The lying or prone leg curl machine works your hamstrings, a group of three muscles in the back of your thigh. Conditioning these muscles counteracts the hamstring weakness and tightness that can result from long periods of sitting. Your...
A leg curl machine is a weight training device that tones the front and back of your legs. You can increase or decrease the amount of weight your legs must curl for a more or less intense exercise. The muscles targeted include your glutes,...
There are a variety of leg curl machines that are typically offered by fitness gyms. The machines vary as to body positioning, but all involve bending your knee joints against resistance, which develops the back of your upper thigh. The leg curl...
Although leg machines come in different models and use different types of resistance for weight, the action required at the knee is universal. The leg curl requires flexion of the knee, trying to draw your heel toward your butt. Different types of...
Leg curl and leg extension machines both exercise your legs, but each works muscles on different sides. Using a leg curl machine involves loading the muscles in the back or posterior of the leg. You either sit or lie down for this exercise,...
Strong hamstrings are critical for knee stability, but these muscles often go underdeveloped due to sedentary lifestyle or simply not choosing exercises that emphasize hamstring involvement. Although your hamstrings do work during some common...
The Parabody leg curl/extension is a dual-function exercise machine. It allows you to work your hamstrings and quadriceps on the same machine. You can do the prone hamstring curl and the seated leg extension exercise on the Parabody leg...
The single leg curl exercise targets your hamstrings, the muscles on the back of your thigh. You cannot do a single leg curl with free weights; you need a curl or cable machine. However, if you have access to a quad machine, sometimes you can...
The traditional variation of the standing leg curl requires a cable weight machine, but you can perform the same exercise using ankle weights or a resistance band as long as you're not concerned about building maximal strength. Consult a personal...
Continuing to exercise your legs after a foot injury will prevent weight gain, help maintain strength and endurance in your legs and promote a faster recovery from your injury. Many people stay sedentary until the foot heals, which is a common...
The hamstring curl, also called a leg curl, is an isolation exercise for the muscles on the back of your thigh. Although it is a basic, single-joint exercise, the hamstring curl has several variations. A hamstring machine positions you into a...
The knee joints are composed of primarily bone, cartilage and ligaments though they can be strengthened by training your quadriceps and hamstring muscles. These muscles cross both your hips and your knees so by incorporating single- and...
Leg curls work the muscles on the back of your thigh, called the hamstrings. The hamstrings consist of three major muscles: biceps femoris, semitendinosus, and semimembranosus. Exercise machines allow a person to perform leg curls while sitting or...
Weight loss is a delicate balance of calories in and calories out. You can increase your calories out through strength-training exercises in which you expend energy to perform the movements. Weight-training also increases your muscle tissue and...
Leg curls work on concentric contraction of the hamstrings in the back of your thighs, which refers to shortening of the muscles against a resistance. There are two types of leg curls you can perform: the seated leg curl and the prone leg curl....
Many people who decide to train in bodybuilding seem to focus on muscle groups like biceps, shoulders and pecs, but they don't give the legs the attention they deserve. Leg development is essential for a balanced physique, and putting your legs...
When training to strengthen the knee joint, the key is using appropriate exercises that target the muscles responsible for knee joint activity. Two muscle groups are primarily responsible for flexing and extending the knee joint: the quadriceps...
Big legs may make it hard to fit into your skinny jeans and may not be as flattering as lean legs. However, no matter what your body shape may be, it is possible to change the way your legs look. Reducing big legs, or bulky legs, does require...
You can shape your thighs and burn fat by doing regular strength training and aerobic exercises. Although there are no magical exercises that would specifically burn fat from your thighs, aerobic exercises, like jogging and bicycling, will...
Your thighs are made up of several large muscle groups, including your quadriceps, hamstrings, and adductors. Strong thigh muscles are crucial for all athletics, as well as beneficial to daily life activities. You can build your thigh muscles...
Your hamstrings, composed of the semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femoris muscles, are responsible for performing both hip extension, along with your glutes, and knee flexion. While hip extension involves all three hamstrings muscles but...
According to Arnold Schwarzenegger in his classic "The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding," the problem with using only free weights to develop impressive thighs is that the legs require so much stimulation to grow that the balancing muscles...
Tightening loose skin on the thighs after weight loss has nothing to do with the skin itself. Instead, you need to focus on the larger muscles that reside underneath. The quadriceps are on the front of the thighs and the hamstrings are on the...
If you decide to separate working out the front and backs of your thighs, you must ensure that you get plenty of rest between workouts. The quadriceps — the muscles on the front of your thighs — are trained using exercises that require...
The hamstring is made up of three muscles that run down the back of the leg, from the just below the buttock to the calf. This muscle group is responsible for bending the leg at the knee and extending the leg behind you. Hamstring curls strengthen...
Body-Solid is a fitness equipment manufacturer that produces free weights, weight machines, plate-loaded machines and weight training accessories. Work your quadriceps on the Body-Solid leg extension machine and target your hamstrings on the leg...
To develop the muscles of your thighs, you must work the front and back --- your quadriceps and your hamstrings. These muscles bend and straighten your legs, and you must train them using a variety of exercises. The large muscles of your legs...
The prone leg curl targets the hamstrings on the rear of your thighs. Prone means face down, so even though you can use different equipment to perform leg curls, they are all prone leg curls if you lie down on your abdomen when you perform them....
The legs contain four major muscle groups--the glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings and calves. When you want to build leg muscle, you need to dissect each one of these parts with weight-training exercises. Compound exercises that involve more than one...
Strengthen the hamstrings and increase flexibility with hamstring curls. Learn about hamstring exercises, and muscle growth in this video.
