Male

Assisted Inverse Leg Curl

Muscles involved

Wondering where to fit the assisted inverse leg curl into your workout? This eccentric movement for your hamstrings belongs right in the middle of your leg day routine, immediately following your heavy compound lifts or as a dedicated accessory block. By using the machine to secure your ankles, you can control the lowering phase completely, driving maximum tension into the posterior chain. Inserting it mid-workout ensures your nervous system is warm enough to maintain control without being too exhausted to stabilize the knees. Treat this exercise as your primary hamstring sculptor to build resilience, strength, and balance mid-session when your focus is locked in.

How to do it

1. Kneel on a padded surface with your ankles secured under a sturdy object or machine pad, keeping your torso straight and hips extended. 2. Maintaining a straight line from your head to your knees, engage your glutes and hamstrings to slowly lower your torso towards the floor in a controlled manner. 3. At the lowest point of the movement, where you feel a deep stretch in your hamstrings, pause briefly and squeeze your glutes to initiate the return. 4. Contract your hamstrings to powerfully but slowly pull your torso back up to the starting upright kneeling position.

Equipment required

Máquina

Muscles worked

Tips

- Keep your body in a perfectly straight line from your head to your knees; do not hinge at the hips during the movement. - Use your hands to 'assist' only as much as necessary; the goal is to challenge your hamstrings and glutes eccentrically. - Lower yourself down as slowly as you can, taking a full 3-4 seconds to descend to maximize the eccentric load. - If you feel cramping in your hamstrings, you are doing it right; stop if you feel a sharp pain.