Leg Curl
Step by step
How to perform
- Keep your torso flat on the bench as you secure your legs under the lever.
- Curl your legs up as far as possible without lifting the upper legs from the pad, ensuring that you exhale during this movement.
- Once you hit the fully contracted position, hold it for a second as you squeeze your hamstrings.
- Slowly bring your legs back to the initial position as you breathe in, ensuring a controlled movement, and repeat the process for the desired number of repetitions.
Overview
About this exercise
The Leg Curl is a popular lower-body exercise that primarily targets the hamstrings, but also works the calves and glutes, promoting muscle growth, strength, and improved balance. It is suitable for everyone from beginners to advanced fitness enthusiasts, as it can be easily adjusted to match individual fitness levels and goals. People would want to do this exercise to enhance their lower body strength, improve athletic performance, or achieve toned and defined legs.
Coaching cues
Form tips
Avoid using momentum to lift the weight. Instead, focus on slow and controlled movements. This ensures that your hamstrings are doing the work and not the rest of your body. This also helps to prevent injury from sudden, jerky movements.
Make sure to go through the full range of motion. This means fully extending your legs and then curling them up as far as comfortably possible. This helps to engage all parts of the hamstring muscles.
A common mistake is hyperextending the knees at the bottom of the movement. This can put unnecessary strain on the knee joint. Instead, keep a slight
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