Leg curl is the basic and safest exercise for developing hamstrings. Let’s see how we should do it plus some training tips.
The leg curl is usually very popular as it allows you to isolate this important muscle group effectively.
These are the muscles located in the back of the legs. The hamstrings work the same way the biceps of the arms do. The leg flexion exercise would be the equivalent of the arm curl to train the biceps.
Proper focus and proper execution are essential to ensure good results without injury on these muscles that are not usually considered as showy as the quadriceps muscles, but are essential for the complete development of the thigh.
HOW IS THE LEG CURL PERFORMED?
- Lie on the bench face down, with your hips directly on the edge of the bench.
- Arrange your legs so that the resistance pad is over the Achilles tendon just above the top of the shoe (above the ankles).
- The knee joint should be adjacent to the turning point of the machine.
- Grab the support bars of the bench to withstand the resistance and perform the Knee Flexion.
- Consider exhaling, contracting your hamstrings, and pulling your heels up until the bar comes into contact with your lower glutes (maximum range of motion) or until your knee joint reaches 90 degrees of flexion.
- Hold the position for one second at the top of the movement.
- Finally inhale while lowering the load in a controlled movement to the starting position.
TRAINING TIPS FOR PERFORMING THE LEG CURL
Let’s look at some training tips to use this excellent leg exercise that is excellent not only for developing the legs but also for toning the buttocks.
Keep your hips in contact with the bench at all times.
Keep your feet and ankles at a 90-degree angle.
The pad should rest on the back of the ankles. It should not roll up to the calves and should not rest on the heels.
Contract your legs all the way to the buttocks and hold for one second at the end of the movement. Always making sure not to raise your hip on the bench. If they can’t keep their hips down, they’re probably using too much weight.
Make sure you don’t “push” the weight at the beginning of the movement. The correct way is to perform the movement with the correct weight, the one that allows us a constant and gradual movement up and down.