When it comes to leg day, squats are often the go-to exercise for many gym enthusiasts. But if you’re asking, Do squats work hamstrings? The answer may surprise you. 

While squats effectively target your quadriceps and glutes, it shouldn’t be your go-to exercise for hamstrings. While the hamstrings are somewhat activated during squats, there are better exercises that target them more specifically.

Including specific exercises for the hamstrings is very important because these muscles play a crucial role in daily activities. 

In this guide, we will even include some dumbbell hamstring exercises so you can work on them at home. Including hamstring training in your routine could be the key to enhancing your lower body strength and function.

Do Squats Work Hamstrings? What Studies Say

Hamstrings are made up of three main parts: biceps femoris (long and short heads), semitendinosus, and semimembranosus. 

The biceps femoris is the largest part, closest to the inner thigh, and the most visible when well developed. It’s responsible for producing most of the power when it comes to daily movements. 

Semitendinosus and semimembranosus are closer to the outer side of the thigh. They help the bicep femoris to perform those essential tasks. 

All three parts of the muscle work together to allow you to walk, run, sit down, stand up from a chair, and even rotate your hip. They also help you balance and allow you to stand back up after bending down. For example, if you were to pick something up off the floor, your hamstrings would help you come back up.

How To Grow Your Hamstrings?

To achieve maximal hamstring hypertrophy, these muscles need to stretch out as much as possible. This is also known as a lengthened state eccentric training. The bigger the stretch and the harder the concentric contraction afterward, the better for hamstring development. 

Hypertrophy occurs when muscles increase in size as a response to external stimuli. Basically, this means the muscle cells increase in size, making the muscle appear more prominent and fuller.

For most muscles, we need to stretch and contract them to achieve maximal activation, similar to a hamstring curl. In this exercise, the muscular voluntary isometric contraction is shown to be in the mid-to-high range of 50%–80%. 

In some cases, hypertrophy can be achieved through isometric contraction, which means the muscle contracts without lengthening. This is more common in core training. For maximal mass gain, dynamic movements should be present in workouts.

Do Squats Work Hamstrings Enough To Grow Them?

In squats, particularly deep squats, the hamstrings stretch to some degree as you bend at your hip when you go down. However, knee bending causes the hamstring to shorten from the opposite attachment point behind the knee. This prevents the hamstring muscle from changing its length enough to cause the necessary stimulus.

We need exercises that allow for this stretch to happen before contraction. Exercises like deadlifts and hamstring curls are effective for hamstring development because they provide the optimal stretch-contraction cycle for growth.

So, squats benefits extend beyond the quad and glute activation and engage the hamstrings. However, hamstring-specific exercises shouldn’t be overlooked. To find out more about squats, you can read this detailed article on what muscles do squats work.

How Hard Do Hamstring Muscles Work During Squats?

According to research, the bicep femoris activates around 35% during regular and strap-supported squats. The outer parts of the hamstring, however, activate only at around 15% of the muscle’s voluntary isometric contraction rate. This is a rate that measures muscular contraction by using an electromyographic machine.

Why Is It Important For Athletes To Train Hamstrings Regularly?

Athletes often injure their hamstrings, particularly in sports that involve running, jumping, or any sports that force the hamstring to stretch. Research says that hamstring injuries account for 15% of all injuries in Australian Rules football and 12% in British soccer.

Another study highlights that hamstring injuries constitute 24% of men’s professional soccer injuries. These types of injuries are severe and can prevent athletes from participating in sports in the future. Often, these injuries can reoccur, breaking the athlete’s career cycle and making it difficult for them to return to their sport.

Should Non-Athelets Focus On Hamstring Training?

What if you are not an athlete? Should you still include hamstring-specific training in your lower body routine? The answer is definitely yes. 

While hamstring injuries are not as common in regular folks as in athletes, hamstrings still play a crucial role in daily life. Unfortunately, we don’t use our hamstring muscles as much as we use quads. Therefore, they don’t get the attention they should. 

This is where specific exercises like deadlifts and leg curls become essential parts of a lower-body training routine.

Exercises That Are Better For Working The Hamstrings

Exercises that force the muscle to lengthen and shorten within each rep are crucial, especially for hamstrings. They force the muscle to stretch maximally before contracting with enough force to cause growth.

Here’s a list of exercises that you should consider adding to your lower body routine to target the hamstrings better:

• Stiff-Legged Deadlift.
• Barbell Deadlift.
• Dumbbell Deadlift. 
• Trap Bar Deadlift. 
• Seated Leg Curl Machine.
• ​​High Knees.
• Fitball Leg Curls

Other Tips For Hamstring Workouts

• Exercises like high knees are one of the best warm-up bodyweight hamstring exercises. Such exercises allow you to warm up your hip and knee joints while stretching your muscles. So you can include them at the start of your hamstring workout. 
• Approach barbell and dumbbell deadlifts with caution and careful attention to form. Stand side-on to a mirror to assess your technique. Start with lighter weights to fine-tune your movement before adding heavier loads.
• When performing deadlifts, especially with heavier weights, use the Hold Breath technique. Inhale deeply and hold your breath during the initial lift-off. Exhale as you reach the top position. This technique increases intra-abdominal pressure, enhancing core stability and overall body control during the lift.
• Focus on proper breathing during hamstring exercises. Breathe in while lengthening the muscle and exhale during muscle contraction. For deadlifts, inhale on the way down and exhale while lifting up. In hamstring curls, inhale during extension and exhale during the curl.

Conclusion

Now you know the answer to the burning question: Do squats work hamstrings? You also understand how your hamstrings function and what they need for maximum gains. 

Armed with this knowledge, hit the gym or grab some dumbbells. It’s time to give those hamstrings a great pump!

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