Seated Band Hamstring Curl

Execution

1. Test the band with one easy pull before you start: it should load evenly and the anchor must not shift.
2. Lean back a little onto your hands on the chair edge until the heels clear the floor by about a fist, then hold that torso angle for the whole set.
3. Exhale and bend your knees to pull your heels back toward the underside of the chair, overcoming the band's resistance.
4. Squeeze the hamstrings hard at the deepest point of the curl and hold for a beat.
5. Inhale and straighten the legs back out over 2 seconds, without letting the band snap them out.
6. Keep the thighs stable on the chair for the whole set, so only the lower leg below the knee moves.
7. At the end of the set, extend the legs fully and set the heels down so the band goes slack before you slip it off your ankles.

Quick cues

• Heels a fist off the floor.
• Hold the lean, don't rock.
• Squeeze the hamstrings at the deepest point.
• Two full seconds on the way out.
• Thighs glued to the chair.

Common faults

• Fault: The thighs lifting off the chair as the heels pull in

  Fix: Press the thighs down on the chair and let only the lower leg below the knee move.

• Fault: Letting the band snap the legs straight back out fast

  Fix: Count 2 seconds on the way out so the hamstrings control the whole band.

• Fault: Rocking the torso back and forth with each rep

  Fix: Switch to a lighter band and press firmly through the hands on the chair edge so the torso angle never changes.

• Fault: Not curling through the full range each rep

  Fix: Slide the chair a hand-span closer to the anchor so the band is less tight at the end, then pull until the heels nearly touch the chair leg.