Are the hamstrings typically under-exercised?

I was always under the impression that in order to get a balanced leg workout involving all muscles, that you would need to include the exercise as in the image below, in order to target your hamstrings. But funnily I can't think of any natural thing that you'd do that would involve these muscles! Not to mention that I can't think of any home exercise that would target them. I know I don't need to every have every muscle to be trained the same amount, but I'm still curious as to how you would target this muscle?



How come you never feel pain (or DOMS) in your hamstrings in the same way you do with your quads during any form of general exercise? You only feel such if you target that muscle, as in the image below. Doesn't this imply that the hamstrings are typically under-exercised?

And does cycling give people a strength imbalance in their legs? I was talking to a guy recently who 'twanged' a hamstring and anything beyond walking hurt for him... yet he could hop on a bike, cycle 30 miles and felt nothing. It was only when his foot down to stop at lights that he felt pain.

Any exercise recommendations?

 

As recall, what you're working depends on which end you're pulling from on any given muscle. In the case of your leg curl pic, you're working the lower half of your hamstring, and the further you curl, the higher up your hamstring you work. If you're doing low squats and lunges, you're pulling from the upper half of your hamstrings and glutes, so they benefit the most. This is what I'm remembering from an article back in the 80's, so maybe you should hope for someone more versed in such things. This seems to match the effects I noticed when doing this exercise and the position you're operating from seems optimal for greatest effect.

As for bicycling; I don't see how you could get any "imbalance" from that. Riding for an hour can greatly reduce your blood pressure while improving stamina, as it's a great aerobic exercise. I measured my BP on one outing, and it was 178/120 at the start vs 120/70 when I got back from my ride. I rode 16-20 miles to a lake where I took a swim for less than an hour, then rode back for another 16-20 miles. Your mileage may vary, but this is what I was able to measure myself here at home. I've never measured anything before or after weight training.