I read a Frederic Delavier’s book « Strength Training Anatomy » and I learned good stuff.
Lying on your stomach on the machine with your hands on the handles and your ankles under pads :
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Inhale and bend your legs trying to touch your glutes with your heels. Exhale at the end of the movement.
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Back to the start position by controlling the movement.
This exercise works hamstrings, gastrocnemius and in depth popliteus.
In theory, it’s possible to target the work on the semitendinous muscle and semimembranous muscle by making an internal rotation of the foot or to target the work on the femoral biceps, long head and short head by making an external rotation of the foot. But in reality, it’s very difficult that’s why it’s easier to target the work on hamstrings or gastrocnemius :
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With the foot extended to target the work on the hamstrings
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With the foot in dorsal flexion to target work on gastrocnemius.
Variant
It’s possible to do this exercise by flexing legs alternately.
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-Steph