Legs · Bodyweight
Knee - Flexion
How to do the knee - flexion, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Reps
- Movement
- Flexion
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Stand tall holding a wall or rail for balance. Bend one knee to bring your heel up toward your glute, driving from the back of your thigh. Pause at the top, then lower with control and repeat on each leg.
- 1Feel the hamstring at the back of your thigh curl the heel up
- 2Bend through a full range until the knee is well flexed
- 3Keep your thigh vertical and your hip still
Common mistakes
- Do not swing the lower leg up with momentum
- Avoid letting your hip drift forward to help
- Do not arch your lower back as the heel comes up
Muscles worked
The knee - flexion mainly works the hamstrings.
- HamstringsPrimary
- GlutesMinor
- CalvesMinor
Kovo programs the knee - flexion for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More hamstrings exercises
- How to do the deficit rdl
- How to do the leg curl
- How to do the dumbbell rdl
- How to do the glute ham raise
- How to do the jefferson curl
- How to do the leg swings
Last reviewed June 2026.