Whether your foot is pointed down or up during leg curls doesn’t change how much your hamstrings are working during the exercise.
Scientific Claim
Ankle position (dorsiflexion vs. plantarflexion) during prone leg curl exercise has no meaningful effect on hamstring myoelectric activity in both trained and untrained adults, as no significant differences were observed in EMG output regardless of ankle angle.
Original Statement
“Experiment 1 revealed no significant differences between ankle positions in the EMG activity of hamstring muscle in either group (all p > 0.05).”
Evidence Quality Assessment
Claim Status
appropriately stated
Study Design Support
Design supports claim
Appropriate Language Strength
probability
Can suggest probability/likelihood
Assessment Explanation
The study is a within-person RCT with statistical non-significance reported (p > 0.05), supporting a probabilistic conclusion of no effect. The abstract does not use definitive language, so 'probability' is appropriate.
More Accurate Statement
“Ankle position (dorsiflexion vs. plantarflexion) during prone leg curl exercise likely has no meaningful effect on hamstring myoelectric activity in both trained and untrained adults.”
Gold Standard Evidence Needed
According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.
Systematic Review & Meta-AnalysisLevel 1aWhether ankle position consistently has no effect on hamstring EMG across diverse populations, exercise protocols, and measurement methods.
Whether ankle position consistently has no effect on hamstring EMG across diverse populations, exercise protocols, and measurement methods.
What This Would Prove
Whether ankle position consistently has no effect on hamstring EMG across diverse populations, exercise protocols, and measurement methods.
Ideal Study Design
A meta-analysis of all randomized controlled trials comparing dorsiflexed vs. plantarflexed ankle positions during prone leg curls, including at least 10 studies with 200+ total participants, using standardized EMG normalization and reporting mean differences with 95% CIs for hamstring activation.
Limitation: Cannot establish causation in new populations beyond those already studied.
Randomized Controlled TrialLevel 1bIn EvidenceCausal effect of ankle position on hamstring EMG under controlled conditions.
Causal effect of ankle position on hamstring EMG under controlled conditions.
What This Would Prove
Causal effect of ankle position on hamstring EMG under controlled conditions.
Ideal Study Design
A double-blind, within-subject RCT with 30+ healthy adults (18–40 yrs), randomized to perform 4 sets of 10 reps of prone leg curls with ankle in dorsiflexion vs. plantarflexion on separate days, measuring surface EMG of biceps femoris and semitendinosus with normalized RMS amplitude as primary outcome.
Limitation: Cannot generalize to long-term adaptations or clinical populations.
Prospective CohortLevel 2bLong-term association between habitual ankle position during leg curls and hamstring activation patterns in real-world settings.
Long-term association between habitual ankle position during leg curls and hamstring activation patterns in real-world settings.
What This Would Prove
Long-term association between habitual ankle position during leg curls and hamstring activation patterns in real-world settings.
Ideal Study Design
A 6-month prospective cohort tracking 100 resistance-trained individuals who consistently use either dorsiflexed or plantarflexed ankle positions during leg curls, measuring EMG during standardized lifts every 4 weeks.
Limitation: Cannot rule out confounding by training volume, intensity, or technique differences.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (1)
The study found that whether you point your toes up or down while doing leg curls, your hamstrings work just the same — no difference in muscle activity or results.