Hamstring exercises at home: 9 moves + 4-week plan

In short

Most people who want to train hamstrings at home run into the same two problems: there is no leg curl machine, and most online lists mix beginner drills, strength work and rehabilitation exercises without any clear structure. That usually creates confusion instead of progress.

A useful home programme does three things:

• it builds tension without complicated equipment;
• it combines hip-dominant and knee-dominant patterns;
• it gives you a clear way to progress.

That is why this article does not just give you a list of exercises. It gives you a simple plan. Research on Nordic-style hamstring work also points in that direction: eccentric loading matters, but it works best when you build toward it in a logical way (Medeiros et al., 2020).

How to choose the right hamstring exercise at home

Use this simple split:

• Beginner: first learn to feel tension and build control.
• Intermediate: add more range and more eccentric load.
• Advanced: use heavier variations, more single-leg work or more Nordic-specific patterns.

It also helps to decide what you actually want: basic strength, better support for sprinting and field sports, or simply a home routine you can repeat consistently. At home, practical beats perfect. The best plan is usually the one you can keep doing.

9 hamstring exercises at home

1. Glute bridge with heel drive

A simple starting point to learn how to create tension at the back of the legs instead of only in the glutes.

2. Hamstring walkout

From a bridge position, slowly step your heels further away. Very effective at home, even without equipment.

3. Sliding leg curl

Use towels or sliders on a smooth floor. This is one of the best home options for knee-dominant hamstring loading.

4. Swiss ball leg curl

If you have a ball, this is a strong bridge between beginner and intermediate work.

5. Single-leg Romanian deadlift

Useful for hip-dominant strength, balance and control.

6. Good morning with a backpack or band

An easy way to add load at home without needing a machine.

7. Single-leg bridge

More load per leg, without making the setup complicated.

8. Eccentric half Nordic

A good advanced step if you want to build toward heavier hamstring loading.

9. Nordic hamstring curl with stable fixation

The heaviest option on this list. Not the best place for everyone to start, but a strong end step in a home programme.

If you want the broader explanation of that last movement, continue with the full Nordic hamstring curl guide.

A simple 4-week plan

Train 2 to 3 times per week and leave at least 48 hours between the heavier hamstring sessions.

Week 1

• Glute bridge: 3 x 10
• Hamstring walkout: 3 x 6
• Single-leg Romanian deadlift: 3 x 8 per leg

Week 2

• Sliding leg curl: 3 x 8
• Single-leg bridge: 3 x 8 per leg
• Good morning with light load: 3 x 10

Week 3

• Sliding leg curl: 4 x 8
• Single-leg Romanian deadlift: 3 x 8 per leg
• Eccentric half Nordic: 2 x 4

Week 4

• Hamstring walkout: 3 x 8
• Good morning: 3 x 10
• Eccentric half Nordic or a Nordic regression: 3 x 4 to 5

You do not need to keep all 9 exercises forever. The point of a plan is that you know what you are doing. Not that you try to do everything at once.

Pain rules and build-up

A bit of muscle fatigue or next-day soreness is normal. Sharp pain, increasing irritation high in the hamstring or pain that clearly limits you the next day is a different story.

Use these three rules:

1. Never increase volume and difficulty at the same time.
2. Keep 1 to 2 repetitions in reserve on the hardest sets.
3. If an exercise feels worse every session, it is still too heavy or too early.

If you are dealing with an actual injury question, it is smarter to move to a more specific article such as what to do after a hamstring injury.

When should you move toward Nordic hamstring curls?

The Nordic is not a required starting point, but it becomes a logical advanced step once you:

• can control walkouts and sliding curls properly;
• tolerate eccentric hamstring loading well;
• have a stable fixation setup.

That is also the moment when a repeatable setup becomes genuinely useful. If your training is going well but your limiting factor becomes setup quality for heavier Nordics, the Nordbelt how-to guide is the most practical next step. If you want to jump straight to the training tool itself, you can also continue to the product page.

Common mistakes

• moving to the hardest variation too quickly;
• doing only hip-dominant exercises;
• having no clear progression plan;
• underestimating home exercises and doing them sloppily.

At home, simple almost always beats variety without direction.

Frequently asked questions

Can you train hamstrings at home without machines?

Yes. With bridges, walkouts, sliding curls, Romanian deadlifts and progressions toward Nordic work, you can already build a very solid home programme without machines. As long as the progression is clear and you do not make everything harder at once, simple tools take you surprisingly far.

How often should I train hamstrings at home?

For most athletes, 2 to 3 times per week is enough, depending on the rest of the sprint and strength load in the week. The more you also sprint, jump or train legs heavily, the more important it becomes to keep the volume realistic and leave at least 48 hours between the heavier hamstring sessions.

What is the best hamstring exercise at home?

That depends on your level. For many people, sliding leg curls and hamstring walkouts are the best place to start because they work well at home and create useful tension without a complicated setup. The best exercise is therefore usually the one you can perform well and build up week after week.

When does the Nordic hamstring curl become the right choice?

The Nordic becomes the right choice once you have built basic control, tension tolerance and a stable setup. Think of it as an advanced next step: first build tolerance with simpler variations, then move toward heavier eccentric work (Medeiros et al., 2020).