I have found lying on the floor with one foot on the high step with the heel of the bent leg pressing into the platform while pushing off, raising the glutes and hips offf the floor gets into the hamstring really effectively. I would like to point out that hamstring flexibility is really important because when we do high intensity exercises that cause the quad (agonist) to contract, the hamstring (antagonist) relaxes and lengthens. Follow my bumber car of thought.
I have found that it is far easier to develop my quads as a result of the kinds of exericse I most enjoy. (Of course, when doing a hamstring curl, the ham is the agonist, the quad the antagonist, so that works both ways.) Anyway, I use those lying presses I guess you would call them and hamstring curls with a 5 pound ankle weight to develop the hamstring because I have always been able to build the muscles in the front of my body more easily. (My biceps are stronger than my triceps, quads more developed than hams.) With the muscles of the upper thigh though, the flexibilty of the hamstring seems to be as important as it's development and that's mostly because mine are very tight. I do yoga, lots of yoga and that has been very beneficial in dealing with my particurlar biomechanical anomalies which include tight hamstrings and adductors. The muscles at the front of my hips are ridiculously open. All stretches are beneficial to the hamstring and deadlifts too are very effective for preparing the quad to do its job as an agonist (the lengthening muscle) just as lying leg press and hamstring curls, with or without weight help when it is the contracting (antogonist) muscle. Keeping your program well rounded by working flexibility as seriously as you work strength can really hlep overcome imbalances which is what gets us into trouble. I used to put 4 5 pound ankle weights on to do both quad work and hamstring curls but I found that more weight is really unnecessary. Five pounds works as well and it's much safer.
You might also use the machines at a gym if that's available to you. They keep your knee in alignment which is one benefit of the machines. Form is a no brainer. I am a diehard fan of free weights though. I can use step ups but only sparingly since I collapsed the arch of my left foot and pronate quite a lot on the right. Tha affects my balance so steping up may be wobbly and put the knee at risk because of that lack of balance. I work very slowly when I go there and I have gotten quite strong which helps me use muscle energy to stay in alignment in spite of the pronation.
Gym Style Legs and Legs and Glutes both have floor exercises targeting the hamstrings and glutes which are effective and very stable for the knee if you can't do step ups. Step ups can be so unstable. My knees, partiuclarly the left, grind and snap and are fine most of the time, but I get sharp shooting pain behind the patella at times. I have a high pain threshold which is how I totaled my foot before realizing anything was even wrong with it. I think my cartiledge is worn down but it only bothers me a little. Knowing that, I am going to see an orthopedic doctor to get some treatment before they go on me. I'm surprised Melissa can still do squats and lunges with her runner's knee. Squats in particular can be difficult when a knee is behaving badly.
Good luck and happy hamstrings to you.
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