How you can Do the Leg Curl: Muscle mass Labored, Type & Alternate options

The leg curl is a hamstring train, usually carried out on a leg curl machine.

It’s distinctive amongst hamstring workouts as a result of it trains your hamstrings via a full vary of movement whereas totally stretched, which makes it excellent for constructing muscle.

On this article, you’ll be taught what the leg curl is, its advantages, which muscle mass it really works, do it with correct kind, the perfect seated leg curl alternate options, and extra.

What Is the Leg Curl?

Seated Leg Curl vs. Mendacity Leg Curl: Which Is Higher?

That’s as a result of sitting upright together with your legs straight in entrance of you locations your hamstrings in a totally stretched place, whereas mendacity down doesn’t. That is noteworthy as a result of research shows that relating to constructing muscle, coaching a muscle whereas it’s stretched is superior to coaching it whereas it’s relaxed.

And that’s why studies show doing the seated leg curl results in extra muscle development than doing the mendacity hamstring curl. Thus, most individuals will profit extra from the seated leg curl than the mendacity leg curl, which is why the seated leg curl is the variation we’ll deal with on this article. 

That mentioned, the mendacity leg curl continues to be an efficient train. If you happen to choose the way it feels or it’s the one machine you have got entry to, it’s a viable different.

Leg Curl: Advantages

The hamstrings have two major features: knee flexion (bending your knee) and hip extension (transferring your torso away out of your thighs).

One of many most important advantages of the leg curl is it trains knee flexion, one thing most different hamstring workouts (all types of the deadlift, the hip thrust, and the glute bridge, for instance) neglect.

Moreover, the seated leg curl trains knee flexion whereas the three largest “components” of the hamstrings—the lengthy head of the biceps femoris, semitendinosus, and semimembranosus—are totally lengthened. This makes it significantly efficient for creating the areas of the hamstrings which have the largest affect on upper-leg dimension.

One other advantage of the leg curl is that it lets you prepare your hamstrings when your again is drained.

That is vital as a result of throughout most workouts that prepare the hamstrings, such because the deadlift, Romanian deadlift, and squat, your again muscle mass must work laborious to maintain your higher physique in a steady and secure place. 

In case your lower-body exercises solely include free-weight workouts like these, your again muscle mass (and significantly your lower-back muscle mass) could fatigue sooner than your hamstrings. Whereas your again could also be bushed after 6 units of those workouts, your hamstrings could possibly deal with a number of extra.

The leg curl is a useful workaround on this situation. It lets you prepare your hamstrings after your again is fried, guaranteeing you may prepare your hammies with the quantity they should develop and grow to be stronger with out your decrease again changing into a limiting issue.

For these causes, I all the time embrace the leg curl in my very own coaching and my health applications for women and men, Greater Leaner Stronger and Thinner Leaner Stronger. 

And for those who’d like extra particular recommendation about what workouts to incorporate in your coaching program to achieve your well being and health targets, take the Legion Power Coaching Quiz, and in lower than a minute, you’ll know the proper power coaching program for you. Click on right here to test it out.

Seated Leg Curl: Muscle mass Labored

The leg curl primarily trains the hamstrings, although it also trains the glutes and calves to a small diploma, too.

Right here’s how the primary muscle mass labored by the leg curl look in your physique:

Seated Leg Curl: Type

One of the simplest ways to discover ways to do the leg curl is to separate the train into three components: arrange, curl, and lengthen.

Step 1: Set Up

Step 2: Curl

Step 3: Prolong

The Best Seated Leg Curl Alternatives

1. Lying Leg Curl

2. Nordic Leg Curl

Research shows that the Nordic leg curl is a incredible body weight train for coaching your hamstrings, which can additionally reduce your danger of struggling a hamstring damage. Whereas it isn’t precisely the identical because the seated leg curl, you need to use it as an alternative choice to the seated leg curl at dwelling.

3. Dumbbell Leg Curl

The dumbbell leg curl is just like the mendacity leg curl, besides you grasp a dumbbell between your toes as an alternative of utilizing a leg curl machine. The dumbbell leg curl could be a helpful seated leg curl different in a bind, however most individuals discover it awkward to arrange and carry out. Thus, it’s not a variation I’d suggest except you don’t have entry to a leg curl machine (whereas working out at home or traveling, for example).

4. Swiss Ball Leg Curl