Lying leg curl: proper form, muscles worked and common mistakes

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How to do it

Face down with the pelvis pressed to the bench so you don't arch the lower back. Bring the heel toward the glutes contracting the hamstring and lower under control without bouncing.

Muscles worked

Main muscle: hamstrings. When it plans weekly volume, every set of this exercise counts in full for hamstrings: the generator does not split it with other muscles.

Lying leg curl: near-neutral hip and a lower back in play, versus the seated curl

Compared with the seated leg curl, here your body is face down and the hip sits close to neutral. The hamstrings start less stretched than when seated, and in return the exercise asks more of your pelvic control: as you tire, the hips tend to rise and the lower back to arch, and that compensation takes work away from the muscle. Many machines have an angled bench to help keep the pelvis fixed. Compared with the nordic curl, the lying curl lets you set the weight precisely and work in normal sets.

It's a good choice if the seated machine isn't available, if you like the feel of loading with the hip extended, or if you want to alternate both to vary the stimulus. If you feel discomfort in the lower back as it arches, lower the load, brace your abs and stop arching; if it persists, try the seated curl. It fits after your main leg work, for 8 to 15 reps.

A trick specific to this exercise is the one-leg lowering: lift with both legs and lower with one over three seconds to work the braking phase harder without needing more weight. Always keep your hips down on the bench, even in the last reps, where they most tend to lift off.

Recommended sets and reps

As an isolation exercise, it works best in 3–4 sets of 10–15 reps with 0–2 RIR. Use it at the end of the session to add volume without systemic fatigue.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Lifting your hips off the pad as the weight comes up: it shortens the hamstring range and the lower back takes over.
• Not adjusting the seat and pads to your body: your joint should line up with the machine's pivot.
• Cutting short the part of the range where the muscle is stretched: that is exactly where this exercise gives the most stimulus.

What the research says

This is an isolation exercise. For beginners, adding it on top of compound lifts does not always help: in the trial by Gentil and colleagues (2013), people who only did lat pulldowns gained as much arm size as those who also did curls. It earns its place with experience, and for muscles the big lifts leave short.

It loads the muscle in the stretched position, which is where several trials find more growth: more hypertrophy from seated than lying leg curls (Maeo and colleagues, 2021) and better quad results from training the long part of the range (Pedrosa and colleagues, 2022). So do not cut the bottom of the rep short.

You do not need to reach failure on every set: according to the meta-analysis by Refalo and colleagues (2023), stopping one or two reps short gives very similar growth. The generator prescribes it with RIR for that reason.

Lying leg curl: what it gives up against the seated version and when it still makes sense

Lying face down, the hip is extended. The biarticular hamstrings, which cross both hip and knee, therefore work at shorter lengths than on the seated curl, and that has a measured cost. In the trial by Maeo and colleagues published in 2021 in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, each participant trained one leg on each machine for twelve weeks. The hamstrings of the lying-curl leg grew 9%, against 14% for the seated-curl leg (Maeo et al., 2021).

A 9% gain in twelve weeks is still a good result: the lying curl works. What the study says is that, all else equal, it falls behind. It makes sense when your gym has no seated version, or as a second knee-flexion exercise in a session that already includes the seated curl or a Nordic curl.

One habit recovers part of the lost stretch: keep your pelvis pressed into the pad and do not let the hips rise at the top. Lifting them shortens the muscle even further just when tension is highest.

Related guide

Best leg exercises for the gym and at home

Alternative exercises

• Seated leg curl
• Standing cable leg curl
• Romanian deadlift
• Single-leg RDL
• Glute-ham raise

More isolation exercises

• Incline dumbbell curl
• Reverse barbell curl
• Hammer curl
• Band hammer curl
• Front raise

Add it to your routine

Progrevia can generate a personalized routine that includes Lying leg curl based on your level, goal and available days.

Frequently asked questions

What muscles does Lying leg curl work?

Lying leg curl mainly works the hamstrings muscle group, plus synergist and stabilizer muscles depending on the variation.

How many sets of Lying leg curl should I do?

Between 3 and 5 sets per session, adjusting the total weekly volume for hamstrings to your level (about 10–20 sets per muscle per week).

Why do my hips lift off the bench on the lying leg curl?

It's common when the weight is too high or the hamstring is fatiguing: the hips rise to help. Lower the load, brace your abs and glutes to fix the pelvis, and press your hips into the bench for the whole set. If the machine has an angled bench, set your body so the hips sit at the bend.

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