Best Dumbbell Exercises for Hamstrings — Top 10
Dumbbell training is fixing muscle imbalances with unilateral training. Here are the best dumbbell exercises for targeting your hamstrings, ranked by effectiveness. Dumbbells offer unilateral loading, greater range of motion, and more freedom of movement than barbells.
Ranked by hamstrings muscle activation percentage, range of motion quality with dumbbell, and progressive overload potential.
The Romanian deadlift is the best hamstring exercise and a foundational hip-hinge movement. It loads the hamstrings through a deep stretch while building the entire posterior chain.
Key Form Cue
Stand with feet hip-width, holding the barbell with an overhand grip just outside your thighs.
The dumbbell Romanian deadlift uses dumbbells for a greater range of motion and more natural hand position than the barbell version. Hinge at the hips with a slight knee bend, feeling a deep stretch in the hamstrings before driving your hips forward to stand.
Key Form Cue
Hold dumbbells in front of your thighs with a neutral grip and pull your shoulders back.
The single-leg Romanian deadlift isolates each hamstring individually while challenging balance and hip stability. Hold a dumbbell in the opposite hand of the working leg, hinge forward, and let the free leg extend behind you as a counterbalance.
Key Form Cue
Hold the dumbbell in the hand opposite to the standing leg for natural counterbalance.
The dumbbell sumo squat uses a wide stance to emphasize the glutes and inner thighs over the quads. Hold a single dumbbell vertically between your legs, squat deep with toes pointed out, and drive up through your heels.
Key Form Cue
Stand with feet wider than shoulder-width and toes pointed out at 45 degrees.
The dumbbell lunge is a unilateral lower-body exercise that builds quad strength and improves balance. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, step forward, and lower your back knee toward the floor before driving back up.
Key Form Cue
Take a stride long enough that both knees reach 90 degrees at the bottom.
The dumbbell hip thrust is a more accessible version of the barbell hip thrust, perfect for home gyms or beginners who are not ready for barbell loading. Hold a dumbbell on your hips and drive upward for glute-focused hip extension.
Key Form Cue
Sit with your upper back against a bench and hold a dumbbell vertically on your lap.
The Bulgarian split squat is a unilateral leg exercise that crushes the quads and glutes while improving balance and fixing muscular imbalances. Elevate your rear foot on a bench and squat down on one leg.
Key Form Cue
Stand about 2 feet in front of a bench with your rear foot elevated on it.
Walking lunges build functional single-leg strength, balance, and coordination. Each step challenges your quads, glutes, and stabilizer muscles in a way that bilateral exercises cannot.
Key Form Cue
Take a long step forward and lower your back knee toward the ground.
The reverse lunge is easier on the knees than forward lunges because you decelerate into the back leg. It builds single-leg strength and is excellent for lifters with knee issues.
Key Form Cue
Stand tall with dumbbells at your sides or a barbell on your back.
The dumbbell step-up isolates each leg and builds single-leg quad strength using a simple stepping pattern. Hold dumbbells at your sides, place one foot on a box, and drive up through that leg without pushing off with the trailing foot.
Key Form Cue
Choose a box height where your thigh is parallel to the floor when your foot is on it.
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