Single Leg Slider Hamstring Curl

Also known as: hamstring slide, slider leg curl, single leg hamstring slide, single leg slider hamstring curls, single leg sliding leg curl, single leg slider leg curl, single leg hamstring curl with slider, Single Leg Hamstring Slider

In SetGrip: Hamstring Slider (Single Leg)

Secondary muscles
Glutes, Quads
Body part
Upper Legs
Position
Lying
Laterality
Unilateral (one leg at a time)
Category
Strength

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One heel on a slider with hips bridged off the floor, you extend the leg away and drag it back, so a single hamstring works as knee flexor and hip stabilizer through every inch. The lengthening phase is far harder than the return, so stretch it out deliberately; 6 to 8 reps per side is plenty.

How to do the Single Leg Slider Hamstring Curl

  1. Start by standing with one foot on a platform or slide board.
  2. Bend your knee slightly and slide the foot on the platform backward, extending your leg.
  3. Keep your core engaged and maintain a straight posture throughout the movement.
  4. Slowly return to the starting position by sliding your foot back to the initial position.
  5. Repeat the movement for the desired number of repetitions, then switch legs.

Tip: Point the toes through the curl to take the calves out of it and force the hamstrings to do all the work.

Muscles worked

Primary

Hamstrings · Legs

The hamstrings bend the knee against the pad and should feel a hard squeeze at the top and a controlled stretch at the bottom.

Secondary

  • Glutes — The glutes contract to keep the hips down on lying curls and to hold the hip open on Nordics.
  • Quads

Common mistakes

  • Hips lifting off the pad — on lying curls keep the hips pressed down; if they rise, the range is too long or the weight too heavy.
  • Yanking the weight up — drive the heels toward the backside under control and squeeze at the top for a count.
  • Dropping the weight down — the lowering half is where the hamstrings grow, so take three seconds to come back.
  • Skipping the stretch on Nordics — on Nordic curls lower as far as you can control and use the hands to push back up rather than cutting the range.

Where it fits in a workout

Leg curls go after squats and deadlifts as a hamstring accessory. Superset them with leg extensions on the neighboring machine or with a back extension.

How many sets, how heavy and how hard: see what the ACSM position stands support.

Variations and alternatives

Similar exercises

Without bodyweight

Easier and harder

When to talk to someone

  • Chest discomfort, feeling faint or lightheaded, or trouble breathing during or after exercise can be signs of a heart attack. In the US, call 911 right away; elsewhere, call your local emergency number.
  • Heart, metabolic or kidney disease, or symptoms like these when you are active: talk to your doctor before you start or step up training.
  • Pregnant: ask your obstetric care provider which exercise suits you.

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More exercises

Sources

  1. ACSM position stand on exercise quantity and quality (Garber et al., 2011)
  2. ACSM preparticipation health screening (Riebe et al., 2015)
  3. ACOG Committee Opinion No. 804 on exercise in pregnancy (2020)
  4. CDC: About Heart Attack Symptoms, Risk, and Recovery (2024)

Sources checked on October 17, 2026. Full citations are in the exercise library.

Animation and exercise data: ExerciseDB, licensed to SetGrip. General information, not medical or coaching advice.