Understand your Hamstrings! What’s your favourite hamstring exercise? Glutes get all the love and hamstrings tend to get tossed aside. They greatly contribute to a muscular and toned leg and can really help emphasize the glutes. They help extend the hip and are the main knee flexors. They are crucial in walking, running and have to be strong enough to not be overpowered by their friends the quads. The exercises shown on the right are some of your best options for hamstring development.