Leg curls and prone leg curls are the same movement performed with the body in different positions. Neither version is more effective than the other, but one version may be more comfortable for an individual lifter. Both exercises target your hamstrings, the muscles on the back of your thigh.
Prone Leg Curls
Your body is in a prone position when you are lying on your stomach; prone leg curls are hamstring curls done with the lifter in a prone position. Lie on your stomach, bend your knee and pull your foot toward your buttocks. You can lie on the floor and use an exercise band or cable as resistance, or you can use a lying leg-curl machine. Most prone leg-curl machines have an angled hip pad, which positions your hips and hamstrings in a biomechanically favorable position.
Leg Curls
Standard leg curls are done in a seated or standing position. If seated, you press the weight down and back; if standing, you curl one leg at a time. Seated leg-curl machines have a thigh pad that keeps your thighs and hips from lifting off the seat during the exercise. Standing curl machines have a thigh pad that holds your thigh in a vertical position. You can do either the seated or standing leg curl with an exercise band or cable; however, you have to hold your thigh in place without the assistance of a machine.
Advantages
Although neither the standard or prone leg curl is inherently better than the other, they each have drawbacks and advantages. If you use an exercise band or cable for resistance, it is easier to keep proper form during the prone leg curl. When you lie on your stomach, the floor or bench supports your thigh and keeps it in place. It is difficult to do this yourself, especially during the standing leg curl. The weight pulls your thigh back, which reduces your range of motion.
Drawbacks
Although the prone leg curl supports your thigh and promotes proper exercise form, it can place undue stress on your low back, especially if you use heavy weight. This occurs on the machine or cable version of the prone leg curl. When you curl your leg, the tendency is to lift your hips or arch your low back. The heavier the resistance you use, the higher the tendency to arch your back. This can lead to hyperextension of the low back and result in low back pain.
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