Cable Single-Leg Lying Leg Curl
What Is the Cable Single-Leg Lying Leg Curl?
Cable Single-Leg Lying Leg Curl is an isolation exercise that primarily targets the hamstrings and also engages the calves. It is an intermediate-level movement, performed lying face down on the floor with an ankle strap clipped to a low cable pulley, curling one heel toward the glutes at a time.
The exercise trains knee flexion, the half of the hamstrings' job that hip hinges such as the Barbell Romanian Deadlift only partly cover. The short head of the biceps femoris crosses only the knee, so it gets its work from curls rather than hinges, which is why most hamstring programs pair one hip-dominant lift with one curl. This version suits anyone who has a cable station but no leg curl machine, and it usually sits late in a lower-body session as accessory work.
Because the hips stay flat on the floor, the hamstrings work from a shortened position at the hip, so the curl ends with them fully contracted. The calves help bend the knee, a little more when the foot is pulled toward the shin. The cable also shapes the effort: with the pulley at floor level, it runs almost along the shin when the leg is straight, so the first part of each rep is light and the tension builds as the shin rises toward vertical. A Machine Seated Leg Curl works the same muscles from a hip-flexed, longer position and is a useful partner to this one.
Working one leg at a time lets the weaker side set the load and shows any strength difference between legs, which is useful in return-to-training phases and for athletes who want even hamstrings. Getting strapped in and set up on the floor takes some practice, so someone new to curls can learn the movement first on a Machine Lying Leg Curl or a Band Lying Leg Curl.
Muscles Worked
- Biceps Femoris
- Primary
- Semimembranosus
- Primary
- Semitendinosus
- Primary
- Sartorius
- Low
- Erector Spinae
- Minimal
Instructions
- Attach an ankle strap to the lowest pulley of a cable station and select a light weight.
- Sit on the floor facing the machine, fasten the strap snugly around one ankle, then roll onto your stomach with your feet toward the stack.
- Lie face down with both legs straight and rest your forehead on your folded arms.
- Slide away from the machine until the weight lifts slightly off the stack with the strapped leg straight.
- Press your hips into the floor, brace your abs and keep the other leg straight and relaxed on the floor.
- Pull the toes of the strapped foot toward your shin.
- Curl your heel toward your glutes, bending only at the knee, until your shin is vertical or slightly past it.
- Pause briefly at the top without letting your hips lift.
- Lower the leg slowly over 2 to 3 seconds until it is straight, keeping the weight from touching down.
- Complete your reps, then straighten the leg, let the weight rest and switch the strap to the other ankle.
Common Mistakes
Lifting the hips
Letting the hips rise off the floor and the lower back arch to finish the curl takes work away from the hamstrings and loads the lower back, usually because the weight is too heavy.
Lying too close to the stack
Without enough distance from the machine the weight rests on the stack at the start, so each rep begins with a slack cable instead of tension.
Dropping the weight
Letting the cable pull the leg straight skips the lowering phase, where much of the hamstring work happens, and lets the stack crash between reps.
Pointing the toes hard
Pointing the strapped foot leaves the calf too short to help at the top of the curl and often brings on a calf cramp.
Cutting the range short
Stopping well before the shin reaches vertical, or never straightening the leg between reps, trains only part of the movement.
Injuries
Cable Single-Leg Lying Leg Curl is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The load is modest, the spine is supported by the floor and only one joint moves, so problems usually come from a weight that is too heavy rather than from the movement itself.
The most common strain point is the lower back. When the load is too much, the hips rise off the floor and the lower back arches to help finish the curl, which shifts stress away from the hamstrings. Cramping is the other frequent complaint: the hamstrings can cramp at the top of the curl where they are fully shortened, and the calf tends to cramp when the toes are pointed hard. Keeping the strapped foot flexed, the hips pressed into the floor and the weight light enough for a slow lowering prevents most of this. A padded strap fastened snugly above the ankle bone avoids pressure on the Achilles tendon.
To regress, use a Machine Lying Leg Curl or a Band Lying Leg Curl, where setup is simpler. To progress, add load gradually, slow the lowering phase or add a pause at the top, and for eccentric strength move on to the Nordic Hamstring Curl once the curl feels easy.
Stop the set if you feel a sharp or pulling pain in the back of the thigh, pain behind the knee, or a cramp that does not release when you straighten the leg. A sudden sharp pain in the hamstring during a rep can signal a strain and is worth having assessed before training it again.
- Primary Focus
- Hamstrings
- Equipment
- Cable
- Modality
- Strength
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
Alternative Exercises
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: Is a lying or a seated leg curl better for hamstring growth?
In a 12-week study on healthy adults, seated leg curl training increased whole-hamstring volume by about 14% against about 9% for prone leg curl training. The lying curl still builds the hamstrings, and many programs use both, pairing this exercise with a Machine Seated Leg Curl.
- Q: Should I point my toes or pull them toward my shin?
Either works for the hamstrings: a 10-week study of prone leg curls found no difference in hamstring activity, strength gains or growth between a pointed and a flexed foot. Most lifters keep the foot flexed because it lets the calf help, allows a little more weight and makes calf cramps at the top less likely.
- Q: Why does the start of each rep feel so light?
With the pulley at floor level, the cable pulls almost along the line of the shin when the leg is straight, so it barely resists the first part of the curl. The resistance builds as the shin rises toward vertical, which is where the hamstrings meet the heaviest part of the rep.
- Q: Can I do this on a bench instead of the floor?
Yes. Lying face down on a flat bench with the feet past its end and the strap on a low pulley is a common setup. Because the pulley then sits below the ankle, the cable pulls down on the foot from the first inch, so the early part of the curl is harder than on the floor.
- Q: Why train one leg at a time?
Working each leg alone stops the stronger side from doing more of the work and makes any difference between legs easy to see. Start each set with the weaker leg and match its reps on the other side.