What is a lying leg curl and what are the benefits?
A lying leg curl is a machine exercise that targets three muscle groups and some alternative muscles. Let’s read about 5 Best lying leg curl alternatives. The first major muscle groups the lying leg curl targets are:
- Hamstrings
- Calf muscle
And the third muscle group the lying leg curl targets are the glutes (butt).
When doing a lying leg curl, you would lay down on your stomach while tucking your ankles under a roller. The movement starts from the bottom of the machine and finishes with your ankles touching your glutes. Because the hamstrings and calf muscles help us in our daily life:
- Walking
- Running
- Bending
- Jumping
- And more
Working these muscle groups will help strengthen, stabilize, and help prevent future joint and knee pain. On top of that, they have alternative muscle groups that work. For instance, when you lower your feet your thighs, hips, and front of your shins get a workout as well.
It also works some of your back muscles which helps with lower back pain. There are a lot of benefits to doing the lying leg curl. But not everyone has access to a lying leg curl machine. So the question comes in
What are the best alternative exercises for a lying leg curl?
You have two groups of alternative exercises
- Bodyweight
- Free weight
Each group of exercises will work the same muscle as the machine if not more, it all depends on what equipment you have access to. Let’s start with body weight.
Bodyweight alternatives
Single-leg Deadlift
The single-leg deadlift will strengthen your posterior chain, hamstrings, and calves and help you improve your balance.
How to do it:
- Stand with your feet together, keeping your back and head straight and core activated.
- Start to bend over as if you’re picking something up while maintaining a straight posture. As you go down, keep one leg on the ground with your knee a bit bent while bringing the other one up and back. Your hips should stay square to the floor throughout the movement.
- Keep bending until you are flush with the floor (90-degree angle) then return to your starting position. Do as many reps as you feel possible and then switch legs
Nordic Curl
This is one of the most recommended exercise alternatives for the lying leg curl. It works your hamstrings, calves, glutes, and lower back with less risk of injury. Usually, you would use a partner to hold your legs down. You can stick your feet under the couch or dresser to make it more home workout friendly.
How to do it:
- Face away from your couch, dresser, or bed while kneeling and hook your feet, tops pointed towards the ground under whatever you are using to stabilize yourself. Add necessary padding to prevent knee pain during this movement.
- Slowly drop forward while maintaining a strong core and good posture. Feel your hamstrings working to stop you from falling.
- Once you feel your hamstrings can’t hold you anymore, fall forward in a controlled manner into a push-up position.
- Push yourself back up to the starting position and repeat until desired rep count.
Donkey Kick
The donkey kick will work your core, hamstrings, and glutes. This will also help with your balance and coordination. This is a very easy but very effective exercise to do.
How-to do:
- Start by getting down on your hands and knees. Make sure your core is activated and your spine is neutral.
- While keeping your right leg bent at a 90-degree angle, kick it up as far as you can go while focusing on contracting your glutes and hamstrings.
- Lower it back down in a controlled manner to starting position and repeat until desired reps before moving on to the other side.
Donkey kick tricks
To help keep your leg at a right angle you can roll up a towel and place it at the back of your need. To hold it there you must squeeze the town which will also help activate your hamstrings.
Let’s move on to lying leg curls using weights.
lying leg curls alternatives using free weights
Hip Thrust
The hip trust requires an elevated surface and a weight (Dumbbell, plate, barbell). This movement works your glutes and hamstrings.
How-to do:
- Sitting down, place a dumbbell, plate, or barbell on your hips.
- Place the upper part of your back just on or below the shoulder blades on the elevated surface, like a bench with your knees bent at a 90-degree angle and feet flat on the floor shoulder-width apart. Your body should be parallel to the floor.
- With your chin tucked, core activated, start to lower your butt towards the floor while holding the weight so it doesn’t fall.
- Once you can’t go any lower thrust your hips up towards to sky through your heels until your thighs are straight with the floor again. Focus on contracting your glutes when you are at the top before you return to the starting position.
Kettlebell swing
The kettlebell swings s create for generating power. It is a whole-body movement that targets the hamstrings among other muscles in your body. Excellent substitution for lying leg curls.
How to do it:
- Standing behind the kettlebell on the floor, bend your knees slightly and lean over keeping your chest up, head and back neutral, and core activated.
- Keep your arms straight and swing the kettlebell between your legs while bending them like a half squat. To bring it up you want to drive your hips forward focusing on using your glutes and hamstrings to bring the kettlebell up.
- When your arms are parallel and the kettlebell is at eye level, allow the kettlebell to return between your legs and repeat until desired reps are finished.
As you can see
If you don’t have access to a lying leg curl machine, these are some of the best alternatives you can use to strengthen and stabilize your hamstrings and glutes among other muscle groups. Add one or more of these exercises to your routine and you’ll be A-For-Away.
