Band leg curl
A standing hamstring curl against band tension, anchored on the floor in front of you.
TrainsHamstrings
NeedsResistance band
The movement
2 stages
Start
01 Start
Band anchored in front, looped around your working ankle, leg straight.
02 Curl
Bend the knee and pull your heel up toward your glute.
How to do it
Setup
- Anchor a band at floor level and loop the free end around one ankle.
- Stand facing the anchor and step back until the band is taut, weight on the leg without the band.
Execution
- Bend the knee of your working leg, pulling your heel up toward your glute.
- Pause when your shin is close to vertical.
- Straighten back down under control until your foot is level with your standing foot again.
BreathingExhale as you curl, inhale as you straighten.
Getting it right
Form cues
- Keep your knee still. Only your shin swings.
- Keep your hips level and facing forward the whole rep.
Common mistakes
- Swinging the hip or leaning the torso to help the heel up.
- Letting the band snap the leg back down instead of controlling the return.
Worth knowing
- Check the anchor and the band for wear before you load it. A band that lets go on the way back snaps toward your standing leg.
General guidance, not medical advice. See how Setkit works.
Notes
The hamstrings do two separate jobs, straightening the hip and bending the knee, and most exercises for them only cover the first. Deadlifts and hip thrusts load the hip and leave the knee alone. This isolates the other half, bending the knee against band tension while the hip stays still.
Standing on one leg while the other works makes this a balance exercise as much as a strength one at first. That is normal, and it fades with a few sessions. Keep your hips square to the anchor rather than letting them twist to help the heel up, because the twist is what turns a knee exercise into a hip exercise.
It is not a replacement for a bridged hamstring curl or a Nordic curl, both of which load the hip and the knee together. Use it on days when you want direct knee-flexion work without setting up a bridge, or as the place to start before either of those is available to you.