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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
- 01Kneel on the support pad with one knee and rest the torso against the chest pad.
- 02Hook the working ankle under the roller pad with the leg nearly straight.
- 03Set the roller so it sits just above the heel, not on the calf.
- 04Grip the handles and set a neutral spine before starting.
Execution
- 01Curl the heel toward the glute by bending the knee.
- 02Squeeze the hamstring hard at the top of the curl.
- 03Lower the roller under control back to a nearly straight knee.
- 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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