Reverse Sliding Leg Curl On Floor With Towel

Muscles worked

Setup

1. Lie flat on your back on a mat with your arms at your sides for support.
2. Place both heels in the center of a folded towel on a smooth, hard floor surface.
3. Bend your knees to roughly 90 degrees and tuck your pelvis slightly to engage your core.

How to do it

1. Exhale and drive through your heels to lift your hips into a bridge position, creating a straight line from shoulders to knees.
2. Inhale and slowly slide your heels away from your glutes until your legs are fully extended, keeping your hips hovering just above the floor.
3. Exhale and pull your heels back toward your glutes by forcefully contracting your hamstrings, driving your hips higher as the feet return.
4. Maintain a controlled 3-second tempo on the extension and a powerful 1-second tempo on the curl.

Form checklist

• Keep your hips elevated and level; do not let them sag as your legs extend.
• Maintain a braced core to prevent your lower back from arching excessively.
• Ensure your toes are pointing upward, driving the movement strictly through the heels.
• Keep your neck neutral and shoulders pinned to the mat.

Pro tips

• To maximize hamstring recruitment, imagine you are trying to 'dig' your heels into the floor and pull the floor toward you.
• Focus on a hard glute squeeze at the top of the bridge to ensure the hamstrings aren't doing all the work alone.

Make it harder

• Perform the movement unilaterally (single-leg) to double the load on the working hamstring and increase rotational core demands.
• Slow the eccentric (sliding out) phase to 5-6 seconds to maximize time under tension.

Frequently asked

What muscles does the reverse sliding leg curl on floor with towel work?

The reverse sliding leg curl on floor with towel primarily targets the glutes and hamstrings, and also works the obliques as secondary muscles.

What equipment do you need for the reverse sliding leg curl on floor with towel?

The reverse sliding leg curl on floor with towel requires no equipment — just your body weight.

Is the reverse sliding leg curl on floor with towel good for beginners?

The reverse sliding leg curl on floor with towel is rated intermediate. Build a base with simpler variations first, then progress to it with light load and strict form.

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