Skip to content
Lying Leg Curl strength standards

What is a good Lying Leg Curl?

For a 180 lb male, an Intermediate Lying Leg Curl is about 149 lb (0.83x bodyweight). Advanced starts around 210 lb. Enter your own bodyweight below to get the exact standard and FVCP rank.

Good target 149 lb Intermediate at 180 lb
Next tier 210 lb Advanced standard
Gym median Separate tab Self-reported, not blended
Check My Level Estimate Your 1RM Methodology
Evidence ledger No blended rankings
Primary source FitnessVolt standards model
Available views Standards
Coverage 21 bodyweights × 5 levels

Competition results, gym submissions, and reader logs stay labeled separately so the ranking source is clear.

Quick Answer Lying Leg Curl

A solid (Intermediate) Lying Leg Curl for a 180 lb male is about 149 lb (0.83x bodyweight). Use the calculator below to convert your own Lying Leg Curl into an FVCP percentile for your bodyweight. An Advanced lifter at this weight reaches 210 lb (1.17x bodyweight).

FitnessVolt standards, with FVCP competition rankings shown separately from gym percentiles

Lying Leg Curl demonstration
Estimated Standards

How strong is your Lying Leg Curl? Compare your 1RM against standards for 21 bodyweight categories, from Beginner to Elite.

Primary Muscles Calves, Hamstrings
Equipment Leg Curl Machine
Standards Coverage 21 bodyweights × 5 levels
Difficulty Intermediate
Type Isolation

How Strong Is Your Lying Leg Curl?

Intermediate (competition scale)
Typical FVCP: 50th percentile
A 180 lb male lifting 149 lbs (0.83x bodyweight) on the Lying Leg Curl ranks Intermediate on the FVCP competition scale, stronger than ~50% of verified competition lifters at this bodyweight. Enter your own numbers above to see where you stand.

That clears the median for this bodyweight and gives you a useful benchmark for the next tier.

Over 40? Our calculator also reports an age-adjusted percentile and an age-30 equivalent using the McCulloch age factor, so masters lifters are compared to lifters their own age. See the age-adjusted (Masters 40+) standards below for the full breakdown.

FVCP competition ranking, shown separately from gym percentiles and reader logs
Your FVCP:
Age-adjusted percentile
lb Age-30 equivalent 1RM

FVCP competition ranking, shown separately from gym percentiles and reader logs
th percentile

Illustrative: a normal-distribution model anchored to the real Beginner to Elite percentile thresholds for your bodyweight. The marker shows where your lift falls, not a measured frequency count.

Help improve accuracy for everyone
Share your FVCP with friends
Thanks for contributing! lifters have shared their data for this exercise.
to track your progress over time.

Reader Data Is Still Building

We do not have enough reader-submitted Lying Leg Curl entries yet to publish a stable crowd benchmark. Until then, this panel shows the Intermediate standards baseline only:

149 lb Typical 1RM (Intermediate)
0.83x x Bodyweight

Baseline figures for a 180 lb male at Intermediate level, from the standards table. This is not reader-submitted data. So far readers have logged a lift here.

Enter your numbers above first. We publish reader benchmarks only after a sample threshold is met.

How Much Should You Lying Leg Curl?

Use this table to find the standard closest to your bodyweight. The tiers are standards, not claims about reader submissions.

How a male lifter's expected 1RM scales with bodyweight at each level. Exact numbers in the table below.

BW (lbs) Beginner Novice Intermediate Advanced Elite
110 26 53 92 142 199
120 31 60 101 153 213
130 35 67 110 164 225
140 40 73 118 174 237
150 45 79 126 183 248
160 50 86 134 193 259
170 54 92 141 202 269
180 59 97 149 210 279
190 63 103 156 219 289
200 68 109 162 227 298
210 72 114 169 235 307
220 76 119 175 242 316
230 80 125 182 250 324
240 84 130 188 257 332
250 88 135 194 264 340
260 92 139 200 270 348
270 96 144 205 277 355
280 100 149 211 283 363
290 104 153 216 290 370
300 107 158 221 296 377
310 111 162 227 302 383

Is Your Lying Leg Curl Good?

A quick read on what counts as a good Lying Leg Curl at each level, for a typical male and female lifter.

Men (180 lb): a good (Intermediate) Lying Leg Curl is about 149 lb (0.83x bodyweight). Advanced lifters hit 210 lb (1.17x), and Elite is 279 lb (1.55x).

Women (140 lb): a good (Intermediate) Lying Leg Curl is about 83 lb (0.59x bodyweight). Advanced lifters hit 120 lb (0.86x), and Elite is 161 lb (1.15x).

How Much Should You Be Able to Lying Leg Curl?

Men: a 180 lb male should lift about 149 lb at an Intermediate level (a beginner target is around 59 lb).

Women: a 140 lb female should lift about 83 lb at an Intermediate level (a beginner target is around 31 lb).

By bodyweight (men): A 150 lb lifter lifts about 126 lb, and a 220 lb lifter lifts about 175 lb at an Intermediate level. Find your exact bodyweight in the table above.

By age (men): at an Intermediate level a 30 year old male lifts about 141 lb, while by age 50 the Intermediate standard is about 126 lb. See the By Age tab for every age band.

FitnessVolt standards, with FVCP competition rankings shown separately from gym percentiles

How Does Age Affect Lying Leg Curl Strength?

How Lying Leg Curl standards change across different age groups. Values represent a 1RM in lbs.

How a male lifter's expected 1RM changes with age at each level. Exact numbers in the table below.

Age Beginner Novice Intermediate Advanced Elite
15 43 76 120 175 237
20 49 87 138 201 272
25 50 89 141 206 279
30 50 89 141 206 279
35 50 89 141 206 279
40 50 89 141 206 279
45 48 84 134 195 264
50 45 79 126 183 248
55 41 73 116 170 230
60 38 67 106 155 210
65 34 60 96 140 189
70 31 54 86 125 170
75 27 48 77 112 152
80 24 43 69 100 136
85 22 39 62 90 122
90 20 35 56 81 110

What Do Lying Leg Curl Strength Standards Mean?

Beginner

Stronger than 5% of lifters. You are learning to isolate the target muscle during the Lying Leg Curl, focusing on controlled movement through the full range of motion without compensating with momentum.

Novice

Stronger than 20% of lifters. You can execute the Lying Leg Curl with consistent form and a strong mind-muscle connection. You are adding resistance progressively and building the joint stability needed for heavier loads.

Intermediate

Stronger than 50% of lifters. Your Lying Leg Curl shows solid control through the full range. You use tempo manipulation and RPE to drive adaptation, and this movement plays a defined role in your leg training program.

Advanced

Stronger than 80% of lifters. You have developed significant strength on the Lying Leg Curl through years of targeted training. You program it strategically alongside compound movements for complete lower body development.

Elite

Stronger than 95% of lifters. Your Lying Leg Curl strength is exceptional for an isolation movement. You have maximized the development of the target muscle through precise loading and years of consistent training.

How to Progress Your Lying Leg Curl

Tier-specific training recommendations to move your Lying Leg Curl to the next level.

Beginner → Novice Building Your Foundation
  • Train the Lying Leg Curl 2x per week with controlled tempo (3 seconds up, 3 seconds down).
  • Focus on full range of motion before adding resistance.
  • Keep sets at RPE 6-7 to build joint resilience and movement quality.
  • Use this exercise to develop the mind-muscle connection with the target muscle.
Track progress with the one rep max calculator →
Novice → Intermediate Structured Progression
  • Progressively increase load while maintaining strict form on the Lying Leg Curl.
  • Program 3-4 sets of 8-15 reps at RPE 7-8.
  • Place isolation work after compound movements in your training sessions.
  • Use tempo variations to increase time under tension without adding weight.
Plan your RPE-based sessions →
Intermediate → Advanced Advanced Isolation Techniques
  • Use drop sets, rest-pause, and mechanical advantage sets to push past plateaus on the Lying Leg Curl.
  • Program the movement at RPE 8-9 with a focus on peak contraction.
  • Pair with compound movements for pre-exhaust or post-exhaust protocols.
  • Manage isolation volume carefully - target 8-12 hard sets per muscle group per week.
Calculate working set loads →
Advanced → Elite Mastery
  • Maximize Lying Leg Curl performance through precise load selection and fatigue management.
  • Use periodized training blocks even for isolation movements.
  • Focus on the quality of each rep rather than chasing heavier loads.
  • Your development at this level requires advanced programming and recovery management.
View RPE-to-percentage chart →

How to Perform Lying Leg Curl

  1. Adjust the leg curl machine so that the pad sits comfortably above your ankles.
  2. Lie face down on the machine with your legs fully extended and grab the handles for support.
  3. Exhale and curl your legs upward as far as possible, focusing on squeezing your hamstrings.
  4. Hold the contraction for a second at the top of the movement.
  5. Inhale and slowly lower your legs back to the starting position.
  6. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Read the complete Lying Leg Curl guide on FitnessVolt →

Tips for Lying Leg Curl

  • Ensure the machine pad is positioned just above your ankles for proper leverage.
  • Avoid lifting your hips off the bench during the curl to maintain focus on the hamstrings.
  • Control the movement and avoid using momentum to lift the weight.

Where Do These Lying Leg Curl Standards Come From?

FitnessVolt keeps each data population labeled. Competition percentiles use verified raw meet results where available. Gym percentile tabs use self-reported Symmetric Strength data. Reader-submitted benchmarks appear only after enough entries are logged for this lift.

Standards data last refreshed: March 29, 2026

Is Your Lying Leg Curl Good for Your Weight?

Use this page to compare your Lying Leg Curl against clearly labeled standards and percentile datasets. Here is the cleanest way to read it:

  1. Start with Standards to find the tier closest to your bodyweight.
  2. Use Gym Percentiles when you want self-reported gym comparisons.
  3. Use Competition for verified meet-result percentiles where the lift supports it.
  4. Use By Age when age-segmented gym data is available.

If you do not know your 1RM, use the one rep max calculator to estimate it from any rep set. For example, if you can Lying Leg Curl 185 lbs for 5 reps, the calculator will estimate your max.

The important rule: do not mix the tabs. Standards, gym percentiles, competition percentiles, and reader logs answer different questions.

Frequently Asked Questions

A "good" Lying Leg Curl depends on your bodyweight, sex, and training background. The Intermediate tier is a useful first serious target, while Advanced and Elite represent much harder standards. Use the table above for the number closest to your bodyweight.
Many lifters can reach the Intermediate tier on the Lying Leg Curl after steady training, but the timeline depends on starting point, technique, programming, recovery, and bodyweight changes. Treat the tier as a benchmark, not a deadline.
Yes. Competition views use verified meet-result data where available, gym percentile views use self-reported gym cohorts, and reader-submitted benchmarks are shown only after enough entries are logged. The populations are labeled separately.
For weighted lifts, enter a clean raw 1RM or an estimated 1RM from a recent hard set. For rep-based movements, enter controlled full-range reps. Avoid equipped lifts, partial reps, or bounced reps unless you are comparing against the same style every time.

Related Exercise Standards

Related Calculators

One Rep Max Calculator Estimate your one-rep max from any rep set Benchmarks Compare against competition data RPE Chart Training load percentages by RPE
Written by Tom Miller, CSCS · Reviewed by Editorial Team
Tom Miller, CSCS, is a Sr. Editor & Content Strategist with 10 years of experience in Powerlifting and Personal Training. As a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, he is dedicated to delivering informative, engaging, and reliable health and fitness content. His work has been featured on websites including the-sun.com, Well+Good, Bleacher Report, Muscle and Fitness, UpJourney, Business Insider, NewsBreak and more.