But what about the soreness you feel in the back of your legs after a hard squat session? Doesn't that mean the hamstrings got a good workout? No. The soreness you feel is the adductor magnus which happens to cross the back of the legs. Most people think that this muscle group keeps the legs together, which is true, but this group can also assist in hip extension. Unlike the hamstrings the adductor magnus will not conflict with the work of the quads. I've felt soreness in the back of my legs after high-bar squats. According to broscience, high-bar squats aren't even supposed to work the hamstrings. This is also incorrect - the hamstrings are active in high-bar squats but their function is dynamic stabilizers of the knee. This is also their function in low-bar squats and front squats. The hamstrings are active in all forms of squatting but their primary function is to stabilize the knee.