Gist
The hamstrings assist and stabilise, but back squats usually create less direct hamstring growth than hinges and leg curls. Learn how to programme back squats for the hamstrings.
Goblet squats involve the hamstrings, but usually do not load them as directly or through as much length as Romanian deadlifts and leg curls.
Only modestly. The guided path emphasises knee and hip extension, while the hamstrings usually receive less direct tension than in hinges or curls.
The hamstrings contribute to hip control, yet sumo squats are still a secondary hamstring exercise rather than a substitute for hinges and curls.
They can train the hamstrings as hip extensors and stabilisers, particularly with trunk flexion, but direct hamstring work remains useful.
The hamstrings help coordinate take-off and landing, but jump squats prioritise speed and do not provide the long-length tension used in most hamstring growth programmes.
Lunges involve the hamstrings through co-contraction and hip control, but they are usually a secondary hamstring exercise rather than a replacement for hinges and curls.
They involve the hamstrings isometrically, but the growth stimulus is usually small because the exercise is dominated by knee-extension demand.
The hamstrings assist hip extension and stabilise the front leg, but reverse lunges usually provide less direct long-length hamstring loading than Romanian deadlifts or curls.