Lying Cable Leg Curl
The lying cable leg curl is a hamstring curl done face down with an ankle strap on a low pulley, one leg at a time, and it trains the hamstrings under constant tension without a dedicated machine.
HAMSTRINGS · LOWER BODY
How it is executed
- Attach an ankle strap to a low cable pulley and secure it around one ankle, then lie face down on a bench or the floor facing away from the stack.
- Keep your hips pressed down and your upper body still as you curl your heel toward your glutes against the cable resistance.
- Squeeze your hamstring hard at the top of the contraction.
- Lower under control until your leg is nearly straight, feeling a stretch.
- The cable provides constant tension through the full range, unlike a free-weight curl.
- Muscles worked
- Hamstrings
- Primary muscle
- Hamstrings
- Equipment
- Cable
- Movement pattern
- Lower body
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- What it is for
- Hypertrophy
Common mistakes
- Lying too close to the stack. Without distance the cable goes slack with the leg straight and the first half of the range carries no load. Move away until you feel tension before you start curling.
- Lifting the hips to gain range. The cable invites you to pull with the pelvis on the last reps, and there the hamstring stops being the muscle at work. Keep the hips on the bench or floor and end the rep where the knee stops bending.
- Letting the cable snap the leg back. Constant tension is the advantage of this variation and it is lost if you release the descent. Extend the leg in two to three seconds until it is nearly straight.
- Twisting the torso toward the working leg. Because it is single-leg, rotating the pelvis is an easy compensation. Rest both forearms, keep the shoulders and hips parallel to the floor and lower the load if you cannot.
Frequently asked questions
- How does the lying cable leg curl differ from the lying machine curl?
- The machine is the default: it curls both legs at once, pins the hips with the thigh pad and allows more load. The cable works one leg at a time with an ankle strap, on a bench or the floor, and gives constant tension through the whole range, including the stretched position. It is the substitute when the machine is busy or not available.
- Which muscles does the lying cable leg curl work?
- The hamstring of the curling leg is the main muscle. The calf helps bend the knee and the glute on that side contracts so the hip does not lift off the bench. Because only one leg works, the abs and lower back also stabilize the pelvis against the sideways pull of the cable.
- How do you set the pulley and ankle strap for the lying cable leg curl?
- Set the pulley to its lowest position and fasten the strap snugly just above the ankle. Lie face down with your feet toward the stack and move away until the cable is taut with the leg straight. If you use a bench, let the knee sit just past the edge so it can bend freely. Press your hips and chest down before the first rep.
- How much weight and how many reps for the cable leg curl?
- It is a single-leg exercise with a long lever, so the load is lower than on the machine. A common range is 10 to 15 reps per leg with a weight that lets you lower in two to three seconds without the hip lifting. Switch legs after the set and use the same load on both, to spot strength differences.
Glossary and calculators
Warm-up setsWarm-up sets are the sets before the real work, with rising load and falling reps, that prepare the pattern and the nervous system for the target load.Lactate thresholdThe lactate threshold is the highest intensity at which the body still clears lactate as fast as it produces it.Client lifetime valueWhat a client is worth in total
