Lying Leg Curls
- Lie face down on a leg curl machine and lock your heels under the foot pad. Make sure your legs are fully extended and the foot pads are resting on the back of your ankles.
- If the machine is equipped with handles, grip them. If not, grip the front of the pad you are lying on.
- Remaining flat on the bench, with no arching of your spine, curl your legs up in a smooth arcing motion by bending your knees until your hamstrings are fully contracted. Hold for a count of one.
- Slowly lower your legs to the starting position in a smooth arcing motion.
- Repeat
Don't use so much weight for this exercise that you need to swing or jerk the weight up. Doing so can cause injury to your lower back and / or hamstrings. Start with a lower weight until your strength increases.
Related exercises to discover
Lying leg curls is a gym work out exercise that targets hamstrings and also involves glutes & hip flexors. Refer to the illustration diagram and instructions above for how to perform this exercise correctly. Dumbbell chops, stiff legged barbell deadlifts and cossack squats are related exercise that target the same muscle groups as lying leg curls. Visit our free illustrated exercise directory for more exercises to try in your workouts.
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