Having strong and well built hamstrings are very important to have strong legs that can support the whole weight of your body. If the legs are not strong, you may have pain in the legs when you stand for a long time. To make the hamstrings strong you must practice a number of exercises that focus on hamstrings. These exercises provide you well shaped legs that you will be proud of.
List of Hamstring Exercises and their Benefits:
Alternating hang clean exercise:
This is a hamstring workout that makes your hamstrings as well as the lower back, calves, biceps and the forearms strong and provides them a good shape. Here you have to put two kettle bells between your feet. Now get to the starting position by pushing back your butt and looking straight ahead. Let one kettle bell stay in hanging position while you hold on to the other kettle bell at your shoulder. Take up one kettle bell up to your shoulder. Extend through the legs and the hips as you take it to the shoulder. Also rotate your wrists. Now lower this kettle bell to hanging position and lift the other kettle bell to the shoulder in the same way as you did with the first kettle bell. Repeat this for a number of times.
Ball leg curl stretches:
This is an exercise for the beginners that you do with an exercise ball. This stretching exercise focuses on hamstrings, calves and glutes. Lie back on the floor and put your feet on the ball. Take a position in such a way that your ankles are on the ball and your legs are extended. Now raise your hips slowly from the floor so that your body weight is held by your legs and the shoulder blades. Now pull the ball as close to you as possible by flexing your knees. This will contract the hamstrings. Pause for a while and repeat the exercise as many times as you can.
Box skip exercise stretches:
Here you need a number of jump boxes or raised platforms that are put in a line up to 8 feet apart. Face the first box with one leg slightly behind the other. Now jump on top of the first box by applying all the force on the back legs. Try to achieve as much height with your hips as it is possible for you. As you land on the box, drive the other leg forward and upward and jump in between the first two boxes and touch the ground with the same leg that touched the first box. Repeat what you have done. This is a good hamstring exercise for the beginners and will make your hamstrings and the calves strong.
Chair leg extended stretch:
This exercise is simple to do and very effective for the beginners. It helps in improving the growth and mass of the hamstrings and makes them strong. All you have t do is to sit on a chair and put your hands on the two sides, grip the seat of the chair with your hands. Now raise one leg up slowly and as you do so, extend your knees and flex your ankles. Move your leg in the outward direction as far it is possible for you and then slowly bring the leg to the center and then bring your legs back down. Repeat this exercise a number of times, first with your right leg and then with your left leg.
Clean dead-lifts exercise:
Stand in front of a barbell in such a way that the barbell is close to your shins. Make sure that your feet are right under your hips. Now grip the bar with a hook grip or a double overhand grip with shoulder width apart. Squat down to the barbell and rise up slowly while you pull it up to your hips. This is an excellent exercise for the beginners and if done regularly, it will help in providing you strong hamstrings and calves.
Plyometrics jumpbox exercise:
This exercise is ideal to build up your hamstring muscles. Stand in a relaxed position facing a jump box or a raised platform. You must stand with your hands on your sides and the legs slightly bent forward, at about an arm’s length away from the jump box. Now jump up and forward on to the raised platform. Jump down also in the same way. Repeat this for a number of times.
Running Exercise:
Running daily for half an hour or one hour will help in making your hamstrings strong and keep them in good shape. Running is also good for the overall fitness of the body.
Skipping Exercise:
Skipping is an exercise that makes all lower muscles strong, including the hamstrings. Skip daily and it will be very beneficial for your muscles.
Squats Exercise:
Squats are also good for making your hamstring muscles strong and flexible and in providing them a good shape. You can try simple squats that are easy to perform and take care to do it every day to get strong lower muscles.
90/90 Hamstring Exercise:
If you are a beginner, you must start with this exercise. It is a stretching workout that is focused on only hamstrings. Here all you have to do s to lie back and extend one of your legs straight out. With the other leg bend your knee and the hips to 90 degrees. Extent your leg to the top, pause for a few minutes, and then go back to the starting position. You have to repeat this for 10 to twenty times and then start it with the other leg.
Now that you have seen and understood the hamstring exercises for beginners, try some of these exercises yourself and see how it makes your hamstrings strong.
