One Leg Lying Cable Hamstring Curl Overview
The one leg lying cable hamstring curl builds your hamstrings. Your hamstrings are the muscles on the back of your thighs. It also works your glutes. Your glutes are your butt muscles. You use a cable machine with a low pulley. You wear an ankle cuff on your working leg. You lie face down and curl your heel up. This move is good for lifters with some practice. Working one leg fixes a weak side. The cable gives smooth tension the whole way. The one leg lying cable hamstring curl builds strong, even legs. It fits on leg or hamstring days. Keep your hips down and curl slow. Squeeze hard at the top of each rep.
What Is The Point of the One Leg Lying Cable Hamstring Curl?
The one leg lying cable hamstring curl builds single-leg strength and fixes muscle imbalances. It targets your hamstrings harder than two-leg versions.
How To Do The One Leg Lying Cable Hamstring Curl
- Set the cable pulley to its lowest position and attach an ankle cuff to your working leg. Choose a moderate weight, since a single leg handles less than both together.
- Lie face down on a flat bench positioned so your hips are near the edge and the cable creates tension on your ankle. Grip the bench to keep your torso stable.
- Set your shoulders down and brace your core so your hips stay pressed into the bench. Keep your working leg straight to start, with the cable pulling it toward the pulley.
- Take a breath and begin curling your heel toward your glutes by bending at the knee. Keep the movement controlled and driven by your hamstring, not by swinging your leg.
- Curl the heel up as far as you can while keeping your hip flat on the bench. Do not let your hip lift or your lower back arch to gain extra range.
- Squeeze your hamstring hard at the top when your knee is fully bent. Pause for a beat in that fully contracted position to build real tension.
- Lower the weight back down slowly and under control, taking about 2 to 3 seconds to straighten the leg. Resist the cable rather than letting it pull your leg back.
- Keep constant tension by not fully relaxing at the bottom, then begin the next rep. Keep your hips pinned and your torso still throughout.
- Complete all your reps on one leg, then switch the cuff to the other leg and repeat, aiming for 10 to 15 controlled reps per leg for 3 sets.
One Leg Lying Cable Hamstring Curl Form Tips
- Keep your hips pressed down on the bench.
- Curl only at the knee. Keep your thigh still.
- Move slow and smooth both ways.
- Squeeze your hamstring at the top.
- Lower the weight slow. Do not let it drop.
- Keep your core tight the whole time.
- Breathe out as you curl. Breathe in as you lower.
- Keep the ankle cuff snug and secure.
- Keep tension on the cable the whole set.
Common Mistakes to Avoid for the One Leg Lying Cable Hamstring Curl
- Lifting your hip off the bench to curl higher. Letting your hip rise arches your lower back and shifts the work off the hamstring. Keep your hips pressed flat into the bench so the hamstring does the work in isolation.
- Swinging your leg with momentum. Kicking the heel up with a swing takes tension off the hamstring and stresses the knee. Move slowly and let the hamstring pull your heel toward your glutes.
- Dropping the weight fast on the way down. Rushing the lowering phase wastes the eccentric, which is a major part of building the hamstring. Control the descent over 2 to 3 seconds and resist the cable.
- Arching your lower back to gain range. Cheating extra range by arching the spine puts strain on your lower back. Keep your core braced and your hip flat, and accept the range your hamstring allows.
- Using too much weight on a single leg. A load that is too heavy forces you to swing and lift your hip. Pick a weight you can curl cleanly with one leg for all your reps.
- Skipping the squeeze at the top. Blowing past the fully bent position leaves the peak contraction untrained. Pause and squeeze the hamstring hard when your knee is fully bent.
- Not keeping tension at the bottom. Fully relaxing the leg between reps lets the hamstring rest mid-set. Stop just short of a dead-straight, slack position to keep constant tension.
- Rushing through the reps. Speeding through the set uses momentum instead of muscle. Slow the tempo down and feel the hamstring work on each rep.
- Training one leg harder than the other. Favoring your stronger leg deepens an imbalance over time. Start with your weaker leg and match its rep count on the stronger one.
- Letting the cable jerk your leg at the start. Starting from a slack cable and snapping into tension can strain the hamstring. Begin each set with tension already on the cable and move smoothly.
- Not stabilizing your torso. A loose upper body lets you twist and cheat the movement. Grip the bench and keep your torso still so the working leg does all the work.
One Leg Lying Cable Hamstring Curl Workout Tips
- Do your weaker leg first and match its reps on the stronger side. Single-leg work is ideal for evening out a hamstring imbalance, so let the lagging leg set the pace.
- Keep your hip pinned to the bench as your anti-cheat cue. If your hip starts lifting, you know your back is taking over and it is time to lighten the load.
- Control the lowering phase over 2 to 3 seconds. Owning the eccentric keeps the hamstring under tension and builds more than letting the cable pull your leg back.
- Add a squeeze and pause at the top. Holding the fully bent position for a beat builds the peak contraction where the hamstring works hardest.
- Keep constant tension by starting with the cable already loaded. The cable provides smooth tension through the whole range, unlike free weights that unload at the bottom.
- Chase the mind-muscle connection with your hamstring. Focusing on feeling the hamstring curl the heel makes every rep far more effective.
- Program it as hamstring accessory work. It pairs well after hip-hinge movements to hit the knee-flexion job of the hamstrings.
- Aim for 10 to 15 controlled reps per leg for 3 sets. That range gives enough time under tension to build the hamstring with single-leg loading.
- Use the single-leg setup to fix side-to-side differences. Working one leg at a time exposes and corrects imbalances a two-leg machine hides.
- Keep your torso still and grip the bench. A stable upper body lets the working leg do all the work without twisting or cheating.
- Progress with small weight jumps or an extra rep. Steady progressive overload on the cable builds the hamstrings without needing big leaps.
- Try a slow tempo set to break a plateau. Extra time under tension can spark growth when your normal sets stall.
- Keep your hips flat and range honest rather than chasing height. Clean partial range with good form beats extra range bought by arching your back.
- Warm up your hamstrings before loading. A few lighter reps prime the muscle so a loaded curl does not catch it cold.
- Pair it with a hip-hinge move for complete hamstring training. Covering both knee-flexion and hip-extension builds the hamstrings fully.
- Be patient and keep the reps strict. The hamstrings respond well to controlled single-leg work, so quality reps over time build strength and even out your legs.
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