Leg Curl (Machine)
The Elite Hockey Drills app builds drills like this into your personalized off-ice program, week by week. Your first week is free.
How to Do It
Lie face-down on the leg curl machine. Pad sits just above the heels. Grip the handles for stability. Keep hips flat on the pad throughout. Curl both heels toward the glutes as far as possible. Squeeze the hamstrings hard at full contraction. Pause 1 second. Lower slowly — 3-4 seconds — to full extension. Do not let hips rise off the pad during the curl.
Why It Works
The leg curl isolates the hamstrings in knee flexion — the function that decelerates the leg at the end of each skating stride. While deadlifts and RDLs train the hamstrings in hip extension, the leg curl is the only exercise that specifically develops the knee flexion strength that protects the ACL under dynamic loading. NHL injury data consistently shows hamstring-to-quad ratio (ideally above 0.6) as a key ACL injury risk factor.
Hockey Transfer
Isolates hamstrings — balances quad dominance common in hockey players. Pair leg curl with RDL on the same day for double hamstring stimulus. Insurance against the April pull.
Coaching Cues
- "Curl fully"
- "Squeeze at peak contraction"
- "Slow lowering phase"
Common Mistakes
Hips lifting off the pad to complete the range — reduces hamstring isolation. Too fast on the way down — the 3-4 second eccentric is where injury prevention happens. Only doing bilateral — add single-leg curls to identify and correct imbalances.',. Going too heavy — proper form requires smooth full-range motion, not grinding.',.
Progression / Regression
Nordic curl — the gold standard eccentric hamstring exercise.',
Hamstring walkout on the floor — same eccentric demand with no machine needed.',
Primary Muscles
Energy System
Strength/neural
Put it to work
on the ice.
The Elite Hockey Drills app builds exercises like this into a personalized off-ice program — created by a sport scientist and former national-team coach. Your first week is free.
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