Lying dumbbell leg curl

Knee flexion without a machine: the dumbbell is held between the feet. Less load than the machine, but it covers the pattern when there is none available.

• Isolation
• Dumbbell
• Intermediate

How to do it

• Dumbbell secure between the insteps before you start
• Hips pinned to the bench; do not lift them to help
• Curl as far as you can without the weight shifting
• Lower slowly: the eccentric is where the stimulus is

Sets, reps and tempo

Ranges: 10–15 reps · 0–2 RIR

Tempo: 2 s on the way down, squeeze 1 s at the peak and stay in control, no swinging

Common mistakes

• Lifting the hips to finish the range
• Starting with a dumbbell your feet cannot hold
• Dropping the lowering phase instead of controlling it

Muscles worked

Primary

• Hamstrings

Alternatives

• Leg Curl (lying/seated)
• Slider Hamstring Curl
• Stability ball leg curl