The eccentric single-leg sliding leg curl is a floor hamstring exercise onslidersthat curls both heels in from a bridge, then slides one leg out slowly to load the hamstring as it lengthens. The point is the split: two legs share the curl in, so the concentric is easy, and one leg alone brakes the slide out, so the hamstring works hardest while lengthening under a load it could not curl up by itself. Coaches program it after the main lower body lifts for lifters building toward single-leg curls and Nordic work.
What Muscles Does the Eccentric Single-Leg Sliding Leg Curl Work?
- Primary: Hamstrings (biceps femoris, semitendinosus, semimembranosus)
- Secondary: Gluteus maximus, gastrocnemius (calf)
- Tertiary: Erector spinae, rectus abdominis, hip adductors
How Do You Set Up for the Eccentric Single-Leg Sliding Leg Curl?
Lie on your back on a smooth floor with a slider under each heel and your arms at your sides, palms down. Bend the knees slightly so the heels dig into the sliders. Tuck your pelvis, squeeze your glutes, and lift your hips until your body runs in one line from shoulders to knees. Hold that bridge with the ribs down and the heels pressing into the discs before the first rep.
How Do You Perform the Eccentric Single-Leg Sliding Leg Curl?
- Lock the bridge with the hips extended and both heels pressing down into the sliders.
- Curl both heels toward your hips together, dragging the sliders in until the shins are near vertical.
- Lift one foot off its slider and hold it in the air beside the other knee, with the hips still level.
- Pause for one count on the single working leg, glutes tight and hips at full height.
- Slide the working heel out slowly, taking three to five counts to straighten the knee while the hips stay lifted.
- Set the lifted foot back on its slider at the bottom, so both heels are ready to curl in for the next rep.
What Are the Key Form Cues?
- Brake, do not lower: Think of stopping the slider from getting away from you, so the hamstring stays tight for the whole slide out.
- Keep the hips at bridge height: The heel travels, the hips do not; sinking them turns the eccentric into a glute drop.
- Dig the working heel down into the slider as the leg straightens, as if pulling it back in.
- Point the lifted knee at the ceiling so the pelvis does not tip toward the free side.
- Finish the slide with the knee straight and the hips still lifted before setting the second foot down.
What Are the Most Common Mistakes?
- Sliding out fast: a quick straightening of the knee lets the slider run and the hamstring does no braking, so take at least three counts every rep.
- Letting the hips drop as the leg slides: the load moves off the hamstring onto the floor, so hold the bridge until the knee is straight.
- Curling in with one leg: the concentric is meant to be shared, and a single-leg curl in fatigues the hamstring before the eccentric it is there for, so curl in with both.
- Cramping the calf at the top: pulling with the toes and ankle rather than the heel shifts work to the gastrocnemius, so drive through the heel and keep the ankle relaxed.
- Rotating the pelvis toward the free leg: the hips twist and the working hamstring slackens on one side, so keep both hip bones level.
What Are the Best Eccentric Single-Leg Sliding Leg Curl Variations?
- Slide Hamstring Curl: both legs curl in and out, the regression when one leg cannot control the slide.
- Single-leg sliding leg curl: one leg does both phases, the progression once the eccentric is slow and steady.
- Shoulder-elevated eccentric sliding leg curl: shoulders on a bench lengthen the range at the top.
- Eccentric slider curl with the free leg extended: a straight lifted leg adds a longer lever on the trunk.
- Nordic hamstring curl: the kneeling bodyweight eccentric, loaded at the knee by the torso.
How Do You Progress the Eccentric Single-Leg Sliding Leg Curl?
- Add a light weight plate on your hips once you complete all sets with a five-count slide out on both legs.
- Build from 5 to 10 reps per leg before adding load or moving to a full single-leg curl.
- Add one set per session up to 4 sets per leg, or a second hamstring session per week.
- Lengthen the slide out from three counts to five, or pause at the halfway point, once reps come easily.
How Should You Program the Eccentric Single-Leg Sliding Leg Curl?
Place the eccentric single-leg sliding leg curl after your squat or hinge on a lower body day, while the hamstrings are warm but not spent. Train it 1 to 2 times per week for 3 to 4 sets of 5 to 10 reps per leg, resting 60 to 90 seconds between sets. Pair it with a Romanian deadlift so the hamstrings are loaded at the hip as well as the knee.