Leg Curl

Difficulty: ⭐ Beginnerhinge

Home Setup

Lie face down on a bed or bench with knees just off the edge, loop a resistance band around ankles and anchor it to a sturdy furniture leg in front of you

resistance bandbed or benchheavy furniture

💡 Pro tip: Place a pillow under your hips to maintain neutral spine and prevent lower back arching during the movement

Gym Setup

Lying leg curl machine or seated leg curl machine, adjusted so the pad sits just above your heels and the pivot point aligns with your knee joint

Safety: Avoid hyperextending knees at the bottom position and keep hips pressed firmly against the pad throughout to prevent lower back strain

💪 Muscles Worked

Biceps FemorisSemitendinosusSemimembranosusGastrocnemiusPopliteus

⭐ Why This Exercise?

Leg curls provide direct isolation of the hamstrings, making them essential for balanced leg development and injury prevention. This exercise is particularly valuable for bodybuilding as it allows for targeted hamstring hypertrophy without lower back fatigue, and helps correct strength imbalances between quadriceps and hamstrings that can lead to knee injuries.

Make It Easier

Regressions for building up strength

1. Stability Ball Leg Curl

stability ball

Uses body weight only and allows for natural movement pattern with less resistance

2. Standing Single-Leg Curl with Band

resistance band + anchor point

Lighter resistance and allows you to work one leg at a time with better control

3. Glute Bridge Hold with Isometric Curl

bodyweight

Static hold reduces difficulty while still engaging hamstrings

Make It Harder

Progressions for advanced athletes

1. Single-Leg Machine Curl

leg curl machine

Unilateral work increases difficulty and addresses strength imbalances

2. Eccentric-Emphasized Leg Curl

leg curl machine

Slower negative phase (4-6 seconds) increases time under tension and muscle damage for greater hypertrophy

3. Nordic Hamstring Curl

partner or anchor point

Advanced bodyweight variation with extreme eccentric loading that maximally challenges hamstring strength

↕️ Similar Movements

Romanian Deadlift

Compound hinge movement that works hamstrings through hip extension rather than knee flexion

Good Morning

Another hip-dominant hamstring exercise that complements the knee-dominant leg curl

Glute-Ham Raise

Works both hamstring functions (hip extension and knee flexion) in one movement

Stiff-Leg Deadlift

Stretches and loads hamstrings in lengthened position, opposite to leg curl's shortened position emphasis

Leg Extension

Antagonist isolation exercise for quadriceps, often superset with leg curls for balanced development

Form Checklist

✓Keep hips pressed firmly into the pad throughout the entire movement

✓Curl heels toward glutes in a smooth arc, focusing on squeezing hamstrings at the top

✓Control the descent for 2-3 seconds rather than letting weight drop

✓Point toes straight or slightly inward to maximize hamstring engagement

✓Avoid lifting hips or arching lower back to complete the rep

Common Mistakes

•Using momentum or swinging the weight up instead of controlled muscle contraction
•Lifting hips off the pad to complete reps, which shifts tension to lower back
•Using too much weight and achieving only partial range of motion
•Dropping the weight quickly on the eccentric phase, missing valuable muscle-building stimulus
•Pointing toes outward which shifts emphasis away from hamstrings to calves

📈 When to Progress

Progress when you can complete 3 sets of 12-15 reps with controlled tempo (1 second concentric, 2-3 second eccentric) while maintaining perfect form with hips down and full range of motion, and the last 2-3 reps of each set feel challenging but not impossible