Leg curl: how to do it, muscles worked and variations
Knee flexion for the hamstrings.
- Main muscles
- Hamstrings
- Secondary muscles
- Gastrocnemius
- Equipment
- Leg curl machine, Dumbbell, Flat bench
- Variations
- 4
All 4 variations
Seated leg curl
Seated knee flexion on a machine.
Form. Keep the pelvis stable and control the return.
Common mistake. Bouncing at the bottom or losing contact with the seat.
Lying leg curl
Knee flexion lying on a machine.
Form. Adjust the pad and flex without lifting your hips.
Common mistake. Arching the lower back as you close the movement.
Alternating lying leg curl
Lying machine leg curl alternating legs, which lets you detect and work on differences between sides.
Form. Set the pad just above your heels and lie with your hips against the bench; flex one knee bringing the heel toward the glute, lower slowly and alternate.
Common mistake. Lifting your hips off the bench, swinging the leg, lowering without control, or dropping the other leg.
Lying dumbbell leg curl
Face-down leg curl on a bench with a dumbbell held between the feet, an alternative to the machine for working the hamstrings.
Form. Lie face down with your knees just off the bench, grip the dumbbell firmly between your feet and flex your knees without lifting your hips; lower slowly controlling the load.
Common mistake. Using a dumbbell you cannot hold securely, lifting your hips off the bench, dropping the weight on the way down, or loading and removing the weight without help.
Other exercises for the same muscles
