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Leg curl
The back of your thigh has two jobs: bending your knee and taking your hip back. Almost everyone trains the second and forgets the first, and the leg curl is exactly the first.
What it works
- Hamstrings, the three muscles on the back of your thigh
- Calves, which help a little with bending the knee
How to do it
- 1Set up the machine
Your knee has to line up with the pivot point, and the roller pad goes just above your heel, not on your calf.
- 2Hold on and lock your hips in place
Lying down, hips pressed against the bench. Seated, thigh held firmly by the pad. If your hips move, the exercise slips away.
- 3Bend your knee fully
Bring your heel toward your butt as far as the machine allows, without jerking, and squeeze for a moment at the top.
- 4Return slowly
Lowering for a count of two or three and straightening your knee almost all the way. That's where the muscle stretches and where it works best.
The mistakes you see most
- Lifting your hips. In the lying version, lifting your hips off the bench to help. It's a sign there's too much weight.
- Short range of motion. Neither bending all the way nor straightening all the way. With little range, this exercise doesn't do much.
- Roller pad in the wrong place. On top of your calf it presses and bothers you; too low, on the tendon, it's uncomfortable. It goes just above your heel.
- Going too fast. The hamstrings respond especially well to the lowering phase. Letting it drop throws away half the set.
Variations
- Lying. The classic. Your hips are straight and it usually allows a bit more weight.
- Seated. With your hips bent, the hamstring starts more stretched, and several studies suggest that position works somewhat better. If you're only going to do one, make it this one.
- Single-leg. Shows you at once the difference between one side and the other, which tends to be large in this area.
- Nordic curl. No machine, kneeling with your feet anchored, lowering your body slowly. Very hard and widely used for the lowering phase.
Frequently asked questions
Lying or seated?
Seated, the hamstring starts more stretched, and that position is linked to better results in the available studies. Lying works too. Ideally, include both over the week.
Does it replace the Romanian deadlift?
No. The Romanian trains the hamstring from the hip; the curl trains it from the knee. Those are the muscle's two functions, and you need both.
Does it help avoid hamstring injuries?
Strength work in this area, especially exercises that emphasize the lowering phase, is what's commonly recommended in sports that involve running. It's no guarantee: it's one more measure, and with a specific injury your physical therapist has the final say.
How many reps?
Eight to fifteen. With very heavy loads the technique breaks down quickly and your hips start helping.
And to keep track of what you lift
In the Reverfit Workout app every exercise comes with its animation, and you log the weight and reps set by set, with what you did last time right in front of you. Free and with no ads.
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