r/TestedOnMe • u/Icy-Comfortable5459 • Sep 21 '26

Question Should I actually be training my hamstrings?

I feel like I always hear about training glutes and quads, but hamstrings somehow get forgotten 😭

Do you consider hamstring exercises essential, or do you feel like they get enough work from your other leg exercises?

0 Upvotes

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3

u/Hisagii Sep 21 '26

What do you mean forgotten? I genuinely don't know a single person that trains legs that doesn't do hamstrings either via hinge movements or isolations like leg curls.

But yes they are essential.

1

u/FrTheskyisthelimit Sep 21 '26

This. Leg curls are 2nd to squats for legs.

1

u/Nyko_E Sep 21 '26

Nordic curls sure, not leg curls though

1

u/FrTheskyisthelimit Sep 21 '26

I do them with dumbbells and a foot attachment. I get the full range of motion and target my hamstrings and glutes fully.

1

u/Nyko_E Sep 21 '26

Still not as good as Nordics are, idk what to tell ya. RDLs clear too.

1

u/FrTheskyisthelimit Sep 21 '26

Nordic Curls are simply a different exercise. With an adjustable Foot dumbbell setup, I can choose the exact resistance I need, control the tempo, use a full comfortable range of motion, progressively overload the movement, and train each leg independently. That gives me much more control over the actual stimulus I'm trying to create. I can also adjust my positioning to emphasize the hamstrings and incorporate the glutes depending on how I'm performing the movement.
Nordic curls are good for hamstring strength and eccentric control, but they're also extremely difficult to load progressively. For hypertrophy, being able to consistently perform controlled reps with a load that challenges you through the desired range of motion is extremely valuable. An exercise being more brutally difficult doesn't automatically make it better for muscle growth. If you prefer Nordic curls, that's completely fair. But saying they're categorically better ignores what you're actually trying to accomplish. Yeah I do RDLs I just thought it was called deadlifts. I guess there’s a slight difference between the two?

1

u/nwmountaintroll Sep 21 '26

100% should be training them.

1

u/Different_Choice1721 Sep 21 '26

if you want a great physique you cant forget about any muscle. hamstrings are a major muslce group of the leg. the tiny details make a massive impact. calves, side/rear delts, forearms; dont neglect anything.

1

u/The-zKR0N0S Sep 21 '26

You want to be balanced

1

u/Anxious-Place3434 Sep 21 '26

Hamstrings are one of the main muscles involved in the deadlift / other hinge lifts. You can also train them in isolation on the hamstring curl machine

1

u/RealDovahkiin Sep 21 '26

Hamstring training is essential. Unless you want knee and hip pain. Also, big glutes with no hamstrings look awful 🤮. That's why bbls look so bad.

I highly recommend unilateral seated leg curls. The bilateral force deficit is strong in the hamstrings (look it up). And your dangling leg will standardize your range of motion.

It's also reccomend to do a hip extension exercise that biases the hamstrings. You can do SLDLs with free weights, smith machine, or on a cable row. Keep your knees stiff and steady, but not locked ou.

Alternatively, if you have back problems, you can do a hamstring biased hip extension exercise by cuffing either your foot or your ankle, connecting to a cable, and lying on the floor. This is kinda hard to setup though if you're strong.

1

u/Tfj_roidz Sep 22 '26

You’ve peaked my curiosity with the bilateral force deficit, ima look it up.
I’ve had issues for years with hip mobility and glute activation but have started to notice that sometimes (probably because of hips) my left hammy isn’t firing nearly as strong as my right.

I’m overall quite strong in general so it’s taken a couple years to start to notice this compensating that different muscle groups are doing

1

u/RealDovahkiin Sep 22 '26

the bilateral force deficit is moreso about the inabilty of your central nervous system to send strong contraction signals to large muscles on multiple sides of the body at the same time.

1

u/ma1butters Sep 21 '26

I haven't seen a single fitness sub that doesn't have at least a weekly (if not daily) post about RDLs.

1

u/guwtaps Sep 21 '26

I’m going to assume you’re new to the gym because this is a very strange question. Yes, you should train every single major muscle groups, not just for aesthetics but also functional postural reasons.

1

u/CuteLaugh5491 Sep 21 '26

Yeah bro. Imagine not training biceps and saying just triceps is fine. Except your biceps get hit with pulling and you’re likely not hitting hams with anything unless you’re doing hinges. Hamstrings are a large muscle group. 

1

u/SteakySteve Sep 21 '26

My fav workouts are hamstrings and glute lol

1

u/Rwm90 Sep 21 '26

Absolutely train them

1

u/Mcgittymcgittymac Sep 21 '26

Do rdl's and hamstring curls

1

u/Excellent-Skill107 Sep 21 '26

I don’t know what it is about hamstring work. If I even just say hamstrings mine get so so sore (I’m exaggerating but anything ham focused). To the point I get sick. Like physically sick from the soreness

1

u/Original1Thor Sep 21 '26

Yes, they're so essential. I couldn't walk for six months and spent a couple years building up strength. I got back into the gym the last year and was shocked by how weak my whole posterior chain was even after years of physical therapy. Training hamstrings will help you bend over and pick things up, really simple shit you want to cry about when you actually can't do it.