The Dumbbell Leg Curl is a beginner-friendly dumbbell strength exercise that targets the hamstrings. Here's how to do it right — and what to stop doing.
Primary musclesHamstrings
Secondary muscles—
EquipmentDumbbell
LevelBeginner
TypeStrength
3D demo in the EGON app
01 Execution
How to do the Dumbbell Leg Curl
Lie face-down on a bench or the floor with the legs straight and a dumbbell ready at the feet.
Have a partner place a dumbbell vertically between your feet, or set it carefully on your own.
Squeeze the feet together hard around the dumbbell to lock it in place for the full set.
Curl both heels up toward your glutes by bending only at the knees, keeping the hips pressed down.
Squeeze the hamstrings hard at the top with the lower legs near vertical, pausing briefly.
Lower the dumbbell under control over 2 to 3 seconds back to a fully straight-leg position.
02 The payoff
Why it earns its spot
Builds hamstring size through direct knee-flexion isolation.
Balances out quad-dominant leg training with targeted hamstring work.
Trains the hamstrings without needing a leg curl machine.
03 Don't do this
Common mistakes
Lifting the hips off the bench to use momentum instead of curling cleanly with the hamstrings.
Letting the dumbbell slip between the feet by relaxing the squeeze mid-rep.
Rushing the lower portion and dropping the weight back to the start, missing most of the muscle tension.
Loading too heavy, which forces broken form and risks dropping the dumbbell on the floor.
EGON Put it on record
Track it in EGON.
Log every set of the Dumbbell Leg Curl, get your PRs detected automatically, earn aura for the work — and climb five leagues of statues, from Stone to Ego.
