Hamstring Exercises at Home: 9 Best Moves | Combat Fitness
Hamstring Exercises at Home: Build Strong Hamstrings Without a Machine
Hamstring exercises at home can deliver everything a machine session does, because the stimulus that builds durable hamstrings is eccentric load and a long hip hinge, not a padded leg-curl lever. That is why our tactical fitness training programs build bodyweight hamstring work into the lower-body blocks of athletes who train in barracks rooms, garages, and forward operating bases.
The stakes are occupational. Your hamstrings drive sprint speed, absorb the braking force of every hard stop, and stabilize the hip under a loaded ruck. Hamstring strains also rank among the most common muscle injuries in running-based sport. Below are the nine at-home moves we use, organized by equipment (bodyweight first, then bands and dumbbells), with the reasoning behind each, a complete sample workout, and the reps and frequency to run it.
Key Takeaways:
The Nordic hamstring curl is the highest-value no-equipment move. Injury-prevention programs that include it cut hamstring injury rates by roughly half in pooled research.
Train both jobs of the hamstrings: knee flexion (Nordics, slider curls) and hip extension (single-leg RDLs, bridges, good mornings).
Bodyweight and light loads build muscle when sets are taken close to failure, so a lack of heavy iron is not the limiting factor.
Two sessions per week is the minimum effective dose for most athletes. Keep stretching brief and treat it as a complement to strength work, not a substitute.
Why Do Hamstring Exercises at Home?
Hamstring exercises at home work because the hamstrings respond to tension and lengthened eccentric loading, and your bodyweight, a towel, and a hinge pattern supply both. No machine is required for a complete session. For deployed and field athletes, that means hamstring training never has to wait for gym access.
Machines isolate one function at a time, usually knee flexion with the hip pinned in place. At home hamstring exercises force you to stabilize the pelvis, balance on one leg, and control the lowering phase. That is closer to how the muscle works when you sprint across a range or step off a vehicle under load.
The main limitation is the load ceiling: you cannot stack 200 pounds onto a bodyweight curl. We solve that with leverage, single-leg variations, and slower eccentrics, which raise difficulty without adding weight. A towel, a band, or a pair of dumbbells covers every remaining gap in your hamstring muscles exercises at home.
Why Do Hamstrings Matter for Speed, Deceleration, and Injury Prevention?
Hamstrings matter because they produce horizontal force during sprinting, absorb the braking forces of deceleration, and stabilize the hip under load. They are also one of the most frequently strained muscle groups in running-based sport, so hamstring strengthening exercises at home are durability work first and aesthetics a distant second.
The Three Hamstring Muscles
The hamstring group is made up of the biceps femoris (long and short heads), the semitendinosus, and the semimembranosus. Every part except the short head of the biceps femoris crosses both the hip and the knee, which is why the group both extends the hip and flexes the knee.
Exercise selection changes which muscle does the most work. Knee-dominant moves such as the Nordic curl load the semitendinosus heavily, while hip-dominant hinges bias the biceps femoris long head (Bourne et al., 2017). The practical rule is simple: program both patterns every week.
Speed and Deceleration
During sprint acceleration, athletes who produce more horizontal force show greater hamstring torque and activation late in the swing phase (Morin et al., 2015). The hamstrings are also major brakes. Every hard cut, sudden stop, or drop from a vehicle loads them eccentrically at high force (Harper and Kiely, 2018). An athlete with strong eccentric hamstrings runs faster and stops more safely.
Load Carriage and Injury Prevention
Under a ruck, the posterior chain resists the forward pull of the pack and controls the hip on descents (Knapik et al., 2004). Musculoskeletal injuries are a leading driver of lost duty time across the Army (Molloy et al., 2020). Hamstring injuries are the most common muscle injury in professional soccer (Ekstrand et al., 2011), and once a strain occurs, recurrence rates are high (Opar et al., 2012).
That is the case for treating hamstring training as part of functional strength for military performance rather than an accessory you skip when time runs short.
Which Bodyweight Hamstring Exercises Work With No Equipment?
The best bodyweight hamstring exercises are the Nordic hamstring curl, the slider or towel leg curl, the bodyweight single-leg Romanian deadlift, the single-leg glute bridge, and the bodyweight good morning. Together they cover eccentric strength, knee flexion, hip extension, and single-leg stability, so hamstring exercises at home without equipment form a complete session.
These are your hamstring exercises without weights. Run them hardest-first: eccentric work belongs at the start of a session, while you are fresh.
1. Nordic Hamstring Curl
Kneel on a pad, anchor your heels under a couch, a bed frame, or a partner’s hands, and lower your torso toward the floor as slowly as possible with your hips extended. Catch yourself with your hands, push back to the top, and repeat.
The Nordic is the bodyweight version of the glute ham raise, and it is the most researched hamstring injury-prevention exercise there is. A randomized trial in soccer players found substantially fewer new and recurrent hamstring injuries in the Nordic group (Petersen et al., 2011), and pooled data show programs that include it cut injury rates by roughly half (van Dyk et al., 2019; Al Attar et al., 2017). Start with 2 to 3 sets of 3 to 5 controlled reps.
2. Slider or Towel Leg Curl
Lie on your back with your heels on a towel (hard floors) or sliders (carpet). Bridge your hips up, curl your heels toward your glutes, then extend back out without letting the hips sag. This trains knee flexion with the hip extended, the closest no-equipment substitute for a machine leg curl. Progress to single-leg curls once you can complete 3 sets of 12.
3. Bodyweight Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift
Stand on one leg with a soft knee and hinge forward until your torso and free leg form a line parallel to the floor, then drive the hip forward to stand. The single-leg Romanian deadlift loads the hamstring in a lengthened position and challenges hip stability the way uneven terrain does. Hold a doorframe at first if balance limits your range. Do 3 sets of 8 to 10 per side with a 3-second lowering phase.
4. Glute Bridge and Single-Leg Bridge
Lie on your back, knees bent, and drive through your heels until knees, hips, and shoulders line up. Moving your feet farther from your hips shifts more of the work to the hamstrings. The single-leg bridge doubles the load per side without adding equipment. Use 3 sets of 12 to 15 on two legs, or 3 sets of 8 to 12 per side on one.
5. Bodyweight Good Morning
With your hands behind your head, hinge at the hips on a flat back until you feel a strong stretch, then stand by driving the hips forward. Bodyweight alone is light, so slow the eccentric to 4 seconds or hug a loaded backpack to your chest. The good morning grooves the hinge every deadlift variation depends on, and it works as a warm-up or a finisher.
Which Hamstring Exercises Use Minimal Equipment (Bands and Dumbbells)?
Hamstring exercises at home with dumbbells or a band let you add load once bodyweight work stops being hard. The dumbbell Romanian deadlift, dumbbell single-leg RDL, and banded leg curl cover hip extension and knee flexion with gear that fits under a bed or in a deployment bag.
If you are weighing how much gear and structure your training needs, our guide to choosing a strength & endurance program breaks down the options.
6. Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift
Hold the dumbbells in front of your thighs, push your hips back with a slight knee bend, and lower until the hamstrings reach full stretch, usually just below the knee. Drive the hips forward to stand. The Romanian deadlift is the foundational loaded hamstring hinge and the move you will progress longest. Use 3 to 4 sets of 8 to 12.
7. Dumbbell Single-Leg RDL
Run the same pattern as the bodyweight version with a dumbbell in the hand opposite the working leg. Moderate dumbbells become a heavy stimulus on one leg, which makes this the best of the hamstring exercises with dumbbells at home when your heaviest pair is limited. Do 3 sets of 8 per side.
8. Banded Leg Curl
Anchor a long resistance band low to a sturdy object, loop it around one ankle, lie face down, and curl your heel toward your glute. Band tension rises as the band stretches, so resistance peaks near the top of the curl. This is the easiest move on the list to control, a good fit for beginners and high-rep finishers at 2 to 3 sets of 15 to 20.
What Are the Best Glute and Hamstring Exercises at Home?
The best glute and hamstring exercises at home are hip-extension moves: hip thrusts, single-leg bridges, and Romanian deadlifts. Both muscle groups extend the hip, so these exercises train them together and build the posterior chain that powers sprinting, jumping, and carrying load.
9. Hip Thrust
Set your upper back against the edge of a couch or bench, feet flat, and drive your hips up until your torso is level, pausing at the top. The hip thrust produces higher glute and biceps femoris activation than the back squat (Contreras et al., 2015), and setting the feet slightly farther out raises the hamstring contribution. Load it with a backpack or a dumbbell across the hips for 3 sets of 10 to 15.
Pair one hinge (RDL or single-leg RDL) with one bridge pattern (hip thrust or single-leg bridge) and you cover hamstring and glute exercises at home in two movements. The hinge trains the stretched position. The bridge trains the shortened position.
What Does a Good At-Home Hamstring Workout Look Like?
A good at-home hamstring workout combines one eccentric knee-flexion move, one hip hinge, one bridge pattern, and one curl variation, and it finishes in about 30 minutes. The session below uses the best hamstring exercises at home and needs only a towel, with dumbbells as an option.
Warm-up (5 minutes): bodyweight good mornings 2 x 10, glute bridges 2 x 10, leg swings 10 per side.
Nordic hamstring curl: 3 x 3 to 5, 4-second lowering, 2 minutes rest.
Single-leg RDL (bodyweight or dumbbell): 3 x 8 per side, 90 seconds rest.
Slider or towel leg curl: 3 x 10 to 12, 60 seconds rest.
Single-leg bridge or hip thrust: 3 x 10 to 12, 60 seconds rest.
Optional finisher: banded leg curl 2 x 20.
For an easy version, replace Nordics with two-leg slider curls through a short range, hold support on the single-leg RDL, and drop every exercise to 2 sets. Run the full session twice a week. To see how hamstring work fits a full-body session, start with a strength workout for athletes.
Do You Still Need Hamstring Stretches?
Yes, but keep them short. Hamstring stretch exercises at home help maintain range of motion, while strength through that range comes from loaded lengthening moves like RDLs and Nordics. Static stretches held under 60 seconds per muscle and paired with a dynamic warm-up carry minimal performance cost (Behm et al., 2016).
Before training, use active leg swings and bodyweight good mornings. After training, add a standing stretch with your heel on a step or a lying strap stretch for 30 to 45 seconds per side.
How Often Should You Train Hamstrings at Home?
Reps, Sets, and Frequency
Train hamstrings at least twice per week. Training a muscle group twice weekly produces greater hypertrophy than once (Schoenfeld et al., 2016), and lighter loads build muscle comparably to heavy loads when sets are taken near failure (Schoenfeld et al., 2017). That second finding is why bodyweight and band work count.
Nordic volume can stay low. Modest weekly volumes appear sufficient to improve eccentric hamstring strength (Cuthbert et al., 2020). Keep Nordics at 3 to 6 reps with a rep or two in reserve, hinges at 8 to 12, and bridges and curls at 10 to 20. Schedule hard eccentric work at least 48 hours away from your heaviest sprint or ruck day.
Hamstring Exercises at Home for Beginners and Seniors
Beginners should build a base with glute bridges, two-leg slider curls, supported single-leg RDLs, and banded curls for three to four weeks before adding partial-range Nordics. For seniors, U.S. physical activity guidelines recommend muscle-strengthening work at least two days a week plus balance training (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2018). Supported hinges, bridges, and banded curls meet both needs. Anyone with a prior injury or medical condition should get clearance first.
Hamstring Building Exercises at Home for Men and Women
Hamstring building at home comes from progressive overload: slower eccentrics, single-leg variations, more range, then external load from dumbbells or a backpack (ACSM, 2009). The programming is the same for men and women. Training age and injury history drive the differences, not sex.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best hamstring exercises you can do at home?
The best hamstring exercises at home are the Nordic curl, slider or towel leg curl, single-leg Romanian deadlift, single-leg bridge, and hip thrust. They train both hamstring functions, knee flexion and hip extension, and need little more than a towel. Add dumbbell RDLs and banded curls when bodyweight versions get easy.
Can you train hamstrings at home with no equipment?
Yes. The Nordic curl, towel leg curl, bodyweight single-leg RDL, glute bridge, and good morning form a complete no-equipment session. Bodyweight work builds strength and muscle when you take sets close to failure and progress with single-leg variations and slower lowering phases, so a lack of weights is not a barrier.
How do you train hamstrings at home with just dumbbells or a band?
With dumbbells, run Romanian deadlifts and single-leg RDLs for 8 to 12 reps, adding a 3-second lowering phase as they get easier. With a band, anchor it low and do lying leg curls for 15 to 20 reps. Pair one hinge with one curl each session to cover both hamstring functions.
What moves hit the glutes and hamstrings together?
Hip thrusts, glute bridges, single-leg bridges, and Romanian deadlifts train the glutes and hamstrings together because both muscle groups extend the hip. Pair a hinge, which loads the stretched position, with a bridge pattern, which loads the shortened position, to cover the full posterior chain in two exercises.
How often should you train hamstrings?
Train hamstrings two times per week for most athletes. Research shows twice-weekly training builds more muscle than once, and two sessions leave room to recover between hard sprint or ruck days. Keep eccentric Nordic volume low and place it at least 48 hours away from your most demanding running sessions.
Do at-home hamstring exercises help prevent strains?
They can lower risk, especially when the Nordic curl is included. Pooled studies show injury-prevention programs with Nordics reduce hamstring injury rates by roughly half. No exercise guarantees you will never strain a hamstring, but eccentric strength, hip-hinge strength, and consistent twice-weekly training address the main modifiable factors.
Hamstring exercises at home give you everything you need to build faster, more durable legs: eccentric Nordics, slider curls, single-leg hinges, and bridges, progressed with tempo and leverage instead of machine weight. The hamstrings carry your sprint speed, your braking, and your hips under a ruck, so they earn a permanent slot in your week.
Run the sample session twice weekly for the next six weeks and track your Nordic lowering time. If you want that work periodized around your PT test, selection date, or deployment schedule, start a CF ONE plan and train with a program built for the job.
References:
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Disclaimer: This article is for general educational purposes and is not medical advice. Consult a qualified healthcare provider before starting a new exercise program, especially if you have a current or past hamstring injury, a medical condition, or are returning from time off. Stop any exercise that causes sharp pain. Individual results vary, and no training program guarantees injury prevention or specific performance outcomes.
