Hips lifting off the pad
Reduce the weight and keep hips pressed down so the hamstrings, not the lower back, do the work.
Isolation · Machine
Lying Leg Curl
The lying leg curl is a machine exercise where you lie face down and curl a padded lever toward your glutes. It isolates the hamstrings at the knee and suits anyone adding direct hamstring work alongside hinges.
- Primary
- Hamstrings
- Starting rep range
- 10–15 reps
- Target effort
- 1 reps in reserve
- Progression
- 5 kg / one stack step
Muscles worked
The hamstrings flex the knee, with the calves (gastrocnemius) contributing somewhat. Pointing your toes reduces the calf's role and keeps more work on the hamstrings.
How to set up
- Lie face down with your knees just off the end of the bench.
- Align your knees with the machine's pivot point.
- Set the ankle pad just above your heels.
- Grip the handles and press your hips into the bench.
How to do each rep
- Curl your heels toward your glutes as far as you can.
- Squeeze your hamstrings briefly at the top.
- Lower slowly over 2-3 seconds to nearly straight legs.
- Keep your hips pressed into the pad throughout.
Common lying leg curl mistakes
Swinging the weight up
Control both directions and pause at the top.
Partial range
Lower to nearly straight legs each rep for a full stretch.
Sets, reps, and progression
Surpass starts the lying leg curl at 10–15 reps with about 1 reps in reserve. As an isolation exercise it fits well after your main compound lifts.
Work in 10-15 reps and add one pin when every set reaches the top of the range. Slow negatives help when stack jumps are large.
Know what to lift next time
Surpass shows what you lifted last time beside a target for this set, and adjusts it from your reps and RIR. Free on iPhone, no account needed.
Lying Leg Curl alternatives
These train the same main muscles. Swap when the equipment is busy, something hurts, or progress has stalled for several weeks.
Programs that use it
Push Pull Legs (6-Day PPL)6 days a week · intermediateUpper/Lower Split (4 Days)4 days a week · beginner3-Day Full Body Workout3 days a week · beginnerArnold Split (6 Days)6 days a week · advanced5-Day Bro Split5 days a week · intermediatePPL + Upper/Lower Hybrid (5 Days)5 days a week · intermediate
Questions
Lying vs seated leg curl?
Both train the hamstrings well. The seated version keeps the hamstrings more stretched at the hip, which may be slightly better for growth, but use whichever you have and feel.
Do I need leg curls if I do RDLs?
RDLs train hamstrings at the hip; leg curls train them at the knee. Doing both covers both functions of the muscle.