Home execrise for strengthening hamstrings?

[rafletcher]

If I were to go to the gym, I'd do leg curls.  I don't want to go to the gym, so how can I exercise/strengthen my hamstrings at home? I guess lunges do some work on them, what else?

[L CC]

Why do you want to strengthen your hamstrings in isolation?

[rafletcher]

I don't necessarily  I'm just looking to put together a home regime that will help with cycling fitness, so I was wondering what exercises would help to do so - do squats for instance? Or some form of Pilates exercise? I could of course google it, but there are some well informed people here who's brains I thought I'd pick first.

[Jaded]

Why do you want to strengthen your hamstrings in isolation?

out of balance groups of muscles can cause knee trouble.

[RichForrest]

Squats and deadlifts come to mind. They hit loads of core muscles at the same time but are great for the hams.
I did some earlier and can feel it already. Will be walking like I've s##t myself later 

Rich

[fuaran]

You could do leg curls on a swiss ball.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAZVSFQ7Y2s

[rafletcher]

Thanks both - and I already have a Swiss Ball. 

[andygates]

Glute-ham raises.  You just need something to hook your feet under - sofa will do.  They're bastids.

[Jakob]

Buddy hamstring curls (Others call them glute-hamstring-raise):
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/k71m-NMZE9k&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/k71m-NMZE9k&rel=1</a>

Key point is to keep the core tight and straight. If you are bending your hips, assists more with the hands.
Goal is to do them without using the hands.
Note, be careful if you do them on your own. Your calf muscles can cramp up doing this, so if you do by jamming your feet underneath something, make sure you can get out of there fairly easily as well

Good mornings:
If you don't have a barbell at home (most don't!), use a band:
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/kp88nY2NF2A&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/kp88nY2NF2A&rel=1</a>

edit: And yeah, what Andy said...hamstring curls/raises are challenging but also very rewarding.

[amaferanga]

Unless you're training for standing starts on the track then leg strength won't make any difference at all.  Just ride your bike.

[Jakob]

Unless you're training for standing starts on the track then leg strength won't make any difference at all.  Just ride your bike.

Huh?.  You're going to have to back that statement up.

[amaferanga]

Not really.  Are you saying there's evidence that weights help endurance cyclists?

[Jakob]

Nobody said a word about endurance. Besides, lifting weights will benefit pretty much everybody, bar the professional endurance athlete.

[Trull]

Can I just add that in the 8 weeks running up to my LEJOG I worked in an laboratory (not the kind that needs white coats) and had to shift 2500kg of animal feed in 20kg bags from pallets to the animals' troughs. Now that combination of stop/start, lift, carry, and  carefully put down was tremendous for developing much better muscle strength all over my body - and in all sorts of flexible ways which certainly made the cycling a lot more comfortable, so I'd argue that weight training helps cycling. You don't need a gym membership to try this - just a couple of filled hessian sacks and some space.

[Jakob]

While only the abstract is available here, research also seems to support it:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23914932


(edit) and one more:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12762828

Trained distance runners have shown improvements of up to 8% in running economy following a period of resistance training.