lower

Hamstrings Exercises

277 Free Exercise DB records tag the hamstrings as a primary or secondary muscle. Tagged inventory and primary-muscle count are ranked separately.

116 beginner · 125 intermediate · 36 advanced, computed across all tagged exercises.

#2 tagged · #5 primary

According to the Free Exercise DB corpus on PlainExercise, Hamstrings ranks #2 of 18 by tagged inventory (277) and #5 by primary-muscle count (79). Shoulders is #1 of 18 by tagged inventory (335 records) at primary-count #2 (127) ≠ Quadriceps #1 primary (148 records, tagged #4 at 227).

  • Hamstrings ranks #2 of 18 by tagged inventory (277) and #5 by primary-muscle count (79). Shoulders is #1 of 18 by tagged inventory (335 records) at primary-count #2 (127) ≠ Quadriceps #1 primary (148 records, tagged #4 at 227).
  • 277 tagged records · 79 primary-field records
  • Free Exercise DB (CC0) live extract

Catalog lens

Tagged inventory is not primary-muscle count

According to the Free Exercise DB corpus on PlainExercise, Hamstrings ranks #2 of 18 by tagged inventory (277) and #5 by primary-muscle count (79). Shoulders is #1 of 18 by tagged inventory (335 records) at primary-count #2 (127) ≠ Quadriceps #1 primary (148 records, tagged #4 at 227).

Tagged inventory

#2 of 18

Most exercise variety

277 tagged records. Shoulders leads tagged.

Primary-muscle count

#5 of 15

More variety than most

79 primary-field records. Quadriceps leads primary.

How PlainExercise splits tagged vs primary

Hamstrings vs all muscles by tagged exercise inventory

Where this muscle's Free Exercise DB tagged-record count sits among every muscle with at least one tag (catalog density, not training priority)

277 Top 11% more tagged exercises than 89% of 18 muscles

Muscles, banded by tagged Free Exercise DB record count

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more muscles. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source Free Exercise DB · 2026-07-10

277
Exercises
116
Beginner-friendly
219
Compound lifts
26
Equipment-free

Hamstrings exercises by equipment

According to the open Free Exercise DB datasets, the 277 hamstrings tagged records split across equipment types as below - barbell leads the listed set, and 26 listed records are labeled body only.

Hamstrings movements by equipment

Barbell85 exercisesOther83 exercisesMachine29 exercisesKettlebells27 exercisesBody only26 exercisesDumbbell12 exercisesBands5 exercisesExercise ball4 exercises

Hamstrings vs. every other tracked muscle group

Hamstrings plotted against 14 other muscle groups by exercise count (x) and distinct equipment types (y). The crosshair sits at this set's own median on each axis. A deep library does not automatically mean varied equipment options, some muscle groups are well-covered on one axis but narrow on the other.

Hamstrings among tracked muscle groups

Exercise count vs Equipment types 2×2 strategic matrix plotting 15 entities by Exercise count (X) and Equipment types (Y), with a crosshair dividing the plot into four quadrants. Deep + variedVaried, fewer exercisesDeep, less variedNiche 0100200300400 024681012 Exercise count Equipment types Hamstrings

How to read this

Each dot is one tracked muscle group; the highlighted dot is Hamstrings. A muscle group to the right has a deeper exercise library; one higher up spans more distinct equipment types.

Read the chart as a table (15 muscle groups)
  • Shoulders: 335 exercises, 9 equipment types
  • Hamstrings: 277 exercises, 9 equipment types
  • Glutes: 242 exercises, 6 equipment types
  • Quadriceps: 227 exercises, 10 equipment types
  • Triceps: 218 exercises, 9 equipment types
  • Calves: 209 exercises, 7 equipment types
  • Abdominals: 149 exercises, 9 equipment types
  • Chest: 147 exercises, 11 equipment types
  • Biceps: 128 exercises, 8 equipment types
  • Forearms: 119 exercises, 6 equipment types
  • Traps: 97 exercises, 6 equipment types
  • Lats: 93 exercises, 7 equipment types
  • Adductors: 54 exercises, 5 equipment types
  • Abductors: 43 exercises, 5 equipment types
  • Neck: 9 exercises, 2 equipment types

What the Hamstrings Exercise Data Reveals

The PlainExercise database catalogues 277 records that tag the hamstrings as a primary or secondary muscle. That tagged inventory is not the primary-muscle map: According to the Free Exercise DB corpus on PlainExercise, Hamstrings ranks #2 of 18 by tagged inventory (277) and #5 by primary-muscle count (79). Shoulders is #1 of 18 by tagged inventory (335 records) at primary-count #2 (127) ≠ Quadriceps #1 primary (148 records, tagged #4 at 227).. Within the listed set, 116 are tagged beginner, 125 intermediate, 36 advanced, and 0 carry no explicit level classification. Every record is sourced from the public-domain Free Exercise DB.

Context matters: this database tracks exercise taxonomy. "Primary muscle" is a source field, not a claim that a listed movement isolates the hamstrings. Compound lifts tagged here may recruit this muscle as a secondary mover. This page is a catalog extract, not medical or personal-training advice.

Beginner (116)

Foundational movements to learn the pattern.

Intermediate (125)

Movements that require basic strength and coordination.

Advanced (36)

Complex or highly loaded movements for experienced lifters.

Nationwide muscle groups with similar catalog scale

Two Free Exercise DB peer sets for Hamstrings, each excluding this muscle so the neighborhoods are attribute-based, not self-containment (the exercise lists above stay the within-group path).

Similar primary-muscle count

Nearest other muscles by exercises where this muscle is the primary field (79 here).

Chest 84 primary Triceps 71 primary Abdominals 93 primary Biceps 53 primary Lats 38 primary Shoulders 127 primary Calves 28 primary Forearms 25 primary

Other muscle groups

ShouldersGlutesQuadricepsTricepsCalvesAbdominalsChestLower Back

Source: Free Exercise DB (CC0), 2026. See the methodology page.

Disclaimer: General information only. Consult a physician or certified trainer before starting any new exercise program.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Related

Browse all → | Rankings →
Data sourced from the Free Exercise DB (CC0) open exercise catalogue. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainExercise

Every figure on PlainExercise is compiled from public exercise-science and biomechanics references, no number is typed in by an editor. Muscle-group data is compiled directly from the Free Exercise DB, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology & changelog, or report a data error.