Your hamstrings are the antagonist muscles to your quads, and they work with your gluteal muscles to extend your hip. Strong hamstrings not only burn more calories, but they also help stabilize your knee by protecting your anterior cruciate ligament. To strengthen your hamstrings, you can turn to a weightlifter’s favorite, the Romanian deadlift (RDL). The RDL will also blast your glutes and begin firing up your lats (more on those in a mo’), but you’ll have to be careful about your lower back.
Unlike the regular deadlift, you’ll start the RDL standing using an overhand grip to hold a barbell, dumbbells, or kettlebells at the top of your thighs. Your feet should be hip-width apart with your toes facing forward. Keep your eyes facing forward and pinch your shoulder blades together to keep your chest from dropping. Your back should have a slight arch, and imagine drawing your two hip points together to engage your core.
While keeping a micro bend in your knees, hinge your hips backward as you lower the weight until you feel a slight stretch in your hamstrings. As you hinge your hips to pull the weight back up, imagine trying to rip a paper towel between your feet to further engage the legs and glutes.
