Lying Leg Curl

Execution

1. Press your hips into the pad and squeeze your glutes lightly so the lower back does not arch as you curl.
2. Exhale and bend your knees, drawing your heels toward your hips over 1-2 seconds.
3. Pause for one beat at the highest point where your hips are still in contact with the pad.
4. Inhale and lower over 3 seconds until the legs are nearly straight, keeping the tension on.
5. Keep your neck in line with your back, forehead resting lightly on the pad or on the back of your hands.

Quick cues

• Hips pinned to the pad.
• Draw your heels to your hips.
• Lower slowly, keep the tension.
• Feel the hamstring, not the foot.

Common faults

• Fault: The hips popping off the pad on every curl

  Fix: Drop one plate, squeeze the glutes before you curl and end the set when the hips start to rise.

• Fault: Curling only halfway, with the heels stopping well short

  Fix: Lower the load and count to the point where the heels nearly reach the hips before releasing, checking with a side-view video.

• Fault: Letting the legs fall back fast to the start

  Fix: Set a three-second lowering and stop before the stack touches down.

• Fault: Setting the knees too far in so the joint misses the machine's pivot

  Fix: Slide up or down until the edge of the pad sits right under your knee crease before you start.