Band Leg Curl
Lying face down with a band anchored low and looped around your ankles, you curl your heels toward your glutes against the band, training your hamstrings.
- Primary muscles
- Hamstrings
- Secondary
- Calves
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Band × reps
Loads from YouTube only when you press play. The video is by an independent creator.
Why do it
This is the home version of the lying leg curl: the same movement, with a band instead of a weight stack. It suits home workouts, travel and warm-ups before heavier leg work. The band is hardest when your heels are near your glutes and lightest with your legs straight, so the squeeze at the top is the hard part and the stretch at the bottom stays light. Progress with a stronger band or by moving farther from the anchor.
How to do it
Anchor a band close to the floor and lie face down with your feet toward the anchor. Loop the band around both ankles and move away until it is taut with your legs straight.
Curl your heels toward your glutes, keeping your hips pressed into the floor.
Squeeze your hamstrings at the top without lifting your hips or arching your lower back.
Lower your feet slowly until your legs are straight. Log the band you used; a stronger band counts as progress.
Common mistakes
Lifting your hips off the floor
When the band gets heavy, your hips tend to pike up to help. Press them into the floor and shorten the range if you have to.
Starting with a slack band
If the band is loose with your legs straight, the first part of each rep has no resistance. Slide away from the anchor until it's taut at the start.
Letting the band snap your legs down
The band pulls your feet back fast if you relax. Lower slowly until your legs are straight, then start the next rep.
Sets, reps and progression
How many sets you do and how close to failure you take them depend on your goal and your week, not on the exercise. These guides cover it:
Alternatives that train the same thing
Same movement, a different angle or piece of equipment.
