10 Best Dumbbell Hamstring Exercises (At-Home Workout)

Want to work out your hamstrings at home but only have a pair of dumbbells? Discover the best dumbbell hamstring exercises to target your posterior chain muscles to build strength and muscles… without needing a fancy gym or pricey machines.

It can be hard to find effective hamstring exercises with only a pair of dumbbells. But you can do plenty of highly effective hamstring exercises at home and get some excellent results.

However, hamstrings are large muscles that can be tricky for most to isolate and strengthen. Weak hamstrings can make your legs unevenly developed, reduce overall strength, and increase the risk of injury.

In my 20 years of experience as a personal trainer, I’ve found these 10 hamstring exercises with dumbbells to engage them the best. So, if you’re ready to see results from your at-home hamstring workouts, keep going to uncover the proven exercises below and my trainer tips to maximize your results.

Why Dumbbells Are Enough for Hamstring Exercises

Like with any tool, it’s not necessarily what you do but how you do it. When you have proven hamstring exercises, even a pair of light dumbbells will be enough for most to get toned and strong hamstrings.

Your hamstring muscles are made up of a group of three muscles on the back of your thigh. The biceps femoris (outer hamstring muscle) is divided into the long head and short head. The semitendinosus is the middle hamstring muscle. And the semimembranosus is the inner hamstring muscle.

The hamstring muscle group has two key movements:

• Hip Extension: Moving the thigh backward at the hip joint (deadlifts, good mornings, glute bridges)
• Knee Flexion: Bending the knee (leg curls)

You’ll want to train your hamstrings using exercises that utilize these two main actions. Combining hip extension and knee flexion exercises will cover all gaps when doing hamstring exercises at home with only dumbbells.

Strong hamstrings aren’t just crucial for the looks of your legs, but this muscle plays a critical role in knee and hip health. Weakness in your hamstring muscles could cause other areas to tighten up to compensate (hip flexors), leading to an injury.

Dumbbells can be advantageous to barbells and machines for working out your hamstrings. Most people working out at home don’t have a lot of room to have machines and barbells. So dumbbells are an easy solution (yet highly effective) if you’re limited on space and on a budget.

Unfortunately, standard squats or the conventional deadlift are not great choices for hamstring exercises. While they do involve the hamstrings, they’ll be much more quad-dominant. 

High-rep bodyweight hamstring exercises without weight usually aren’t enough to challenge your hamstrings after a certain point. With dumbbells, you can use focused hamstring exercises rather than having to do a ton of bodyweight reps or general leg exercises that don’t work well for prioritizing the hamstrings.

Overcoming Limitations Using Only Dumbbells for Hamstrings

Is it hard to isolate the hamstrings using only dumbbells?

The hamstrings perform knee flexion, curls, and hip extension deadlifts, but without a dedicated machine, some may find isolating the curling movement tough using only dumbbells.

It’s common for people to think it’s really hard to activate and engage the hamstring muscles without pulling on your lower back during free weight movements. Exercises like deadlifts target the hamstrings but also involve the glutes and lower back, so it’s common for many to struggle to feel the hamstrings working directly.

Romanian deadlifts and stiff leg deadlifts are two alternatives you can use to really target the hip hinge movement using only dumbbells. You’ll get a deep stretch in your hamstrings, and when you focus right, you’ll really target the hamstring muscle.

Can you keep getting results with limited weight?

Using only dumbbells at home usually means you’ll have a limited load. This can be a problem for the hamstring muscle group because it is so strong and requires progressive overload to keep getting results.

If your dumbbells aren’t heavy enough, your body will adapt and results will slow or plateau. I recommend getting a set of adjustable dumbbells so you’ll have more progressive overload flexibility.

Mechanical tension is the biggest determining factor in muscle growth and strength. Using a challenging, heavy load is a big part of mechanical tension. Still, there are other ways to maximize it despite having access to only light dumbbells.

To increase progressive overload in the hamstrings, use the proven principles of time under tension, slower eccentric reps, supersets, drop sets, single-leg variations, and maximizing reps for deepest stretch and peak contraction.

Below is my list of the top 10 dumbbell hamstring exercises. The first 5 are the best for targeting the hamstring muscle group.

Dumbbell Hamstring Curls

The dumbbell lying hamstring curls are a way to isolate your hamstrings directly at home without a machine. You’ll maximize knee flexion to mimic the motion of the lying leg curl machine, which is great for helping to build strength and muscle in the lower hamstrings.

Hamstring curls with dumbbells can be awkward at first, so make sure you perform them slowly with controlled reps to maximize the muscle contraction (and prevent swinging). Wrap the dumbbell and a towel around the handle to help prevent the dumbbell from moving around and possibly hitting your shins.

You can also get a dedicated foot strap for the dumbbell such as the Monkey Feet or cheaper alternatives.

1. Lay face down on a mat or a bench with a light dumbbell placed vertically on the floor by your feet.
2. Grip the dumbbell and hold it securely between your feet. You can wrap a towel around the handles for a better grip, or you can just place a dumbbell between your feet and hold it securely with your arches and not just your toes.
3. Curl the dumbbell up by bringing your ankles up towards your glutes. But stop before your shins go completely vertical. This will help keep the dumbbell from swinging and keep tension on your hamstrings.
4. Pause at the top to maximize the muscle contraction, then slowly lower the dumbbell with control until your legs are nearly straight but not locked out. Don’t allow your feet or the dumbbell to touch the ground.

Trainer Tip: Use a lighter dumbbell up first until you get the movement down. This one can be hard if you’ve never done it before, and takes a little bit of practice to get the hang of it. Point your toes slightly inward to engage more of your inner, more troublesome hamstrings.

Perform each rep slowly to prevent the dumbbell from swinging and avoid hitting your shins. Slower reps will also increase time under tension, which will be needed to maximize mechanical tension since you’ll use a lighter-weight dumbbell.

Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift (RDL)

The Romanian Deadlift, also known as the RDL for short, is one of the most effective exercises for building the hamstrings and glutes, especially when training at home with only dumbbells. This exercise targets the posterior chain (the back side of your body). It creates an intense stretch and then contraction in the hamstrings, making it one of the best choices for toning and strengthening the back of the thigh.

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, hold a dumbbell in each hand at your sides or in front of your thighs, palms facing you.
2. Engage your core, arch out your chest, and squeeze your shoulder blades together on your upper back. Keep a slight bend in your knees as you start the hinging movement. Push your hips back as you lean down with your torso. Keep your back straight and your chest up.
3. Lower the dumbbells slowly down the front side of your thighs. Stop when you feel a deep stretch in your hamstrings (usually mid-shin or right below the knees).
4. Return to the start by driving your hips forward and raising your torso back up. At the top, squeeze your glutes and hamstrings.

Trainer Tip: Keep the dumbbells as close to your legs as possible throughout the movement. Don’t round your back and keep a strong flat spine. Move slowly, especially on the way down, and focus on feeling the stretch in your hamstrings at the bottom.

Dumbbell Stiff Leg Deadlift

Dumbbell stiff leg deadlifts target the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back. Keeping your legs straight (no knee bend) creates a deep stretch and an intense contraction in the hamstrings, even more than Romanian deadlifts.

1. Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand in front of your thighs, palms facing your body.
2. Keep your legs straight and your knees slightly soft (but not completely locked out) throughout the movement.
3. Lower the weights by hinging at your hips and slowly moving the dumbbells down towards your feet. Move your hips backward and tilt your torso forward. Keep a straight, flat back.
4. Lower until you feel a deep stretch in your hamstrings, usually mid-shin or just below the knees. Then, drive your hips forward and raise your torso to return to the standing position.

Trainer Tip: Keep your chest out and your back straight with your core engaged. Focus on hinging with your hips and not bending at the waist. This will keep stress off your lower back and place more emphasis on your hamstrings.

Dumbbell One-Legged RDL

The one-legged RDL is a single-leg variation of the traditional Romanian deadlift. If you only have lighter dumbbells, you can place more load on the hamstrings. This move is ideal for maximizing muscle activation in your hamstrings with lighter weights, making it perfect for at-home workouts.

1. Stand tall and hold a dumbbell in one hand, on the same side as the leg that’s going up. Engage your core by tightening your abs, arching up your chest, and squeezing your shoulder blades together on your upper back.
2. Keep a slight bend in your standing knee, hinge at the hip, and slowly extend your non-working leg straight behind you as your torso lowers. Keep your back straight throughout the movement.
3. Lower the dumbbell down your standing leg until you feel a stretch in your hamstring. Try to keep the dumbbell close to your working leg throughout the movement.
4. After you feel a deep stretch in your hamstring at the bottom, return to the start by driving your hips forward and bringing your back leg in as you return to the standing position.
5. Complete all the reps on one side before switching legs.

Trainer Tip: If you have trouble balancing, use your opposite hand to gently hold a table or other sturdy object for help. Keep your hips square to the floor and don’t allow your hips to rotate out. Try to keep a straight line in your leg from your ankle up to your upper hip. Tighten your outer hip as you go up and down, and don’t allow your outer hip to bow out to the side.

Hold the dumbbell on the same side as the working leg planted on the floor. One study found that doing this places more activation on the hamstring muscle.¹

Dumbbell Good Mornings

Dumbbell good mornings are a highly effective hip hinge exercise that targets your hamstrings, glutes, and lower back. You’ll build posterior chain strength and muscle while improving hip mobility.

1. Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart, holding one heavy dumbbell horizontally at your chest. Alternatively, you can hold a dumbbell in each hand, resting on your shoulders.
2. Keep a slight bend in your knees as you start hinging by pushing your hips back. Lower your torso forward and down while keeping your back straight the entire time.
3. Slowly lower your torso until it’s ideally almost parallel to the floor or until you feel a deep stretch in your hamstrings. But don’t go beyond your flexibility to reduce the risk of pulling a muscle.
4. Return to the starting position by driving your hips forward, standing tall, and squeezing your glutes at the top.

Trainer Tip: Keep your spine neutral and your abs tight. Avoid rounding your lower back to take stress off the lower back and keep emphasis on the hamstrings. Keep a slight bend in your knees, but don’t allow your knees to move during the movement to keep stress on the hamstrings.

Dumbbell Offset RDL

The Dumbbell Offset RDL is a powerful variation of the Romanian deadlift that forces your body to resist rotation in your hips. Offset RDLs improve single-leg strength and are a great alternative if you have trouble balancing while doing the one-legged RDL. You can focus on the muscle contraction and stretch in the hamstrings without worrying about having to balance on one leg.

1. Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart. Then stand on one leg and place your other foot behind you (balancing on your toes). Your toes on your back foot should be in line with the back heel of your front foot.
2. Soften your knees slightly so they bend. Engage your core, chest up, shoulder blades squeezed together on your upper back, and keep your head pushed back.
3. Keep your back flat as you hinge forward at your hips and lower the dumbbell down the front of your legs until you feel a deep stretch in your hamstrings.
4. Return to the start by driving your hips forward and standing up tall, squeezing your glutes and hamstrings at the top. Stop short of standing completely straight at the top to emphasize the hamstrings.
5. Repeat all reps on one side, then switch and repeat on the other side.

Trainer Tip: Focus on a slow, controlled descent on the way down to maximize hamstring activation. You can come up faster than you went down to improve explosive power and strength.

Dumbbell Bulgarian Split Squat

This is a powerhouse single-leg variation of the split squat that, with some tweaks, can really emphasize the hamstrings. It’s a unilateral exercise that places a lot of mechanical tension in your leg muscles even with a light pair of dumbbells. By adjusting your form, you can shift the emphasis to your hamstrings instead of your quads.

1. Set up a box, chair, or a bench that’s about knee height or slightly lower. Stand facing away from it and hold a dumbbell in each hand. Place one foot behind you on the bench and your front foot forward far enough that you feel a stretch in the back leg.
2. To shift emphasis to your hamstrings, lean your torso slightly forward at the hips and keep your front shin vertical.
3. Slowly lower your hips to the floor. Focus on pushing with your hips backward instead of dropping straight down until your front thigh is about parallel (or slightly above) the floor.
4. Drive back up by pressing through your front heel and midfoot to return back to the starting position. Keep your weight on your posterior chain with your hamstrings and glutes.
5. Repeat and perform all reps on one leg before switching sides.

Trainer Tip: Keep your chest up, but your torso leaning slightly forward to maximize the hamstring stretch. Pause briefly at the bottom to increase time under tension and maximize stretch in the hamstrings. Focus on driving through your front heel to activate the higher posterior chain.

Dumbbell Sumo Pumps

This is my exercise to target your hamstrings using only bodyweight or a pair of dumbbells. I know it may look a little silly… so good thing we’re working out at home! haha

But it really targets your hamstrings and is a new, unique exercise. The traditional wide sumo squat stance focuses more on your hamstrings than on your quads (as with regular squats). Then the pumping motion with the knees stretches and contracts the hamstrings under tension.

1. Start with a wide sumo squat stance, with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart and your toes pointed slightly out. Hold either a heavy dumbbell or a pair of dumbbells with both hands.
2. Engage your core, keep your back straight, and squeeze shoulder blades together on your upper back, chest up, and head back.
3. Then hinge forward at your hips by bringing your torso down towards the ground until it’s slightly above parallel. Keep your back in a straight line the entire time.
4. Start by bending your knees to straighten them out, pushing your hips back behind you. Feel the stretch in the hamstrings. Then, bend your knees back and allow your hips to come back down with them.
5. Repeat for reps.

Trainer Tip: It’s important to keep your back straight and parallel to the floor throughout the entire movement. Otherwise, you’ll shift emphasis to your lower back, glutes, and quads. Focus on the “pump” motion with the knees instead of “lifting” with the hips.

Dumbbell Two-Arm Swings

This dynamic hip hinge exercise targets your hamstrings, glutes, and lower back with explosive strength. It’s also a great cardio exercise since it gets your heart rate up. It is a very effective belly fat-burning exercise that also hits your hamstrings.

1. Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, place the dumbbells together with your palms facing each other.
2. Keep a slight bend in your knees. Start by hinging forward at your hips by leaning your torso down and pushing your hips back. Swing the dumbbells back between your legs. Keep your back flat, head back, and chest up.
3. Forcefully thrust your hips forward to propel the dumbbells up to about chest height. Use the power of your hamstrings and glutes to power the movement.
4. After the dumbbells reach about shoulder height, let them swing back down between your legs and hinge at the hips with the flow of the dumbbells so it’s all one fluid rhythmic motion.

Trainer Tip: Keep your arms relaxed—your hips and hamstrings should be the muscles powering the movement, not your shoulders. Focus on getting a snap with your hips at the top to maximize power and hamstring activation. Squeeze your glutes at the top and avoid overextending your lower back (keep an upright posture).

Dumbbell Glute Bridge (Hamstring Focus)

Glute bridges can be a very effective exercise for the hamstrings with a few adjustments. All you have to do is adjust your foot position to shift emphasis to your hamstrings. It’s a simple yet joint-friendly exercise that’s easy to do at home… and can surprisingly hit your hamstrings hard.

1. Lie on your back with your knees slightly bent. Your feet should be farther away from your hips than usual. Your heels should be on the ground, and your toes should be pointed up towards the sky.
2. Place a dumbbell on top of each side of the hips and keep holding them in position with your hands.
3. Drive your heels into the floor and lift your hips up. At the top, squeeze your glutes and hamstrings. Keep your toes off the ground the entire time.
4. Pause and squeeze at the top. Using the mind-muscle connection, visualize your hamstring muscles firing and focus on feeling the tension.
5. Slowly lower your hips back down under control and repeat. Do not let your hips rest on the ground to keep constant tension on your hamstrings.

Trainer Tip: Tilt your pelvis upwards and flatten your lower back against the ground at the top. This gets your pelvis out of an anterior pelvic tilt, helping to shift emphasis to your hamstrings instead of the glutes and lower back.

How to Get Results With Dumbbell Hamstring Workouts

Perfect Your Form (Mind-Muscle Connection)

If you’re having trouble feeling the exercise and it seems like it’s not working, focus on the mind-muscle connection and your form. A lot of the time, it all comes down to muscle activation issues.

Adjusting your technique (hip position, tempo, etc.) and focusing on form cues (like pushing your hips back more on RDLs) is all you need to feel the hamstrings engage. Try not to rush through movements with poor form. Slow down and feel your hamstrings working.

Focus on Progressive Overload

Progressive overload is when you keep making your workouts and exercises harder so you keep getting results. Otherwise, your body adapts rather quickly, which is fine if you want to maintain, but if you want to keep progressing… then use progressive overload.

Adjustable dumbbells help a lot, making it easier to change the load so you use heavier weights. But if you’re limited by the weight of your dumbbells, you can use these strategies to gradually increase the difficulty to keep challenging your hamstrings.

• Add reps
• Add sets
• Slow negatives
• Single-leg unilateral variations
• Short rest periods
• Supersets
• Drop sets

Combine Hip Hinge and Curl Movements

You can really hit the hamstrings hard when combining a hip hinge (hip extension) and a curl movement (leg flexion). You can do supersets when you do one right after the other. Or even do drop sets when you say a compound hip hinge RDL and immediately drop to a hamstring curls (isolation).

Frequency and Consistency

If you really want to make quick progress on your hamstrings, then work them out twice per week. Have 2-4 days of rest between hamstring workouts, depending on how sore your hamstrings feel.

Training your hamstrings twice a week will give you the best results. If your hamstrings are a weak point, it’ll take some time to see visible results. Practice patience with steady consistency and effort, and you’ll get great results.