3 Good Hamstring Isolation Exercises for Strength

1) Hip hinge of choice

2) Leg curl of choice

3) Repeat 1

4) Repeat 2

RDLs and seated leg curls. That’s it

RDLs, good mornings, seated leg curls. i don’t think 4 is necessary or even optimal if you’re approaching those 3 with enough intensity and volume appropriate for you

If you had to choose 4 hamstring exercises with the goal of obtaining the greatest gains, what would they be?

I want to do hamstrings in two days, with a volume of 12 series and enlighten me.

If you're not feeling RDLs in your hamstrings, then you're either bending your knees too much, not hinging your hips and pointing your glutes back and up, or your not being precise and deliberate with your technique. Fix your form and you'll see a big difference.

I'm looking for a third hamstring exercise that isn't a leg curl variation, can you reccomend me some? Thank you in advance.

Rdls are one of the few exercise where even now after years of training every time after a session I will feel sore. 

the fact that every variation gives you back pain, barbell, dumbbell, single leg, even nordics, makes me think it's less about the exercise and more about hip hinge sequencing across the board. if your hips shoot up before your torso on the way up, or your low back rounds to catch the weight instead of your hips driving it, that pattern follows you into any hinge you try. worth filming yourself from the side on something light and watching if the weight stays close to your legs the whole rep or drifts forward.

the nordics one is the tell for me honestly, those shouldn't load your low back at all if done right, that usually means you're using your hips to catch the fall instead of controlling it purely with the hamstrings bending at the knee. if that's happening there your hip flexors are compensating in a lift that's supposed to isolate hamstrings, which points to a pattern issue rather than a machine issue

Leg curl and romanian deadlift

Gained the most mass from lying leg curls. Don’t know why, but I get a crazy pump from those and hardly feel Romanian deadlifts in my hams.

What’s your favorite exercise for hamstring isolation where glutes and quads cannot take over?

My hamstrings, esp my left one, are very weak and in combination exercises my quads and glutes will do everything they can to do the work instead. I’m looking for hamstring isolation moves I can do at the end of my workout to make sure they’re getting at least some work.

I do not have access to a gym / machines or barbells. I do have some dumbbells of various weights, a kettlebell, bands, sliders, and would be willing to buy inexpensive specialty equipment (under $50ish?).

I have tried Romanian deadlifts, split squats, Bulgarian split squats, single leg deadlifts, single leg hip thrusts - all with body weight or dumbbell/kettlebell - for all I have the problem of feeling it primarily in my glutes and/or quads. I’ve attempted Nordic curls but I don’t have the strength to really do them at all. I’ve had the most success with glute bridge heel slides but lately they just haven’t been doing it for me.

Keep in mind where you feel it doesn't necessarily mean where is being worked - it's usually that you'll feel the weakest muscle not necessarily the one working the most.

B stance Romanians can help. If you're aiming for hammies, any split squat stance you'll want to be further apart. More narrow will work quads more. Most exercises that target the hamstrings will also target the glutes and that's okay.

As heavy as you can find hip thrusts with the heels further out will also target hammies, though can be hard to hold (dumbbells etc) to get it heavy enough.

Keep it up with Nordic curl regressions. This Instagram post has some alternative examples: (not my account)

There are some specialized things to help keep dumbbells on your feet for at home hamstring curls, but I don't know if they actually work and they're $$.

If you can get an inflatable exercise ball doing single leg swiss ball curls are an incredible hamstring exercise. I had a hamstring tendon weakness a few years ago and that was the most effective PT exercise that I did to strengthen them. Single leg RDLs with a dumbbell are really good too. 

I am working out in my home gym and would like to add a hamstring isolation.

I am already doing rdls so I would like to have something that's not a hip hinge.

Any ideas?

Nordic curls maybe, but I don't know, they suck and I am weak

I’ve posted here in the past about struggling to shift from barbell RDLs to dumbell RDLs (switched gyms) and I STILL haven’t figured it out and I’m at a loss. I tried switching things up to do single leg RDLs and the leg curl machine and Nordic curls and all lead to lower back pain.

I feel like I’ve tried everything (high weight/low reps, low weight/high reps, adjusting the leg/back pad 100s of different ways, shifting hips, not going as low, going deeper, developing core, curving back less and more) literally feels like I’ve done everything.

There are only two exercises that work:
- lying leg curl which my gym doesn’t have
- deadlifts with a Straight bar, but I’m about to max out the highest weight my gym has

I’m scared to try the smith machine of fear of hurting myself but I think I might have to.

For context my other leg exercises are weighted reverse lunges, goblet squats, deadlift, hip abductor

I’m ok abandoning hamstrings if my other exercises work them or if I can find new exercises that better Incorporate them but I jsut don’t know what to do

Any help appreciated for hamstring isolated exercises or compound exercises that best use hamstrings!!

Nordic curls are one of the best exercises if you can get the set up. You'll need something solid to hook your feet under and as a beginner you'll need something to hook band assistance to and/or start at an incline.

You can use eccentrics and push yourself up with either hands or some kind of support rod if that's all you have available.

Even being able to do 1 unassisted rep on flat is a huge achievement.

Do you have resistance bands? You can do banded hamstring curls.

Hamstring rollouts on a Swiss ball. Focus on the eccentric part. I started with both legs, graduated to single legs. For the single legs you can also do them with a foam roller. The eccentric part of the movement and hold really targets the hamstrings. You can also do Nordics holding some of your weight with your arms until you’re strong enough.

Despite having decent-sized glutes and quads, my hamstrings are lame. Currently for hamstrings I do good mornings, single-leg deadlifts, and seated back extensions. I feel like there aren't a lot of hamstring isolation exercises.

I have some hamstring muscle, but they don't pop. Not sure if the muscle is just small or if it's there but covered by fat. Or both lol.

Nordic curls for the win! But dear god, they are worse than Bulgarian Split Squats.

RDL and good mornings. Walking lunges sometimes

I tried RDLs today and it ruined my day. I know they’re not really beginner friendly but I got cocky and learned my lesson lol. I’m looking for a good hamstring workout thats not just leg curls