I'm just wondering whats the best position for lying leg curls, should I have my legs together or apart and my feet at opposite sides of the curl bar?

Keep them about shoulder width apart (as if you were standing) and manipulate the way your feet point and whether your ankles are flexed in order to control emphasis over the different muscles of the hamstrings.

Adding to what chic said, pointing your toes towards your knees will emphasize upper hamstring involvement, pointing them away will target more lower, as well as the calves. Knee flexion movements are better suited with heavy, low reps. Hip extension movements (RDL's, SLD's) seem to respond better with moderate to higher reps.

If you're doing lying leg curls, keep your abs and hips from rising off the bench.

Knee flexion movements are better suited with heavy, low reps. Hip extension movements (RDL's, SLD's) seem to respond better with moderate to higher reps.

Do you mean from a hypertrophy perspective?

I have to keep my legs at a certain position to avoid muscle cramps. I ALWAYS get cramps with this exercise if I:

1) Weight is too heavy AND I haven't done them in a while.
2) The Foot pad is closer to the back of my knee, it needs to be locked at the furthest position, closer to my ankle.

Also Shoulderwith position helps. But if I alter from this then I get a muscle cramps. Sucks! In my case I have no choice but to do it this way.

If you're using a leg-curl machine where you are lying on the bench chest down in a horizontal position....

Instead of lying flat put your arms or a pillow under your chest so that your upper torso curves off the bench a bit (10/15 degrees or so). You want to end up with a slight curve from the hips on up through your upper body.

On my bench I can achieve this curve by grabbing a couple of struts under the bench and holding my body in place, which seems to work better than just having my arms tucked under chest.

The type of machine that has a weightplate stack which pivots upwards in an arc is the least effective machine because by the time the weights reach the top the weight is lessened considerably due to leverage issues.

The standing single leg cable Leg Curl is considered to be a better method.

But if you're using the lying horizontal rig, try to use a cable rig where the tension is constant throughout the entire range of movement.

Do you mean from a hypertrophy perspective?

Right. I am not a fan of leg curls though. For meaty hams heavy RDL's (especially with dumbells) glute/ham raises, deep squats, heavy leg presses with your feet all the way at the top of the plate, walking lunges, sumo squats and deadlifts.

My exercise of choice is using the glute/ham raise machine that the Westside boys have at Louis Simmons gym. If I had the space in my house for equipment, I'd seriously have to consider either this machine or a squat rack. It is that good. :nod:

I find that the Q- angle comes into play for women doing hamstring curls. The Q angle is at the femoral neck as the socket part comes out, then turns to head down to the floor. Women have and different angle there than men to. We angle in there. And their shoudlers are usually narrower- so that's not, in my view, a good place to measure from either.

With women, doing hamstring curls: I have them put their achilles tendons "hip socket" width apart. Rmember, if they have a meaty caboose, think about where the hip (femoral head) would actually fit into the socket of the ilium...

I might be a little picky, I know but, I find that women's knees are better protected from this sort of placement...

Oh- and the point about keeping your pelvis on the table and the toes (ankles) dorsiflexed (opposite of pointed/plantar flexed) is a good one.

And, I also think that stiff legged dead lifts (in a person with a healthy low back... and done properly) does wonders for the visible pulling out of the hamstring muscle.

Dr. Jen

And, I also think that stiff legged dead lifts (in a person with a healthy low back... and done properly) does wonders for the visible pulling out of the hamstring muscle.

Do them single leg and you have a lot less to worry about with the back and tracking.