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Inverse Leg Curl (On Pull Up Cable Machine) animation

How to do the Inverse Leg Curl (On Pull Up Cable Machine)

LegsQuadsMachineBeginner

The inverse leg curl on a cable pull-up machine flips the script on traditional leg training by loading your quads through a challenging bodyweight lever that builds serious strength and muscle control. Master this movement and you will develop the kind of quad endurance and knee stability that carries over to squats, lunges, and athletic performance.

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Muscles worked

Primary
Quadriceps
Secondary
GlutesHamstringsCalves

Step-by-step

  1. Kneel on the seat pad with your heels anchored under the cable arm or foot roller, keeping your body upright and core braced.
  2. Hinge at the knees and lower your torso toward the floor in a slow, controlled descent, resisting gravity the entire way down.
  3. Lower as far as your quad strength allows without collapsing, then drive your heels into the pad and contract your quads to pull yourself back to upright.
  4. Reset your posture fully at the top before initiating the next rep, avoiding any momentum or bouncing.

Common mistakes

  • Dropping too fast on the descent by losing tension in the quads, which removes the training stimulus and strains the knees, so focus on a 3 to 4 second eccentric every rep.
  • Letting the hips shoot back during the movement which turns it into a hip hinge rather than a knee-dominant drill, so keep your hips locked forward and your shin-to-torso angle consistent.
  • Using a range of motion that is too deep before building the prerequisite strength, which causes the lower back to take over, so start with a shallow range and extend depth progressively over weeks.

Pro tip — At the very top of each rep consciously tilt your pelvis slightly posterior and squeeze your glutes to lock out your hip position, this prevents lumbar overextension and forces your quads to do all the work through the full range.

Sets & reps by goal

Build muscle3–4 sets × 10–15 reps
Get stronger3–4 sets × 6–8 reps
Lose fat / tone3 sets × 12–20 reps

Rest: 60–90 sec between sets.

More Legs exercises

Barbell Bench Front SquatBarbell Bench Front SquatBarbell Front Chest SquatBarbell Front Chest SquatBarbell Full SquatBarbell Full SquatBarbell Good MorningBarbell Good MorningBarbell LungeBarbell LungeBarbell One Leg SquatBarbell One Leg Squat
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