Dumbbell Leg Curl
A lying leg curl done by squeezing a dumbbell between your feet — hamstring isolation that needs no machine.
How to do it
- Lie face down on a bench or the floor with your legs straight and a dumbbell ready at your feet.
- Have a partner place the dumbbell vertically between your feet, or set it there carefully yourself.
- Squeeze your feet together hard around the dumbbell to lock it in place for the whole set.
- Curl both heels toward your glutes by bending only at the knees, keeping your hips pressed down.
- Squeeze your hamstrings hard at the top with your shins nearly vertical, pausing briefly.
- Lower the dumbbell under control over 2-3 seconds back to a fully straightened leg position.
Key technique cue
Squeeze the dumbbell firmly between your feet, hips down, and lower over 2–3 seconds.
Common mistakes
- ✕ Lifting the hips off the bench to use momentum instead of curling cleanly with the hamstrings.
- ✕ Letting the dumbbell slip from between the feet by loosening the grip mid-rep.
- ✕ Rushing the negative and dropping the weight back to the start, losing most of the muscle tension.
- ✕ Going too heavy, which forces broken technique and risks dropping the dumbbell on the floor.
Benefits
- ✓ Builds hamstring size through direct knee-flexion isolation.
- ✓ Balances quad-dominant leg training with targeted hamstring work.
- ✓ Trains the hamstrings without needing a leg-curl machine.
Progression: from easier to harder
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Step 1 You are here - Dumbbell Leg Curl
- Lying Leg Curl
- Seated Leg Curl
- Band Leg Curl
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Step 2 -
Step 3 -
Step 4
About the exercise
The Dumbbell Leg Curl is a prone hamstring curl performed by squeezing a single dumbbell between the feet and curling the heels toward the glutes. It trains the hamstrings directly through knee flexion — the same pattern as the leg-curl machine — without needing specialized equipment. It is a hamstring isolation for home workouts and any program built around minimal equipment. It fits leg days, glute and hamstring blocks, and any beginner program that wants to balance out quad-dominant work. It is also a useful substitute when you don't have access to a leg-curl machine.
Updated
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