# Leg Curl

Isolated hamstring work — the heels curl toward the glutes while a pad locks
the thighs in place.

- **Category:** Main circuit
- **Type:** Machine-based isolation (knee flexion)
- **Targets:** Hamstrings (biceps femoris, semitendinosus, semimembranosus)
- **Prescription:** 4 × 10
- **Defaults:** 4 × 10 weighted

## Setup

Sit (or lie face down, depending on the version) with the thigh pad locked over
your legs and the roller behind your ankles. Start with the legs extended.

## Execution

1. Curl your legs toward your glutes, driving through the hamstrings.
2. Squeeze hard at the fully bent position.
3. Return the roller under control until the legs are extended again.

## Cues

- Focus on hamstring engagement — feel the pull behind the knee, not the back.
- Keep your hips and back still against the pad; no arching to cheat.
- Curl through the full range, all the way to the glutes.

## Common Mistakes

- Arching the lower back to yank the weight up.
- Using momentum instead of a controlled curl.
- Cutting the range short and never reaching full flexion.

## Progression

Add load once all four sets of ten are controlled; single-leg curls for
asymmetry, or a slow eccentric to overload the lengthening hamstring.