Lying Leg Curl: How to Do It Right

You lie face down on the leg curl machine with your ankles under a padded roller and curl your heels up toward your glutes. Only the knees move, so the hamstrings do all the work and your back stays out of it. Below you will find how to set up the pad, how to keep your hips down, the muscles worked, sets and reps, how it compares to the seated leg curl, and the mistakes that turn it into a hip exercise.

The lying leg curl works the hamstrings, the three muscles on the back of the thigh that bend the knee. All three heads curl the roller up, and the shorter head of the biceps femoris on the outside works only here, since it does not cross the hip. The glutes help keep the hips pressed into the pad, and the calves assist a little at the knee. That is why the lying leg curl is called an isolation exercise: it is the most direct way to load the hamstrings without your back doing any work.

For muscle growth, do 3 to 4 sets of 10 to 15 reps. Pause for a second at the top and lower under control. Rest 60 to 90 seconds between sets. Stop each set with 1 or 2 good reps left and add a plate once you hit 15 clean reps on every set. The lying leg curl also works well with 20 reps as a finisher. Heavy sets of 5 or 6 usually mean the hips come up, so keep the weight moderate.

Both train the hamstrings by bending the knee. On the seated leg curl your hips are bent, so the hamstrings start from a longer stretch and the newer research gives it a small edge for growth. On the lying leg curl your hips are straight, which puts more of the work on the short head of the biceps femoris and lets you squeeze harder at the top. Many lifters do both in the same week. If your gym has only one machine, either works well. Pair it with a Romanian deadlift, which trains the hamstrings at the hip, and your hamstrings get both jobs.

Single leg curls fix a weaker side and are easier to control. Feet flexed, toes pulled toward the shins, takes the calves out and makes the hamstrings do more. A pause of 2 seconds at the top makes a light weight much harder. Some machines have an angled bench pad, and others are flat. On a flat bench, put a small cushion under your hips or push them down harder. In the app the exercise is called Lying Leg Curl, and single leg sets can be logged with half the weight.

No lying leg curl machine? A Romanian deadlift trains the hamstrings in a long stretch at the hip and brings in the glutes. At home, a glute bridge with the feet far from your hips puts the hamstrings to work with no equipment, and a dumbbell held between the feet on a bench copies the curl. The moves below are the closest swaps.

The lying leg curl is the third exercise on Day C of Curves & Confidence, 3 sets of 8 to 12 for the hamstrings, with the seated leg curl as the swap. In Full Body Foundation it is the swap for the seated leg curl on Day B, 3 sets of 6 to 10. Log every set in GymDroid and the plan sets your next weight. On iPhone and Android.

Full Body Foundation · Curves & Confidence · Dumbbell Home Essentials

The hamstrings on the back of the thigh, all three muscles. The glutes hold the hips on the pad and the calves help a little at the knee. Nothing else moves, so the quads and lower back get almost no work.

The seated leg curl stretches the hamstrings more and has a small edge for growth in recent studies. The lying leg curl hits the short head of the biceps femoris harder and lets you squeeze at the top. Do the one your gym has, or both in the same week.

10 to 15 reps for 3 to 4 sets works best for most people. Pause at the top and lower for 2 seconds. Sets of 20 as a finisher work too.

Flexed or relaxed. Pulling the toes toward the shins takes the calves out of the lift and makes the hamstrings do more. Pointing the toes often cramps the calves.

The weight is too heavy or the knees are set too far forward on the pad. Take weight off, line your knees up with the pivot and press your hips down on every rep.

Not the same movement without a machine. A glute bridge with the feet far from your hips, a dumbbell held between your feet on a bench, or a Romanian deadlift with dumbbells trains the hamstrings at home. Sliding leg curls on a towel on a smooth floor are the closest copy.