Hamstring Exercises at Home (Hinges and Curls)
Hamstrings are the muscle group home training misses most often. Squats barely touch them, lunges only partly, and the exercise that trains them properly at home is one most people have never tried.
The best hamstring exercises at home are single-leg Romanian deadlifts, glute bridges, towel slider curls, Nordic curl negatives and bodyweight good mornings. Between them they cover both jobs the hamstrings do, which most routines fail to.
Your hamstrings cross two joints, so they need two kinds of exercise. Almost every home hamstring routine only does one of them, which is why people can deadlift respectably and still pull a hamstring sprinting for a bus. The section below explains the split, and it changes which exercises you pick.
What the hamstrings actually do
Three muscles at the back of the thigh, running from your sitting bones down past the knee. That last part matters: because they cross both the hip and the knee, they have two separate jobs.
| Job | What it looks like | Trained by |
|---|---|---|
| Hip extension | Driving your hips forward from a bent-over position | Romanian deadlifts, glute bridges, good mornings |
| Knee flexion | Bending your knee, heel toward your buttock | Slider curls, Nordic curls, hamstring walkouts |
The everyday version: hip extension is what pushes you up a hill, knee flexion is what stops your leg overshooting when you run. Both matter, and they are trained by completely different exercises.
Why most home hamstring training is half a programme
Nearly every home routine covers hip extension and skips knee flexion entirely. Romanian deadlifts, glute bridges and hip thrusts are all hinges. They are good exercises and they do train the hamstrings, but they leave one half of the muscle’s function untouched.
The reason is practical rather than deliberate. In a gym, knee flexion is trained on a lying or seated leg curl machine, and there is no obvious home equivalent. So the exercise quietly drops off the list.
This matters for injuries. Hamstring strains typically happen at speed, when the leg is swinging forward and the hamstring is working hard to slow it down. That is a lengthening knee-flexion action, and training the muscle only through hinges does relatively little to prepare it. Exercises that load the hamstring while it lengthens, particularly Nordic curls, have a good evidence base behind them for reducing hamstring injury rates in sport.
The good news is that towels, sliders and a sofa solve the problem for nothing. Both categories are covered below.
Hip extension exercises
1. Single-leg Romanian deadlift
Stand on one leg, knee softly bent. Hinge forward from the hip, letting the other leg extend straight behind you as a counterweight, keeping your back flat and your hips level. Go until you feel a firm stretch in the standing leg’s hamstring, then drive your hips forward to stand.
The best bodyweight hinge there is, because standing on one leg loads the hamstring far more than a two-legged version. Hold a dumbbell or a loaded bag in the opposite hand once it becomes easy. 3 sets of 8 each side.
Balance is the limiting factor at first. Touch a wall with one fingertip rather than giving up the exercise.
2. Bodyweight good morning
Stand with feet hip-width, hands crossed on your chest or behind your head, knees softly bent. Push your hips backward and lower your torso toward parallel with the floor, keeping your back flat. Squeeze your glutes to return.
The purest way to learn the hip hinge, and useful as a warm-up before anything heavier. Stop the moment your lower back starts to round, which for most beginners is well above parallel. 3 sets of 12.
3. Single-leg glute bridge
Lie on your back, one knee bent with the foot flat, the other leg extended. Push through the grounded heel to lift your hips, keeping them level, then lower slowly.
To bias the hamstrings rather than the glutes, move your foot further away from your body so your leg is straighter. The closer the heel, the more it becomes a glute exercise. 3 sets of 10 each side.
4. Dumbbell Romanian deadlift
Stand holding a dumbbell in each hand in front of your thighs, knees softly bent. Push your hips backward and let the dumbbells travel down the front of your legs, back flat, until you feel a strong stretch. Drive your hips forward to stand.
The loaded version, and the one to progress toward. Go lighter than you expect and prioritise a flat back over depth. 3 sets of 10 to 12. There is more in the dumbbell leg workout.
Knee flexion exercises
The half everyone skips. All four of these work with household objects.
5. Towel slider curl
Lie on your back on a hard floor, knees bent, heels on a folded towel or a pair of socks. Lift your hips into a bridge and hold them there. Slowly slide your heels away from you until your legs are nearly straight, then pull them back in, keeping your hips lifted throughout.
The most useful exercise on this page. It trains knee flexion under load with nothing but a towel, and the hips staying up is what makes it hard. If your hips drop as you slide out, shorten the range. 3 sets of 8 to 10.
Carpet will not work. You need a hard floor and something that slides.
6. Nordic curl negative
Kneel on a cushion with your ankles anchored under a sofa, a heavy bed frame, or held by someone. Keeping your body in a straight line from knee to head, lower yourself forward as slowly as you can, catching yourself with your hands. Push back up with your arms and repeat.
Extremely hard and extremely effective. Most people can only control the first 20 degrees at first, which is fine. Lower slowly through the range you can control and let your hands take over.
Start with 2 sets of 3, and expect to be sore for several days after the first session. That is normal and it settles quickly with repeated exposure. Do not do these the day before anything that matters.
7. Hamstring walkout
Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat. Lift your hips into a bridge and hold. Take small steps with your heels, walking your feet away from you until your legs are nearly straight, then walk them back in. Hips stay up throughout.
An easier version of the slider curl that works on carpet, and a good stepping stone if sliders are too hard. 3 sets of 5 walkouts.
8. Standing hamstring curl
Stand holding a chair for balance. Bend one knee to bring your heel toward your buttock, keeping your thighs level with each other, then lower slowly. Add a resistance band around the ankle, anchored behind you, once bodyweight is easy.
The gentlest knee flexion option, and the right starting point if you are older, deconditioned or returning from a break. 2 sets of 12 each side. The resistance band leg workout covers the banded version.
The hamstring workout
Two exercises from each category, which is the whole point. Warm up for five minutes first, and the warm-up routine covers it.
| # | Exercise | Sets and reps | Job |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Single-leg Romanian deadlift | 3 x 8 each side | Hip extension |
| 2 | Towel slider curl | 3 x 8 to 10 | Knee flexion |
| 3 | Single-leg glute bridge | 3 x 10 each side | Hip extension |
| 4 | Nordic curl negative | 2 x 3 to 5 | Knee flexion |
| 5 | Bodyweight good morning | 2 x 12 | Hip extension |
About 25 minutes. Twice a week, with at least two days between sessions. If you are new to Nordic curls, do them once a week to begin with, because the soreness is genuinely substantial.
A glute and hamstring workout
These two train together naturally, because both extend the hip and most hinge exercises hit both. The difference is emphasis.
| Exercise | Sets and reps | Bias |
|---|---|---|
| Hip thrust | 3 x 10 to 12 | Glutes |
| Romanian deadlift | 3 x 10 | Hamstrings |
| Towel slider curl | 3 x 8 | Hamstrings |
| Step-up | 3 x 8 each leg | Glutes |
| Single-leg glute bridge | 2 x 10 each side | Both |
The simplest rule for shifting emphasis on any bridge or thrust: the straighter your leg, the more hamstring; the more bent your knee, the more glute. Upper glute exercises covers the glute side properly.
Hamstring stretches
Three that cover most needs. Hold each for 30 seconds, two or three times per side, and breathe rather than bracing against the stretch.
Standing hamstring stretch
Place one heel on a low step or chair with the leg straight. Keeping your back flat, hinge forward from the hip until you feel a stretch down the back of the thigh. Do not round your spine to reach further, since that stretches your back rather than your hamstring.
Lying hamstring stretch
Lie on your back with one knee bent, foot flat. Raise the other leg toward the ceiling, holding behind the thigh with both hands or looping a towel around the foot. Keep your lower back flat against the floor.
The gentlest version and the safest for anyone with back trouble, because the floor supports your spine. This is the one to use if you are older or unsure.
Seated hamstring stretch
Sit on the edge of a chair, extend one leg with the heel on the floor and toes up. Keeping your back flat, lean forward from the hips.
Works at a desk and suits anyone who finds floor work awkward, which is why it appears in the leg exercises for seniors guide too.
Why tight hamstrings might not be short
Worth knowing, because a lot of people stretch daily for months without their hamstrings feeling any looser.
The sensation of tightness is produced by your nervous system, not purely by muscle length. It is partly a protective response: if a muscle feels weak or unaccustomed in a lengthened position, your body limits the range to keep you out of trouble. Stretching a hamstring that is actually just underprepared tends to produce temporary relief that fades within hours.
Which is why strengthening through range often works better than stretching. Exercises that load the hamstring while it is long, such as Romanian deadlifts and slow slider curls, tend to improve both flexibility and the feeling of tightness more durably than passive stretching alone.
Stretch as well if you like it. Just do not expect it to be the whole answer, and there is more on the distinction in how to improve flexibility.
Five mistakes
- Only doing hinges. The big one. Romanian deadlifts and bridges leave half the muscle’s function untrained. Add a curl variation.
- Rounding the lower back on hinges. Stop when your back starts to round, not when you reach a target depth. Depth is not the goal.
- Too many Nordic curls too soon. Two sets of three is a real session. The soreness after a first attempt is legendary for a reason.
- Sliders on carpet. They do not slide. Use a hard floor, or do walkouts instead.
- Stretching a hamstring that hurts. Aggressive stretching of a recently strained hamstring can make things worse. Persistent pain is worth a physiotherapist rather than more stretching.
Bridges recruit the hamstrings more than thrusts do. Glute bridge vs hip thrust covers why.
To drill the hinge itself before loading it, see the good morning exercise.
Where to go next
Hamstrings are the half of the leg that squats miss, which is exactly why what muscles do squats work recommends adding a hinge. This is that hinge work, plus the knee flexion that even hinges leave out.
For a complete lower body session, pair this with the beginner leg workout at home or the dumbbell leg workout. If glutes are your focus, upper glute exercises goes deeper on that side.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best hamstring exercises at home?
Single-leg Romanian deadlifts and glute bridges for hip extension, plus towel slider curls and Nordic curl negatives for knee flexion. You need both types, because the hamstrings cross two joints.
Can you train hamstrings without equipment?
Yes. Single-leg Romanian deadlifts, single-leg glute bridges, bodyweight good mornings, hamstring walkouts and towel slider curls all need nothing but a floor and a towel. Nordic curls need something to anchor your ankles, such as a sofa.
Do squats work your hamstrings?
Less than most people assume. The hamstrings work as stabilisers in a squat rather than as prime movers, because they extend the hip and bend the knee at the same time, and those roles partly cancel out. Squats need pairing with a hinge.
How often should I train hamstrings?
Twice a week with at least two days between sessions. If you are including Nordic curls, once a week is enough at first because the soreness is substantial.
What is the best hamstring stretch?
The lying hamstring stretch is the safest, because the floor supports your back and you cannot round your spine to cheat. Hold for 30 seconds, two or three times per side.
Why do my hamstrings always feel tight?
Tightness is generated by your nervous system as much as by muscle length, often as a protective response when a muscle feels underprepared in a lengthened position. Strengthening through range usually helps more durably than stretching alone.
What is a Nordic curl and do I need one?
You kneel with your ankles anchored and lower your torso forward as slowly as you can. It loads the hamstring while it lengthens, which is the action involved in most hamstring strains, and it has a good evidence base for reducing that risk. Very hard, and worth building toward gradually.
Should I train glutes and hamstrings together?
They pair naturally, since both extend the hip and most hinge exercises train both. Shift the emphasis with leg position: straighter legs bias the hamstrings, more bent knees bias the glutes.
This article is general information for healthy adults, not medical advice. If you have an existing hamstring injury, a back condition, or ongoing pain at the back of the thigh, check with a doctor or physiotherapist before starting. Sudden sharp pain in the back of the thigh during exercise should be assessed rather than stretched or trained through. General activity guidance from the NHS, Physical activity guidelines for adults aged 19 to 64.
