Lying Leg Curls
To perform lying leg curls, begin by lying facedown on the bench. Position yourself so that your ankles are just underneath the support pads, then bend your knees to lift your legs and raise the weight. As you execute the movement, you can grab the bottom or the sides of the bench for support, but you must remember to keep your upper body motionless.
Raise your legs up as high as possible, squeezing your muscles at the top of the movement, then return to the starting position slowly.
Tips
* This exercise isolates the muscles of the hamstrings. Being at the back and therefore less visible than the quadriceps, the hamstrings are often neglected by many people in their leg workouts. It is important to adequately train this muscle group however, since any major imbalance in strength between the quadriceps and hamstrings will likely lead to an injury over time when performing heavy compound movements like
squats
or
stiff-legged deadlifts.
* Flexing the feet while raising the legs increases the contribution of the calves during the lift, thus making it slightly easier. As a result, you should resist the natural urge to flex your feet and instead point your toes to better feel the effort in your hamstrings.
* This exercise is best done in long sets with moderate weights. Sets of about 15 reps are usually optimal, although some people prefer to go as high as 20 or even 30 reps per set.
* If no machine is available, this movement can also be recreated by holding a dumbbell between the ankles.
Return from Lying Leg Curls to view more exercises for the Legs
Return to Home Workout Routines
|
