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Lever Kneeling Leg Curl

A unilateral machine hamstring curl performed kneeling on one leg, isolating knee flexion with the hip held in extension.

LegsMachineKnee flexion
GoLightWeight medialever-kneeling-leg-curl

Demonstration coming soon

Primary

Hamstrings

Secondary

GastrocnemiusGlutesCore

Equipment

Machine

Pattern

Knee flexion

Setup

  1. 01Kneel on the support pad with one knee and rest the torso against the chest pad.
  2. 02Hook the working ankle under the roller pad with the leg nearly straight.
  3. 03Set the roller so it sits just above the heel, not on the calf.
  4. 04Grip the handles and set a neutral spine before starting.

Execution

  1. 01Curl the heel toward the glute by bending the knee.
  2. 02Squeeze the hamstring hard at the top of the curl.
  3. 03Lower the roller under control back to a nearly straight knee.
  4. 04Finish the set, then switch legs and match the reps.

Checkpoints

  • -Hips stay pressed into the pad rather than pushing back.
  • -Only the knee moves; the torso and thigh stay still.
  • -The lowering phase takes at least two seconds.

Common mistakes

  • -Swinging the hip to help lift the roller.
  • -Using a range so short the hamstring never lengthens.
  • -Letting the weight drop on the eccentric.
  • -Pointing the toes hard and turning it into a calf-dominant curl.

Programming notes

  • -Use 3 to 4 sets of 10 to 15 reps per leg for hypertrophy work.
  • -Pairs well with hip-hinge hamstring work like Romanian deadlifts in the same session.
  • -Keep loads moderate; hamstrings respond well to strict, full-range unilateral curls.

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