Leg Curl

How to Perform the Leg Curl

Lie face down on a leg curl machine with the ankle pad positioned just above your heels on your Achilles area.
Adjust the machine so your knees are just past the edge of the bench pad, aligned with the pivot point.
Grip the handles in front of you and keep your hips pressed firmly into the pad throughout the movement.
Curl the weight upward by bending your knees and contracting your hamstrings, bringing your heels toward your glutes.
Squeeze your hamstrings hard at the top of the movement when the pad is as close to your glutes as possible.
Lower the weight back down slowly under control, stopping just short of fully straightening your legs to maintain tension.
Repeat for the prescribed reps without lifting your hips off the pad or using momentum.

Lifting hips off the pad during the curl

Press your hips firmly into the bench throughout. If they lift, reduce the weight.

Using a jerky, fast motion

Control the weight on both the concentric and eccentric phases. Aim for a 2-second lift and 3-second lower.

Not achieving full range of motion

Curl the weight as far as possible toward your glutes and lower to near-full extension for complete hamstring development.

Ankle pad positioned on the calves instead of the ankles

Set the pad low, just above the heel, for maximum leverage and hamstring engagement.

✓Directly isolates the hamstrings for targeted growth
✓Helps prevent knee injuries by balancing quad and hamstring strength
✓Simple machine movement suitable for all experience levels
✓Reduces hamstring strain risk by strengthening the muscles in their shortened position

●Point your toes to reduce calf involvement and isolate the hamstrings more effectively.
●Try single-leg curls to identify and correct strength imbalances.
●Pair leg curls with leg extensions as a superset for efficient leg training.

Strength

3-4 sets of 6-8 reps at 75-85% capacity

Hypertrophy

3-4 sets of 10-15 reps at 60-75% capacity

Endurance

2-3 sets of 15-25 reps at 40-60% capacity

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