Lever Lying Leg Curl

1. Adjust the machine so your knees line up with the pivot point and the pad sits just above your heels on the back of your ankles.
2. Lie face down on the bench, gripping the handles, with your kneecaps just off the edge of the pad.
3. Press your hips into the bench and keep them there for the whole set.
4. Curl your heels toward your glutes in one smooth motion.
5. Squeeze the hamstrings hard at the top of the curl.
6. Lower the weight slowly until your legs are almost straight, keeping tension on the muscle.
7. Repeat without letting the weight stack slam down between reps.

Common Mistakes

• Lifting the hips off the bench: raising the hips as you curl uses the lower back to help and shortens the hamstring range. Keep hips pinned down.
• Using momentum: kicking the weight up fast and letting it drop skips the part of the rep that builds muscle. Curl and lower with control.
• Misaligned knee axis: if your knees are not level with the machine pivot, the pad drags and the joint takes uneven stress. Take time to set up correctly.
• Stopping short at the bottom: lowering only halfway keeps the hamstrings in their shortened range. Extend almost fully to work the muscle through its length.