In every gym you can find a machine to perform seated leg curls. The so-called leg curl machine is used to train the back of the thighs. The thigh is fixed on the one hand by the seat cushion and on the other hand by another cushion - this makes the exercise very intuitive, there can hardly be any mistakes or distorting movements. This makes training with the leg curl extremely efficient
How you really eliminate all sources of error when training with the leg curl you will learn here.
Which muscles are trained with the seated leg curl?
Primarily, the semitendinosus muscle, the two heads of the leg biceps (biceps femoris muscle) and the two flat tendon muscles (semimembranosus muscle) are trained. In addition, this exercise also works the calf muscle (Musculus gastrocnemius) on the leg flexor.
What mistakes can occur when training with the leg curl?
Under no circumstances should you perform the exercise with momentum, as this will falsify the execution of the exercise. It is important to keep the body still and to exercise absolutely only with the legs. During the execution you should also pay attention to a tension in the legs, which must be maintained throughout the workout on the leg flexor.
What are the benefits of training with the leg curl?
By training on the leg curl you work on a visually appealing appearance of your legs and especially the rear leg muscles are often neglected by many athletes, because they are less visible. But those who attach importance to a perfect appearance train every single muscle of their body properly.
Likewise, the work-out on the leg flexor helps to achieve a better posture, because the elasticity of the hips is increased and also the connective tissue is strengthened. Especially for women, the training on the leg curl makes sense, because here, as already mentioned, the formation of cellulite is counteracted, which is mainly found in the problem areas, such as buttocks and thighs.
When you start training, you should first start with a low weight or a low intensity. In addition, you should not do without the guidance of a trainer, so that the typical mistakes are avoided.
How to train with the leg curl?
To perform the leg curl workout perfectly, sit on the seat cushion and push your buttocks back as far as possible to the point where your tailbone rests against the lower end of the backrest. The upper body is held upright with the upper back resting against the backrest cushion and the lower back forming a slight hollow back and therefore not in contact with the backrest cushion.
The legs are placed on the front leg pad of the leg curl, with the pad positioned approximately over the Achilles heels and under the calves. Last, fix the pad for the thighs and position it slightly above the knees. Then grasp the two side handles and stabilize the upper body.
Now you can start the exercise on the leg curl. To do this, press the heels down and bend the legs back as far as possible. While doing this, pull the tips of the feet up a little and the pad down through the heels. Then, in a very controlled manner, slowly let the foot pad move back up, inhaling as you do so. It is important that the legs are not fully extended at the end of the exercise, so that the knee joints are protected.
Another variation for training with the leg curl is to perform the exercise with only one leg and then switch to the other. This variation is recommended for beginners for whom the standard variation with the leg curl is still too difficult. In addition to this easy exercise, there is also a "heavy" variant for advanced athletes who want to train with the leg curl, but want to achieve even more training effect. They can use an additional weight for the leg curl workout. You can hold a plastic bottle between your feet or wrap an additional weight around your ankles. In this case you have to use much more strength for the exercise..
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Editors fitnessmarkt.de (EA)
Image credit: #238129258 pavelvinnik stock.adobe.com
Published on: 2 June 2015