Leg Curls On Bench....As Good As Cable Leg Extension's?

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40something

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I am still on my quest to find a good way to work the hamstrings/glutes without going to a gym...especially since our local gym does not have the leg cuffs for leg extension's.

Anyway...as much as I would like to buy a home gym right now, our basement is the kids play area so the gym will have to wait a few years yet. But in my quest to find a home gym cable system with a small footprint...I started wondering if leg curls done on a bench would be just as beneficial as weighted leg extension's done on a pulley machine. Anyone?

I'm including a link with a photo of a bench leg curl...

http://bodybuildingequipment.ericsgym.com/legextensioncurl/index.htm
 
I personally think the pic you posted of leg extensions and leg curls is by far the best way to hit those muscles. You can use cables about the same way but standing....Leg curls work the hamstrings and Leg extensions work the quadriceps as I was a little confused by your question...I am also blonde....:)...Carole
 
Leg curls are what I am referring to...I know the photo shows a guy doing the leg extension's as well. I'm trying to target more the hamstrings/glutes...not so concerned about quads.

Thanks for your opinion, Carole. :D
 
I am always trying to keep my quads strong to protect my knees when running...:)...the deadlifts in Cathe's workouts target the ham and glute area pretty well also...
 
The leg curl, or the hamstring curl on a bench, won't hit your glute, and I use the Nautilus leg press at my gym if I want to hit my glutes. Leg presses, squats and lunges also hit the glute very well, and some of the floorwork with ankle weights does it.

I also do leg extensions at the gym to make my quads stronger, which, in turn, helps to protect my knees.
 
Okay...dang it...now we're back to using gym equipment again!! Argh! I need a bigger basement or a home gym in my livingroom.:eek:
 
I think that you can substitute a home exercise for almost every single gym exercise. Basically, the squats, lunges and leg presses in Cathe's video hits the glutes as well as the Nautilus leg press and the Nautilus Butt Blaster. Those exercises also work the hamstrings.

I also do floorwork using five pound ankle weights to hit my glutes and hamstrings.
 
Those pictures made me say "ouch" and I'm the only one here (except for the sleeping cats, and they never seem to care). :eek:
 
There are very good exercises for hamstrings using only the stability ball. There's no need to buy expensive equipment to get the job done or even get a gym membership.

"It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt." Mark Twain ;-)
 
Yes, it is true that you can strengthen your hamstrings without expensive equipment but it's not a waste of money if you buy it.

I have a weight bench and use the hamstring curls attachment in addition to the hamstring work that Cathe includes in her workouts.

My hamstrings are definately weaker than my quads so I try to hit them hard when I do my leg workouts.

This excerpt is from an article about ACL injury in women:

Hamstring strengthening in the weight room can do much to attenuate injury risk. Research has repeatedly shown that women tend to favor their quadriceps while running, jumping and cutting. Men rely more on their hamstrings. When you favor your quadriceps muscles in sports maneuvers, you tend to increase movements that extend the knee rather than flex it. This puts undue strain on the ACL, whose job is to prevent over-extension. By strengthening the hamstrings, you'll counteract this tendency to land with a straighter knee.

Here's the link to the entire article in case you are interested:

http://www.active.com/story.cfm?story_id=12703&sidebar=13&category=running
 
Elaine, that is interesting because myself and some other parents were just having a discussion a week ago about the number of ACL injuries kids sustain these days in high school sports. You rarely had knee injuries in sports 30 years ago and I wonder why? I would periodically suffer from overuse and have nagging low grade knee pain but never a serious injury like a torn ACL and I did all sports...many kids did all sports.
 
Huh. That looks pretty much the same as a back extension bench. Works your lower back & glutes, not really your hams.

My gym actually has a cable machine that targets hams, very similar to what you're looking to do at home. I prefer it much more than the traditional ham curl machines for a couple of reasons: 1) working each leg individually helps balance your muscles, 2) it works the hams much more specifically (but does not really target the glutes--I would agree that you should stick w/squats, lunges & presses for your glutes), and 3) it keeps you from using your body's momentum to lift the weights (I often see people coming 6 inches off the seat when they do traditional ham curls--NOT good form!).

So I guess what I'm trying to say here is go for the cable machine if you have the money & room for it. Like I said before, it gives you many more options, not just for lower body but upper body also (tris, bis, back, shoulders, etc.). Lots of versatility w/a cable machine.
 
It's my understanding that you hit more of some of the hamstring muscles when doing cable extensions (or even deadlifts)--the muscles that bring the leg behind the body, and more of the other hamstring muscles when you curl the leg (either using a bench or standing with ankle weights on, or even doing those roll-in moves on the stability ball.

Doing one exercise from each type (curling vs. straight leg moving) will hit all the muscles.
 
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