HamstringsMachineBeginner

How to Do a Lying Leg Curl

By Bryan Alger, Co-Founder of Gravitus

· Updated Sep 30, 2026

A lying leg curl is a hamstring machine. Lie face down with your knees on the pivot and hips down, and curl the ankle roller to your glutes. It grew the hamstrings 9% in 12 weeks, less than a seated curl, so it works best as a second curl. Most lifters do 3 to 4 sets of 8 to 15 reps.

Sets x reps 3-4 x 8-15

Median 10-rep weight 10547.5 lbkg men 6027.5 lbkg women

Muscles Hamstrings, calves

Setup Kneecaps just off the pad

1Start. Face down with your kneecaps just off the thigh pad, the ankle pad just above your heels, hips down and legs almost straight.
2Curl. Curl your heels toward your glutes with your hips on the pad, then let your legs straighten over 2 to 3 seconds.

Watch 3 video demonstrations

Video 1 of 3

Find more video demonstrations in the Gravitus app

Technique

How to do a lying leg curl

Set the ankle pad so it will sit on your lower calves, just above your heels, with your legs straight.
Lie face down with your kneecaps just off the end of the thigh pad and your knees in line with the machine's pivot.
Hold the handles and press your hips into the pad. They stay there for the whole set.
Curl your heels toward your glutes as far as the pad allows. Pause for a second.
Let your legs straighten over 2 to 3 seconds until your knees are almost straight, without letting the plates touch.

Setup

How to set up the machine

Knee positionKneecaps off the padSlide down until your kneecaps clear the end of the pad and the side of your knee lines up with the pivot. Off the pivot, the ankle pad rolls along your calves.

Ankle padJust above the heelsSet it on your lower calves, above the Achilles, with your legs almost straight. Not on your heels, not mid-calf.

HipsPressed into the padHips that lift mean your lower back and momentum are finishing the rep. Grip the handles and go lighter.

BenchUse the angled padMany lying machines angle the bench up under your hips. That bend lengthens the hamstrings a little at the hip.

Hip angle is the difference between this machine and the seated curl. In the study that compared them, the lying machine held the hip bent 30 degrees and the seated machine 90 degrees (Maeo 2021). Three of the four hamstrings cross the hip, so they work at a shorter length when you lie flat.

Research

Lying vs seated: hamstring growth in 12 weeks

Attribute	Lying leg curl	Seated leg curl	Crosses the hip
Biceps femoris long head	7%	14%	Yes
Semimembranosus	4%	8%	Yes
Semitendinosus	19%	24%	Yes
Biceps femoris short head	9%	10%	No
Whole hamstrings	9%	14%	Three of four

Verdict

Seated grows more. Twenty adults trained one leg on each machine, 5 sets of 10 twice a week, and the seated leg grew more in the three hamstrings that cross the hip (Maeo 2021). The short head crosses only the knee and grew the same either way. The lying curl still built muscle: 9% in 12 weeks, most of it in the semitendinosus.

When to pick it

When the lying leg curl is the right pick

No seated machineYour gym only has this oneIt still grew the hamstrings 9% in 12 weeks (Maeo 2021). Take sets close to failure and it builds muscle.

Second curlNext to a seated curlThe short head and semitendinosus grew almost as much lying as seated. Use it for extra hamstring sets on a second day.

StrengthSame strength gainsGains in one-rep max did not differ between the lying and seated legs over 12 weeks (Maeo 2021).

Muscle damageSame protectionAfter a hard lowering-only session, legs trained lying and seated showed the same protection against muscle damage (Maeo 2021).

Myths

The stretch, and what your toes change

The lying curl does not stretch your hamstrings more than the seated curl. Lying face down straightens the hip, which shortens the three hamstrings that cross it. Sitting bends the hip and lengthens them. Guides that say the lying curl gives a bigger stretch have the hip angle backwards, and the growth data agrees: 9% lying against 14% seated (Maeo 2021).

Your toes do not change how hard the hamstrings work. On a lying curl, toes pulled up and toes pointed gave the same hamstring activity, strength gains and growth over 10 weeks (Cadeo 2023). The toes-up leg moved more total weight, likely because the calf crosses the knee and helps more with the toes up. Pointing your toes takes some of the calf out, so the same weight feels heavier. Turning your toes in shifts some activity to the inner hamstrings, and out to the outer biceps femoris (Lynn 2009), but that was measured as activity, not growth.

Gravitus data

How much weight should you lying leg curl?

On Gravitus, the median man lifts 105 lb (47.5 kg) for 10 reps on the lying leg curl, and the median woman 60 lb (27.5 kg).

Men, typical 105 lb for 10 reps

Most lift: 80 to 130 lb
Top 10% lift: 160 lb or more
Starting out: under 80 lb

Women, typical 60 lb for 10 reps

Most lift: 45 to 75 lb
Top 10% lift: 90 lb or more
Starting out: under 45 lb

Men, typical 47.5 kg for 10 reps

Most lift: 37.5 to 60 kg
Top 10% lift: 72.5 kg or more
Starting out: under 37.5 kg

Women, typical 27.5 kg for 10 reps

Most lift: 20 to 35 kg
Top 10% lift: 42.5 kg or more
Starting out: under 20 kg

One-rep max / 10-rep weight, rounded to 5 lb (2.5 under 40). From 17,756 men and 5,461 women who log the lying leg curl on Gravitus, computed Oct 4, 2026 (Brzycki). Methodology
Percentile	Men	Women
25th	105 / 80 lb	60 / 45 lb
Median	140 / 105 lb	80 / 60 lb
75th	175 / 130 lb	100 / 75 lb
90th	215 / 160 lb	125 / 90 lb

One-rep max / 10-rep weight, rounded to 2.5 kg (1 under 20). From 17,756 men and 5,461 women who log the lying leg curl on Gravitus, computed Oct 4, 2026 (Brzycki). Methodology
Percentile	Men	Women
25th	47.5 / 37.5 kg	27.5 / 20 kg
Median	62.5 / 47.5 kg	37.5 / 27.5 kg
75th	80 / 60 kg	45 / 35 kg
90th	97.5 / 72.5 kg	55 / 42.5 kg

Lying leg curl machines use different cams and levers, so 100 lb on one brand is not 100 lb on another. Do not compare with a seated curl either: the same people lifted 70% more seated than lying, one leg at a time (Maeo 2021). Compare yourself to your own log on the same machine.

Anatomy

Muscles worked

HamstringsBend the knee. The long head of the biceps femoris, the semitendinosus and the semimembranosus also cross the hip, which is straight here, so they work short. The semitendinosus grew the most on this machine.

Primary

GastrocnemiusThe big calf muscle crosses the back of the knee and helps bend it, more with your toes pulled up.

Secondary

CoreKeeps your hips and lower back still on the pad.

Stabilizer

Programming

Sets, reps and rep range

3-4Sets

8-15Reps

0-2Reps left

Stop each set 0 to 2 reps short of failure. Sets taken close to failure build muscle across a wide range of reps (Schoenfeld 2021), so any range from 8 to 15 works if the last reps are hard. In the 12-week study, 5 sets of 10 at 70% of max, twice a week, grew the hamstrings 9% on the lying machine (Maeo 2021).

Add reps first. When every set reaches 15 clean reps, move the pin down one plate and drop back to 8 to 10.

Form

Common mistakes

Hips lifting off the padYour lower back and momentum finish the rep. Press your hips down and go lighter until they stay put.
Knees on the padThe pad presses into your kneecaps and your knees sit off the pivot. Slide down until your kneecaps clear the pad.
Ankle pad in the wrong spotOn your heels it slips, and mid-calf it shortens the lever. Set it just above your heels.
Stopping short of straightLegs long is where the hamstrings are most stretched on this machine. Let your knees almost straighten every rep.
Dropping the weightLower over 2 to 3 seconds and keep the plates off the stack between reps.

Variations

Lying leg curl variations

Single-leg lying leg curlOne leg at a time on the same machine. Evens out a weaker side.

Seated Leg CurlHips bent 90 degrees. Grew the hamstrings 14% against 9% for the lying curl over 12 weeks (Maeo 2021).

Standing Leg CurlOne leg at a time, standing, with the hip straight like a lying curl.

Nordic Hamstring CurlKneel with your ankles held and lower your body forward under control. Bodyweight and very hard.

Stability ball leg curlLie on your back with your heels on a ball, lift your hips and roll the ball in. The home option.

Romanian DeadliftTrains the hamstrings at the hip instead of the knee. Pair it with a curl.

FAQ

Questions people ask

What does lying leg curl target?

The hamstrings, all four parts, by bending the knee. It drew more activity from the lower hamstrings than a stiff-legged deadlift (Schoenfeld 2015). The gastrocnemius in the calf helps.

Is the lying leg curl better than the seated leg curl?

No, not for hamstring size. The same people grew their hamstrings 9% lying and 14% seated over 12 weeks, while strength gains matched (Maeo 2021). Pick the lying curl when there is no seated machine, or as a second curl.

Is lying leg curl isolation or compound?

Isolation. Only the knee moves, so it trains the hamstrings with a little help from the calves.

How to adjust lying leg curl machine?

Set the ankle pad so it sits just above your heels with your legs straight. Lie down with your kneecaps just off the thigh pad and your knees in line with the pivot. If the start position adjusts, set it so your legs begin almost straight.

Lying leg curl feet position: should I point or flex my toes?

Either works, with your toes pointing straight ahead. Toes up and toes pointed gave the same hamstring activity, strength and growth over 10 weeks (Cadeo 2023). Toes up lets the calf help, so you lift more; toes pointed makes the same weight feel heavier.

Does lying leg curl work glutes?

No. The glutes extend the hip, and your hip does not move on a lying curl. Train them with hip thrusts, squats or Romanian deadlifts.

How many reps for leg curls?

8 to 15 per set for 3 to 4 sets, stopping 0 to 2 reps short of failure. The 12-week study used 5 sets of 10 at 70% of max, twice a week (Maeo 2021).

How much weight should I lying leg curl?

For 10 reps, the median on Gravitus is 105 lb (47.5 kg) for men and 60 lb (27.5 kg) for women. The strongest quarter lifts 130 lb (60 kg) and 75 lb (35 kg) or more.

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References