Exercise Profile
- Target Muscle Group
- Exercise TypeStrength
- Equipment RequiredMachine
- MechanicsIsolation
- Force TypePull
- Experience LevelBeginner
- Secondary Muscles
None
Target Muscle Group
Hamstrings
Single Leg Curl Instructions
- Adjust the leg curl machine so that your knees are aligned with the pivot point and your body is comfortably positioned.
- Lie face down on the machine and place one leg on the leg pad.
- Hold onto the handles for support and stability. This is the starting position.
- Slowly bend your knee to bring your heel towards your glutes, using your hamstring muscles to pull.
- Once your leg is fully curled, pause for a moment at the top of the movement.
- Slowly lower your leg back to the starting position, keeping control of the movement.
- After completing the desired reps on one leg, switch to the other leg and repeat
Single Leg Curl Tips
- Maintain control throughout the set. Avoid using momentum to move the weight up, and don't allow it to drop back down quickly.
- Use a full range of motion by curling the weight up as far as possible and lowering it as far as possible without the weight dropping on the stack.
4 Comments
What is the benefit of this over using both legs?
Hi Terry, it is a matter of preference. If one leg is weaker than the other or if you have a muscle imbalance, then going single side will help.
Whats a good alternative to this excerise? I need another hamstring excerise on my leg day as i start with Stiff-Leg Deadlifts and would like another to complment it and i dont have this machine at my center...
You could do a hamstring curl similar to this with a cable and a handle behind your heel. Standing or lying on a bench, lying down will probably give your more resistance throughout range of motion.