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Top 4 Bodyweight Exercises for Hamstrings

By on March 1, 2021
You may have struggled to find bodyweight leg exercises for your home bodyweight workout. However, the fact of the matter is that: lower body bodyweight leg exercises are not rare. It is just that most of them are overlooked. There are plenty of bodyweight hamstring exercises that you can include in your home workouts. Here are our top recommendations and we also have a more detailed article on the best bodyweight exercises for hamstrings. fitness women

Bodyweight Single Leg Deadlifts

А straight leg variation of the deadlift can help you load your hamstrings whilst only requiring your bodyweight and no special equipment whatsoever. Here is how you can perform this deadlift alternative:
  1. Start by standing with your, feet flat on the ground next to each other. Straighten your back and hold your head as an extension of your spine. In the starting position, the arms are lowered to the side of the body. Slightly more difficult is the option in which the hands are raised in the starting position.
  2. Then raise one leg in the air. Your leg should only bend slightly at the knee. Squeeze your hips, tilt your torso forward, and at the same time extend and stretch your free leg backwards. At the same time, lower your outstretched arms down until you touch the floor with your fingers or at least until your torso is parallel to the floor.
  3. Hold this position for 1-2 seconds. Then, gently lift your body and return to the starting position. Repeat until around 8-10 reps, then do the same with the opposite leg.

Single Leg Glute Bridge

The glute is a basic exercise that can strengthen the hamstrings and buttocks. When performing this exercise with one leg, the load is the same as when lifting with the legs and knees together. Still, the intensity increases because all the weight falls on a single leg. The position is more challenging to balance, and this increases the involvement of the stabilizing muscles. Here is how you perform the single leg glute bridge:
  1. Lie on your back with your lower body touching the ground. Your legs and knees should be gathered together. Raise one leg from the ground, parallel to your body.
  2. Exhale and raise your pelvis as high as possible. Do not try to help yourself with your hands, as their job is to help balance the movement.
  3. Hold at the top point for a second. Then inhale and slowly lower your body to the starting position. As soon as your pelvis touches the floor, without a pause and without relaxing the muscles, proceed to the next repetition.
  4. The movement must be smooth and controlled. Perform the specified number of repetitions, switch legs and repeat the same on the other side. Try to perform 3 sets of 10 – 12 repetitions for each leg.

Bodyweight Stationary Lunges

Stationary Lunges are performed without taking a step forwards or backwards. The main load is on the quadriceps. The movement is supported by the muscles of the buttocks and back of the hamstrings. Here is how to perform this variation:
  1. Stand up straight with your legs together or slightly apart. Place one of your feet about a step forward in front of the body and the toes of the other foot about a step behind it.
  2. Straighten your back, place your arms on your waist or let them hang freely on the side of your body, tighten your back and abdomen muscles, and descend. Inhale and lower your body down slowly and in a controlled manner. Keep your back straight, and make sure that the weight of your body is on the front foot.
  3. Stop the descent shortly before the knee of the hind leg touches the floor. Hold in the lower position for a second. Exhale and slowly raise the body back to the starting position. Push onto the floor with the foot of the front foot, and do not push off with the toes of the back foot.
When you press with the heel – the quadriceps are loaded more, and if you press with the front of the foot and the toes of the front foot – the load on the muscles of the buttocks and back of the thighs increases. In the upper position, without bringing your legs together, after a short pause, proceeds to the next repetition. When you complete the set number of reps, swap the places of the legs and repeat for the other side.

The Leg Curl

Also commonly called Nordic Hamstring Curls. This exercise is similar to the hyperextension, but here the legs are bent only at the knees, and the body is kept above them is kept upright. The technique of the exercise is not complicated, but pure performance without help is quite tricky. Here is how to smoothly perform this exercise:
  1. Kneel on a soft surface and secure your ankles under a heavy object or ask a partner to hold them to the floor. Straighten your body and try to keep it that way throughout the movement. You can keep your arms behind your back, stretched to the side of the body or folded to the side of the body.
  2. Take a breath, tighten your muscles and get started. Exhale and slowly and smoothly tilt your body forwards, lowering it in a controlled manner. You should fold your body only at the knees. Lower until your chest touches the floor or stops just above it.
  3. Inhale and lift your body up to the starting position. After a second pause, proceed to the next repetition. The goal is to perform 3 sets of 10-15 repetitions.
You will realize just how difficult the concentric part of this exercise is. You can slowly build up your endurance. It is recommended that you gradually build up the concentric part, start with a resistance band and then slowly progress towards this variation. Conclusion Incorporate these exercises in your exercise regime to improve your hamstring workouts.
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