Lying Leg Curl
Reviewed by Bryan Cortez, MS
The hamstring bends the knee too — curls cover what hinges can't.
Coaching profile
simple machine curl. This page is the practical coaching layer: use it for setup, cues, programming, pain-free adjustments, and substitutions. The complete biomechanics tier list lives on the muscle page.
How the rankings are built →Demonstration
Demonstration production queue
The written coaching card is ready. The owned video is next.
Physique Skool is filming one canonical demonstration per exercise. Until this movement is published, use the setup, execution, common errors, programming, and substitutions below.
Browse Physique Skool on YouTubeAppears in Book 1
Four-Day Standard
Full Body A
Exercise 4 in the session · Seated Leg Curl (or Lying Leg Curl): 3 sets of 10–15 reps.
Four-Day Standard
Lower A
Exercise 4 in the session · Seated Leg Curl (or Lying Leg Curl): 2 sets of 10–15 reps.
Four-Day Standard
Lower B
Exercise 4 in the session · Lying Leg Curl (or Seated Leg Curl): 3 sets of 8–12 reps.
How to do it
Setup
- Face down, knee just off the pad edge, pad on the lower calf, hips pinned.
Execution
- Curl the heels toward the glutes, squeeze, control down; keep the hips pressed into the pad.
Common Errors
- Hips lifting off the pad to cheat
- Jerking the weight up and dropping it down
- Partial reps with no full stretch
- Going so heavy the form collapses
Cues That Work
- Press the hips into the pad; pull the heels toward the glutes; lower without dropping the stack
No-Fly Zone
under 5 reps (heavy partials cramp more than they build)
Programming
Sequence priority
Late
Single-joint, low fatigue — late as a hamstring finisher, or early as a pre-exhaust.
Progression
Model — Double
Fallback model — Triple
Double progression: 8→15, then add a pin (or micro-plate) and reset.
Best program fit
Pull, Legs, Lower
Load increments
If it hurts
Pain is information, not a challenge to push through. Stop the set if pain is sharp, worsening, or changes how you move. These are exercise-selection options, not medical diagnosis or rehabilitation advice.
Work down this list in order. Stop at the first change that removes the pain.
Step 1
Setup tweaks
Toe position (dorsiflexed vs pointed); foot rotation in/out for medial/lateral bias.
Step 2
ROM / tempo / bias
Pause and squeeze at the top; slow eccentric; lengthened partials.
Step 3
Implement swap
Seated leg curl (more stretch), Nordic curl, or single-leg curl for imbalances.
Substitutions
Approved fallback
Seated leg curl (more stretch), Nordic curl, or single-leg curl for imbalances.
Compare all hamstrings optionsThe Evidence
Isolates the knee-flexion role of the hamstrings. Does NOT train the hip-extension role — pair it with an RDL.
SFR — 2.3
Put the exercise inside a system.
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