Lying Hamstring Curls

Muscles Worked: Hamstrings

Spotter Required: No

Minimum Equipment required: Bench press with a leg curl extension, & weight plates

The Best Equipment to Use: Lying hamstring machine

Warming up: To warm up, perform 1 set of 15 - 20 repetitions with a light to moderate weight.

How often should I perform this exercise: This exercise could be included in every leg workout but can be alternated with standing hamstring curls.

When should I perform this exercise: Hamstring curls take a moderate amount of energy and are best performed in the middle of your leg workout, i.e. after squats (because this exercise is a compound movement)

How to do the exercise: Another great exercise for the Hamstring muscles. Unlike in the standing Hamstring curls, we are targeting both Hamstrings at the same time here. To begin, lie flat on the bench or lying hamstring curls machine and hook your feet under the pads on the top of the leg extension.

Keeping nice and flat on the bench, contract the Hamstrings and raise the weight up to just past 90 degrees, in a controlled fashion. Keep the Quadricep muscles on the other side of your legs flat on the bench, to make sure that the emphasis is placed in the Hamstrings.

Hold at the top for a couple of seconds and then return to the original starting position. To increase the intensity of the exercise, do not allow the weight to rest at the bottom. Stop just short and keep the emphasis on the muscle.

Mentality: Correct weight is key here. Anything too heavy can put unnecessary and dangerous strain on the hamstrings and will most likely result in incorrect technique and possible injury, it is quite easy to try and lift heavy weight, do not be tempted to do this, a hamstring injury can take months to heal and is very painful.

Equally though, too light a weight can cause the legs to come up too quickly.Take the time to find out a good weight for yourself. The other key element is control on both the upward and downward movement.

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