The joke of skipping leg day is an old mainstay within fitness communities, and this is largely the result of leg exercises being harder to adhere to in the past. With less motility than arms, finding the right regime of easily-performed exercises for various leg muscles, especially the hamstring, can be something of a nuisance.
Today, we’re going to look at the best exercise routine for strengthening your hamstrings. Before we begin, it goes without saying that you want to balance these evenly, and never be excessive with speed, routine length, or the like. Injuring your hamstring can be excruciatingly painful, and can temporarily (or in rare cases, permanently) reduce or take away your ability to stand or walk.
How do I Know My Hamstring is Underfit?
If you already have a decent regime of general leg exercises, you may be unsure if you need to alter any of your routines to provide a better workout for your hamstrings. There are symptoms that can easily be picked up on, though.
- Cramping, Spasms, Charlie Horses – Charlie horses are very painful, uncontrolled contractions of muscles that are essentially a form of acute cramp. The most common Charlie horse that happens within the leg is in the calf muscle, or along the sole of the foot, but they can also occur in the hamstring and other upper leg muscles, if they’re not properly fit. It’s worth noting that this can also be a symptom of potassium or vitamin deficiencies as well, though if that’s the case, such problems will occur in other parts of the body as well.
- Gluteal and Upper Leg Fatigue – If walking, standing, squatting and other leg-related activities result in significant fatigue across the back of the upper leg, or the base of the gluteal area, this can be a sign that your current routines aren’t sufficiently exercising your hamstring, causing it to fatigue much more quickly than other muscle groups.
- Restless Legs – True restless leg syndrome is not what we’re talking about – that’s something that a physician should address immediately due to it being a symptom of much more severe problems than your workout routine. However, mild restlessness, which leg workouts should usually help to abate, can indicate some muscles not being properly worked, and your hamstring is a prime candidate for this.
Dangers
Let’s take a moment to talk about how important leg exercises are as a whole. On a cosmetic level, if you focus only on your upper body, you will look patently ridiculous. We’ve all seen those guys who spend all day lifting and bench pressing, but neglect their legs entirely. They look like cartoon characters!
But, on top of this, you also greatly increase your risk of knee and hamstring injuries, and these can have lasting or permanent ramifications, leaving you permanently walking with a limp, or experiencing significant pain.
It also makes squats much harder to do, as well as any practical lifting to carry or move heavier things.
Gender Doesn’t Matter
Something else we need to point out right now, is that this is just as important for women as it is for men. The same danger of leg injuries can happen if a woman’s hamstrings aren’t properly trained and well-exercised.
Equally, let’s all be honest. What kind of legs do most men prefer on a woman? Scrawny, neglected beanpoles? Or, is a woman with shapely, toned legs usually preferred? And, ladies, which would you prefer? Healthy, toned legs, or skinny, weak ones? It really matters for both sexes, equally.
You Don’t Need Crazy Equipment!
One last thing to point out, before we look at the six most effective exercises is, while having some decent equipment at your disposal does help, but you don’t need ridiculous, expensive and overwrought equipment to get a solid hamstring workout.
We live in a time that’s unrivaled historically in both fitness and nutrition sciences, as well as the elaborate equipment we can produce. This equipment is all well and good, but you really only need a few simple things, to get a full workout, including hamstring-targeting routines.
There are two routines we’ll look at that need some fitness equipment usually, but you can makeshift these if need be.
#1 – Romanian Deaflift
The Romanian deadlift is one of the simplest routines you can do. Simply hold a weighted barbell at shin level, arms straight, bending horizontally at the waist, and partially at the knee. Lift upward until your legs, waist, and arms are straight, the barbell at just below your pelvis. Hold, tightening your legs slightly, and lower back down in a controlled descent.
#2 – Barbell Back Squat
This is another simple exercise. Hold the barbell across the back of your shoulders, just at the base of the neck, elbows bent, palms outward. Have your legs apart so your feet are just past your shoulders.
Bend at the knees, outward, producing a spread-legged squat. Hold, and lift back up slowly. Remember proper squat form with this one.
#3 – Bulgarian Split Squat
This one should not be attempted by people with hip or knee trouble. Start with one leg bent at the knee, behind you on a bench. Hold weighted dumbbells at either side of your body. Bend your other leg at the knee and hip until it’s at a near sitting position, your leg on the bench at a J-like bend as a result.
Use some tension in the benched leg when returning to a standing position. Alternate between legs, evenly.
#4 – Glute-Ham Raise
This one is best served with leg press equipment. Lie face down, legs braced, cushion under your upper legs. Cross your arms across your chest, and lift yourself to a vertical position at the knees. Hold, and lower yourself back after a couple seconds. This is one of the most powerful (and fatiguing) hamstring exercises.
#5 – Leg Curl
This is the other exercise best suited with a weighted leg press. Lie face down, bracing the weighted lift just above your heels. Bend at the knee, as far as your leg and the weight will permit. Hold for about one second, and lower it back under muscle control.
#6 – Kettlebell Swing
This exercise is usually a “cooling down” or “finishing” routine, and is one of the higher kinetic impact exercises. This also works as a partial cardio exercise, so if your doctor has warned against excessive cardio, be wary of this one. Using ball weights, start bent horizontal at the waste (similar to the Romanain deadlift), the weights held back, between your legs. Bend up at the waist and the knee, swinging the weights in a parabola until your arms are almost level in front of you.
Swing back into the start position under control (don’t let inertia do it for you). Be extra careful on resuming the start position, that you don’t allow inertia to bring your arms at high speed into your groin – it doesn’t matter what your gender, that will hurt.
To learn more about hamstring exercises and other difficult group targeting routines, subscribe to my YouTube channel today. I have so many awesome things to show you!
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RunThaCity’s 300 Pullup Challenge: Ultimate Pullup Training
There is nothing that says you need to be big to be strong. Even if your build is thin, you can build muscle that gives you more strength. Your size is no indication of how strong you actually are. One way to build better muscle is by mastering the pullup. Some trainers say that the pullup puts smaller-framed body builders on a level playing field with those with large frames. You may be able to deadlift hundreds of pounds, but if you cannot meet the 300 Pullup Challenge, you’re not really as strong as you think.
300 Pullup Challenge
The 300 Pullup Challenge is relatively simple. The goal is to complete 300 pullups in one hour. The easiest way to do this is by breaking them down into sets of 10. Complete 30 sets of 10 in one hour and you’ve conquered the 300 Pullup Challenge. The only equipment you need is a pullup bar, which you can probably find on a local playground, music to get you moving and a pair of gloves to protect your hands. Do ten pullups in quick succession, stop, walk around for 30 seconds to a minute, then do the second set. Continue until you have completed 30 sets of 10.
300 Pull-up Challenge Workout:
Feel free to do these in any order you choose.
Pullups Keep You Honest
One of the best things about pullups is that they keep you honest. Many bodybuilders claim that a pull-up is an unfair test for larger people, but this is far from true. A 250-pound person should be able to master the 300 Pullup Challenge as easily as someone who weighs half as much. The only reason pull-ups may be difficult for a larger person is if they have excess body fat. If you find that your form is lacking or that you are having difficulty completing the challenge, you may need to include pull-ups in your workout more often.
Pullup Bottom Position Pullup Top Position Watch Your Form
Before you attempt to conquer the 300 Pullup Challenge, make sure that you can do one rep with proper form. Grab the bar tightly, keep your legs straight and brace your body as you lift with your arms to pull your chin over the bar. Your torso should not fall too far forward or backward. You want to keep your body as tight as possible. You can use an underhand, overhand or neutral grip, but be sure to come to a full extension at the bottom of each rep. You also want to be sure your chin goes above the bar at the top of the reps.
How many pull ups should i do a day to see results?
I regularly perform 5 sets of 10 as a warm up to most of my workouts.
Work toward the 300 Pullup Challenge once each week and be sure to give yourself plenty of recovery time between sessions. Continue working other muscles during your week, but keep in mind that pullups will work your back and biceps, so you may be able to eliminate some of those exercises during the week. For more tips on getting the most out of your workout, subscribe to my YouTube Channel.
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A 7-Step Process for Practicing Self-Care
Burnout is a real thing. It happens when you fill your cup too much and it overflows. It means you’ve worked too much, invested too much, given too much, been used too much and cared too much. The one thing you didn’t do enough of was take care of yourself. Self-care can save you from the turmoil of life if you take the time to do it. Practice self-care by trying the following tips.- Stress Management – Stress looks different on everyone, and calming techniques are different for everyone. What calms one might actually stress another. However, some stress-reduction techniques apply to everyone. When you find yourself flustered and overwhelmed, take the time to slow down and focus on taking deep breaths. Deep breathing centers you when everything feels like it’s moving too fast.
- Practice Mindfulness – Mindfulness is being present to what’s occurring, what you’re experiencing and what you’re feeling. When you become present to your experience, you’re more equipped to focus on solutions to negative feelings. It allows you to embrace your feelings instead of repressing them, which can lead to the unhealthy practice of bottling up negative energy. The practice of meditation and self-affirmations can help you become more mindful.
- Physical Self-Care – Taking care of your body is one of the best ways to take care of your mental health. To care for yourself physically, you should turn your focus to the three tenets of physical health: eating clean and healthy, exercising and getting enough sleep. When you take care of your health, positive mental health follows.
- Personal Retreat – Take the time to step away from everything. More than just a vacation, a retreat gives you a break from the life that you normally know. It’s the time to relax, unplug, be unreachable and do absolutely nothing except exist and perhaps indulge. You might feel guilty for taking time away for yourself, but once you return to life refreshed and recharged, you’ll be an even better employee/boss/parent/friend/spouse/partner than you were before.
- Just Say No – The D.A.R.E. program in the 80s was onto something with this phrase, but this phrase can apply to so much more. Saying “no” to others does not mean you’re letting them down. It simply means that you’re choosing to not wear yourself thin by agreeing to everything that’s asked of you. It means you’re choosing not to let your cup run over.
- Mental Breaks – A break doesn’t have to entail physically stepping away from something that’s bringing you stress. You can shut off your brain by compartmentalizing your stressful thoughts into a place that you only visit at certain times. Take small breaks every two hours when you’re working on a long project and make it a point to not think about or discuss the project during that time. Your productivity will even improve. Go on a date with your spouse and make it a point to not discuss anything related to finances, family or other topics that create stress and tension in the home. Instead, discuss your dreams, favorite books or vacations that you want to take.
- Walk Away From Unhealthy Situations – If you have a relationship or a work situation that doesn’t serve you well, it’s OK to break it off. If it’s an argument or toxic debate that you don’t want to be in, you can stop participating. Don’t get riled about things that you don’t need to be angry about just because your ego wants to have the last word. It doesn’t make you a bad person for ignoring the conversation, and you haven’t lost the argument just because you went silent.
SelfCaring.info
Brad, is a guest contributor for RunThaCity.com. He is passionate about empowering individuals to reach their full potential through self-care.
Brad's expertise stems from his personal journey and a genuine desire to help people flourish. He now shares his insights through [link to selfcaring.info, if available] and various guest posting opportunities.
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From the Ground Up: Why Leg Day Is the Foundation of Strength
Did you know? Skipping leg day doesn’t just leave your lower body underdeveloped—it can stall your total body strength.
Leg day is more than a single workout in your weekly plan; it’s the foundation for building real, full-body strength, stability, and explosive power. In this post, we’ll break down why leg day is crucial, how it boosts overall performance, and share tips to make the most of your leg training. By making leg day a priority, you’ll see a transformation in not only your lower body but also your athletic power, metabolic rate, and overall strength.
Table: Sample Leg Day Workout
Exercise Type Sets Reps Rest Time Squats Compound 4 8 90 seconds Lunges Compound 3 12 (per leg) 60 seconds Leg Press Compound 3 10 60 seconds Deadlifts Compound 3 8 90 seconds Calf Raises Isolation 3 15 45 seconds Hamstring Curls Isolation 3 12 45 seconds Note: Always prioritize proper form and warm up before beginning your leg day workout. Consider adding mobility exercises and a cooldown to optimize performance and recovery.
The Power of Strong Legs in Overall Strength
Building a Strong Foundation
Strong legs provide the base that your entire body depends on, supporting stability, posture, and better lifting form. When you build strength in your legs, you’re also setting up your entire body to support heavier lifts and more challenging movements.
- Key Point: Leg muscles like the glutes, quads, and hamstrings are essential for stabilizing the body. They’re the largest muscle groups, meaning that the stronger they are, the better you’ll perform in other exercises, from upper-body presses to core-focused movements.
- Research Insight: Studies in sports science confirm that lower body strength is critical for total functional fitness, improving balance and endurance across all muscle groups.
Quick Tip: Focus on building a strong lower body first, and you’ll notice improvements in exercises you never thought were connected, like bench press and rows.
Why Compound Movements Make Leg Day Essential
Most leg exercises are compound movements that target multiple muscle groups. This means you’re not just building your quads or hamstrings in isolation—you’re engaging your core, upper body, and stabilizers for total body strength.
- Key Point: Compound exercises like squats and lunges recruit a large number of muscle fibers. These exercises not only build muscle but also stimulate the nervous system, leading to better strength gains.
- Example Exercise: Take the squat, a go-to leg exercise. It not only targets your glutes, quads, and hamstrings but also engages your core, back, and even shoulders to stabilize the movement.
How Leg Day Improves Athletic Performance
Section 2: How Leg Day Improves Athletic Performance
Explosive Power and Speed
Leg strength is the foundation of explosive movements like sprinting, jumping, and pivoting—key elements for sports performance and high-intensity training.
- Key Point: Building stronger leg muscles improves acceleration, speed, and agility, essential for athletes in sports like soccer, football, and basketball.
- Case Study: Elite athletes like sprinters and football players focus heavily on leg strength training for explosive power. Research supports that increased leg strength directly correlates with better sprinting and jumping performance.
Did You Know? Power athletes can squat up to twice their body weight, which directly translates to their speed and explosive capabilities on the field.
Core and Balance Benefits
A strong lower body improves your balance and core stability, helping you perform better in both simple and complex movements. When your legs are strong, your body’s balance improves, reducing the risk of injury and increasing control in your movements.
- Key Point: Exercises that engage the legs, like lunges and single-leg squats, are great for improving core stability and balance.
- Research Insight: Studies show that individuals with strong leg muscles experience fewer lower back injuries and knee issues, as their bodies are better able to stabilize and absorb impact.
Hormonal and Metabolic Benefits of Leg Training
Boosting Testosterone and Growth Hormone
Heavy leg exercises, especially compound lifts, naturally stimulate the release of anabolic hormones like testosterone and growth hormone, which support muscle growth and overall recovery.
- Key Point: By training large muscle groups, you’re triggering hormones that benefit your whole body, making it easier to build and maintain muscle across all areas.
- Scientific Insight: Studies show that exercises like squats and deadlifts produce higher hormonal responses than smaller isolation exercises, fueling faster muscle growth and better recovery.
Pro Tip: Include heavy, compound exercises in your leg day routine to maximize the anabolic effects on the rest of your training.
Increased Caloric Burn and Metabolic Boost
Leg muscles are the largest in the body, meaning they require more energy to train and recover. A dedicated leg workout can boost your metabolism, helping with fat loss and sustained energy.
- Key Point: Leg day burns more calories than upper-body workouts because it involves larger muscle groups. This metabolic boost also aids in fat burning.
- Example: A well-executed leg day with squats, lunges, and deadlifts burns more calories than a typical upper body day, making it one of the most efficient ways to shed fat while building muscle.
How to Maximize Your Leg Day for Strength Gains
Focus on Progressive Overload
Building muscle is about continually challenging it, a principle known as progressive overload. Gradually increase weight, reps, or intensity to force your muscles to adapt and grow stronger.
- Key Point: Track your weights and reps over time to ensure you’re making progress. Small increases each week can lead to big strength gains over months.
- Tip: Use a workout journal or fitness app to keep track of your progress and motivate yourself to push further with each leg workout.
Incorporate a Mix of Compound and Isolation Exercises
While compound exercises are the foundation of leg day, adding isolation exercises like calf raises and hamstring curls helps target smaller muscle groups and improve muscular balance.
- Key Point: Combine compound moves (squats, deadlifts) with isolation exercises for a well-rounded leg day that targets every major muscle.
- Example Routine:
- Squats: 4 sets of 8 reps
- Lunges: 3 sets of 12 reps per leg
- Leg Press: 3 sets of 10 reps
- Calf Raises: 3 sets of 15 reps
Don’t Neglect Recovery
Leg day puts high demands on your muscles, so it’s essential to prioritize recovery to allow them to repair and grow stronger.
- Key Point: Take rest days, hydrate well, and incorporate active recovery techniques like foam rolling and stretching.
- Tip: Nutrition is critical. Focus on protein intake and complex carbs post-workout to fuel muscle recovery.
Conclusion
Leg day is more than just another workout—it’s the foundation for true, lasting strength. With strong legs, you can lift heavier, perform better in sports, and even accelerate fat loss. By making leg day a priority, you’re setting yourself up for greater gains in every area of fitness.
Take Action
- Commit to Leg Day: Add a well-rounded leg day to your weekly routine and track your progress.
- Explore More: Check out RunThaCity’s workout guides for complete leg routines or visit RunThaCity’s YouTube channel for exercise demonstrations.
