How to do a Lying Hamstrings Curl

Reviewed by JP Michelsen, CPT, B.A. Kinesiology

About Lying Hamstrings Curl

Sets Logged
2,324,374
Popularity Rank
60th
Difficulty
Beginner
Hamstrings Strength
98 mSCORE 5th
Equipment Required
  • Photo of Leg Curl Machine
    Leg Curl Machine

Target muscles worked

Primary Muscles
Hamstrings
Secondary Muscles
Lower Back, Glutes

Instructions for Proper Form

Lying Hamstring Curl is a weighted, isolation exercise that targets the hamstrings. There’s a relatively short list of isolation exercises for lower body muscle groups. Because of this, this is a great addition to a lower body workout in order to build strength and muscle mass in the hamstrings specifically. The use of a machine restricts your range of motion, and adds stability to the movement, allowing you to focus on exertion rather than stabilizing the movement.

  1. Lie face down onto a lying hamstring curl machine with the lower pad just above your lower leg 2-3” above your ankles.
  2. Grab ahold of the handles for additional support and brace your core to keep your torso on the bench.
  3. Flex your knees to raise the pad in an upward arc.
  4. Once you can no longer flex your knees, return to the starting position.

Common Form Mistakes

  • Overusing Machines

    Machines are great pieces of equipment, however they do hinder your ability to develop smaller stabilizing muscles. Try to work in other variations that require you to stabilize the movement as well.

Weight & 1 Rep Max Calculator

Average Lying Hamstrings Curl standards by male, female, weight, age and height

Use this calculator to see Fitbod's possible first recommendations for you. This would be your starting line, based on more than 4.5 billion logged sets from 1.1 million users.

  • beginner
    8
    reps
    45
    lbs
    1 Rep Max
    55
    lbs
  • intermediate
    8
    reps
    55
    lbs
    70
    lbs
  • advanced
    8
    reps
    60
    lbs
    75
    lbs

Enter your stats to calculate your Reps & Weight

How is this calculated?

Alternative Exercises to Lying Hamstrings Curl

Filter By

  1. 1. Seated Leg Curl

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    98.8 mSCORESWAPPED 49,951 TIMES

    Seated Leg Curl is a weighted, isolation exercise that targets the hamstrings. Because a vast majority of lower body exercises tend to be compound movements, this exercise is a great way to isolate the hamstrings for building muscle mass, and developing strength. The use of a machine restricts your range of motion, and adds stability, allowing you to focus on exertion more than stabilizing the movement.

  2. 2. Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift

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    97.6 mSCORESWAPPED 16,475 TIMES

    This exercise is a variation on Romanian Deadlifts. Like other Romanian Deadlifts, this is a compound exercise that primarily targets your hamstrings and glutes. The use of dumbbells can help with some limitations in mobility, and is a great starting point for anyone working towards performing Deadlifts or Romanian Deadlifts with a barbell.

  3. 3. Kettlebell Sumo Squat

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    87.3 mSCORESWAPPED 5,346 TIMES

    Kettlebell Sumo Squat is a squat variation. Like other squat variations, this exercise is a compound movement that targets the hamstrings, glutes and quads. Positioning your feet wider than you would for a standard squat helps to recruit the inner thigh, as well as help individuals with mobility limitations.

  4. 4. Deadlift

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    98.7 mSCORESWAPPED 5,100 TIMES

    Deadlift is one of the three powerlifting movements. It’s a compound exercise that primarily targets muscles in the rear chain (backside of the body), and is great for developing strength in these muscles. It’s a staple in most programs, and is often used as a metric for tracking strength.

  5. 5. Kettlebell Swing

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    87.3 mSCORESWAPPED 4,554 TIMES

    Kettlebell Swing is a compound, explosive movement that primarily targets the hamstrings and glutes. This is a great exercise for improving power and explosiveness. It's especially helpful in developing glute drive which can help improve a number of different exercises, and sport performance.

  6. 6. Romanian Deadlift

    Photo of Romanian Deadlift being performed
    98.6 mSCORESWAPPED 4,404 TIMES

    Romanian Deadlift is a variation on the more standard Deadlift. It’s a compound exercise that primarily targets your glutes, and hamstrings. Unlike the standard Deadlift, this variation focuses mostly on driving your hips forward to raise the weight, and restricts movement in your knees. This is a great exercise for building strength, and can translate well to other exercises that utilize a hip hinge.

  7. 7. Standing Leg Curl

    Photo of Standing Leg Curl being performed
    58.7 mSCORESWAPPED 4,349 TIMES

    Standing Leg Curl is an isolation exercise that targets the hamstrings. There’s a relatively short list of isolation exercises for lower body muscle groups. Because of this, this is a great addition to a lower body workout in order to build strength and muscle mass in the hamstrings specifically. By performing this exercise with one leg at a time, you prevent the risk of compensating for strength discrepancies between sides. The use of a machine restricts your range of motion, and adds stability to the movement, allowing you to focus on exertion rather than stabilizing the movement.

  8. 8. Single Leg Romanian Deadlift

    Photo of Single Leg Romanian Deadlift being performed
    80.8 mSCORESWAPPED 3,808 TIMES

    Single Leg Romanian Deadlift is a variation on the more standard Romanian Deadlift. Like other Romanian Deadlift variations, this is a compound movement that primarily targets the glutes and hamstrings. Performing this exercise on one leg, is a great way to identify, and help address, discrepancies in mobility, strength, and stability between sides. This is a great exercise for anyone looking to improve their ability to perform a large number of other compound lower body movements like Squats, Lunges, or even Olympic lifts.

  9. 9. Smith Machine Stiff-Legged Deadlift

    Photo of Smith Machine Stiff-Legged Deadlift being performed
    84.6 mSCORESWAPPED 3,215 TIMES

    Smith Machine Stiff-Legged Deadlift is a variation on the more standard Romanian Deadlift. Like other Romanian Deadlift variations, this is a compound movement that primarily targets the glutes and hamstrings. The use of a Smith Machine restricts your range of motion, and adds stability to the movement. This allows you to focus on exertion, or learning the movement rather than focusing on stability.

  10. 10. Single Leg Curl

    Photo of Single Leg Curl being performed
    33.2 mSCORESWAPPED 2,876 TIMES

    The Single Leg Curl with a leg curl machine is an isolation exercise targeting the hamstrings. This variation offers unique benefits over traditional, bilateral leg curls by allowing for a greater focus on unilateral strength and correcting imbalances between legs. It's slightly more challenging due to the increased demand for stability and control. Incorporating this exercise can enhance muscle symmetry, improve stability, and contribute to a wider range of motion, benefiting overall leg development and performance in compound lower-body exercises.