Gain 10% In Leg Curls

This is a trick that can be done on a leg curl machine that by simply changing where you grip on the leg curl machine, you can increase your strength in leg curls by as much as 10% instantly.

To do this exercise, lay face down on the leg curl bench as you would normally. However, instead of gripping the machine on the handles below the bench with your arms bent as you normally would, extend your arms over your head and grab onto whatever is there instead. This usually is the frame of the leg curl machine on either side of the weight stack. Be warned though, that not all leg curl machines have something to hold onto.

Do your leg curls as you would normally but use this different grip with your hands over your head—you should feel stronger when doing your leg curls.

One of the best ways to see how this works is to do your leg curls with your normal grip for 10 reps. When you can’t do any more, switch to the grip suggested above and you should be able to get a few more leg curl reps in to your strength training.

When you use this grip to do your leg curls during your strength training exercise, you may also find that you can use a little more weight than you usually can using the normal grip.

Why does this trick work for leg curl exercises? Having your arms straight removes your biceps from the exercise, which is the limiting link. It gives the force to your back muscles during the leg curl exercises, which are stronger and give you more strength.