthening Your Hamstrings

Strengthening your hamstrings is crucial for collecting those garden variety gym gains, namely improved strength, muscle size, and muscular endurance, but what else can you expect to get from hitting the hammies on the reg?

 

Reduced Risk of Injury

With greater strength comes a reduced risk of injury.

According to the Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, “exercise is a key strategy to reduce the hamstring injury incidence,” meaning movements like the Nordic curl could be the difference between keeping healthy and suffering a potentially devastating hamstring injury.

 

Faster Sprints

A 2021 study published in Frontiers in Sports and Active Living examined the relationship between isolated hamstring-strengthening exercises in terms of muscle activity and force production while sprinting.

The results indicated that sprinters who performed hamstring strengthening exercises like the Nordic curl performed better during top-speed sprint training.

 

Less Aches and Pains

Did you know conditions like chronic low back pain affect more than half a billion people worldwide?

Studies show that hamstring tightness could be a contributing factor to these common ailments, meaning a comprehensive bodyweight hamstring workout routine with strength and mobility exercises may help you avoid low back pain or reduce symptoms of low back pain if you are already suffering from it.

 

Incorporating Exercises for Hamstrings Without Equipment into Your Normal Routine

So, when’s the best time to work hamstring exercises into your regular routine?

Many gym goers follow a training split that tackles each major muscle group on a separate day, pairing synergistic groups like the back and biceps or chest and triceps.

Leg muscles are often grouped together in a leg day split, which targets lower body muscles including the glutes, quads, hamstrings, and calves in one dedicated workout.

Hamstring exercises can also be worked into full-body workouts too. Sometimes, people even split leg day into two: Quads and Calves on one day and glutes and hamstrings on another day.

 

A Complete Hamstring Workout Without Weights

Putting together a complete hamstring workout without weights is easier than it sounds.

For a sample workout, try stringing together the above exercises as follows:

• 10 Nordic curls
• 10 walking lunges
• 10 good mornings
• 10 hamstring slider leg curls
• 10 jump squats

 

Beginners should rest as much as they need and always listen to their body. Whenever you find your form deteriorating from fatigue, end the workout and stretch to cool down.

Novice and advanced fitness enthusiasts, on the other hand, should minimize the rest and look to move through the set quickly. For even more calorie burn, repeat the set twice or even three times against a running clock and try to beat your time as you progress!

 

Calisthenics for Hamstrings Burns a Lot of Calories

Many personal trainers and nutritionists boil down weight loss to a calories in, calories out binary system. Put simply: if you burn more calories than you eat, you should lose weight.

Weight loss isn’t always as simple as that, but it’s a good general guideline if you’re looking to lose weight and don’t have the time or money to meet with a qualified fitness professional.

Eating right is an important piece of the puzzle, but exercising regularly using exercises just like our bodyweight hamstring exercises will be a great asset along your weight loss journey.

According to Harvard Health Publishing, moderate calisthenics can burn between 135 and 336 calories in 30 minutes depending on your weight and the intensity of the exercise. So, combined with an active lifestyle, proper nutrition, getting enough sleep, and drinking plenty of water, you’ll be well on your way towards your fitness goals.

 

Workout Your Hamstrings With Your Glutes

Pairing glute workouts with your hamstrings is a match made in heaven. After all, many lower body exercises are compound exercises, meaning they are multi-joint movements that target multiple muscle groups in one convenient move.

That means combining your hamstring workouts with glutes, quads, and calves will often be intuitive and effective.

 

Stretching, Warm-Up, and Activation is Very Important

Lastly, don’t forget, warming up is paramount for optimizing athletic performance and preventing injury. A good warm-up gets your heart rate up, increases blood flow, and lengthens the muscles you’re about to work.

Many personal trainers use the “cold rubber band” metaphor here and, while it’s cliché, it’s unequivocally accurate. Cold muscles are more likely to suffer pain, strain, and injuries.

So, don’t put yourself in harm’s way; begin each workout with light cardio, dynamic stretches, mobility exercises, or some combination. Your body will thank you when you don’t get hurt!