Cable Hamstring Curl
The cable leg curl is a standing, one-leg hamstring exercise in which you curl your heel up towards your glutes against a low cable attached to your ankle. It works the hamstrings through knee bending, with steady cable tension through the whole rep, and it gives you a leg curl with only a cable machine.
Also called: Cable Leg Curl, Ankle Strap Hamstring Curl, Standing Cable Leg Curl, Ankle-Strap Leg Curl · Equipment: cable · Pattern: pull
Step by step
- Set the pulley to its lowest position and fasten an ankle strap snugly around one ankle.
- Face the machine and hold the frame for balance. Step back until the cable is taut with the strapped leg straight.
- Stand tall on the other leg with a soft knee, and keep both thighs lined up.
- Bend the strapped knee to curl your heel up towards your glutes, keeping the thigh pointing down.
- Squeeze the back of the thigh at the top for a moment.
- Straighten the knee under control until the leg is fully straight and the weight stack has not touched down.
- Complete all reps on one leg, then switch the strap to the other ankle.
- Thigh points down, only the knee moves
- Heel to your glutes
- Squeeze at the top
- Straighten slowly, keep the cable taut
- Stand tall, hips still
In VALDA, these cues are one tap away on the exercise while you train.
What it trains
| Muscle | Role | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Hamstrings: biceps femoris (long head) | Prime mover | B |
| Hamstrings: semitendinosus | Prime mover | B |
| Hamstrings: semimembranosus | Secondary | C |
| Hamstrings: biceps femoris (short head) | Secondary | C |
| Gastrocnemius: medial/lateral head | Secondary | C |
| Gluteus maximus | Stabiliser | D |
| Erector spinae | Stabiliser | D |
Evidence grades: A = strong research base · B = good · C = limited · D = coaching consensus.
What goes wrong, and the fix
Thigh swinging forward
Fix: Keep the working thigh pointing down and in line with the standing leg.
Arching the back to finish the rep
Fix: Brace, stand tall and curl only as far as the thigh stays still.
Letting the weight drop
Fix: Straighten the knee slowly and keep the stack off its rest between reps.
Kicking the heel up
Fix: Curl smoothly and pause for a moment at the top of each rep.
Partial range
Fix: Straighten the leg fully at the bottom and curl the heel high at the top.
What the research says
Muscle growthRehab & prehabGeneral fitnessEndurance
- Hip angle — In a 12-week trial, leg curls done seated (hips bent) grew the hamstrings more than curls done lying (hips straight), about 14% vs 9%. A standing curl keeps the hips fairly straight, like the lying version.
- Knee versus hip exercises — A 10-week study found a hip-extension exercise grew the long head of the biceps femoris more than a knee-bending exercise (the Nordic curl), while both grew the semitendinosus. Many lifters pair a leg curl with a hip hinge such as a Romanian deadlift.
- Load and effort — Research comparing loads finds muscle growth is similar across a wide range of loads when sets are taken close to failure. Studies show sets that finish a few reps short of failure capture most of the growth benefit.
- Volume and frequency — Research links more weekly sets for a muscle to more growth, with diminishing returns. Around 10 or more hard sets a week has been associated with more growth than fewer than 5, and training a muscle about twice a week is a common way to spread that volume.
Swap it mid-workout
With VALDA Pro, FLEX offers alternatives like these when you swap an exercise mid-workout.
Log the cable hamstring curl in VALDA, with these cues one tap away while you train and your history for it in one place.
General information about exercise technique, not medical advice. If you have an injury or a health condition, your healthcare provider is the right person to ask.