Lying leg curls are a great all-round exercise for blasting the back of your legs, but many people find this cumbersome machine complicated to master. Fortunately, Coach Ben Yanes has shared his hack for getting into the perfection position and apparently it’s all about kissing the knees — but before you pucker up and make a complete fool of yourself at the gym, read on.

The lying leg curl works your legs, hamstrings, and glutes, but as with any exercise, the best gains will come from mastering your form. Fortunately, in an Instagram post shared with his more than 700k followers, the educator and ‘life-long lifter’ explained the process from his point of view. “I’m gonna tell you about the number one thing that you’re probably not doing on lying leg curls,” said Yanes alongside a demonstration video. “Which is kissing your knees together before you start the motion. The reason that you want to do this, at least as a starting point, is to make sure that your knees are actually pivoting in the direction of the pad.”

With our bodies facing the floor it can be difficult to eye-up our positioning on the lying leg curl machine, so any cues that we can take from the lower body make great sense. “A lot of people line up haphazardly (and) allow their legs to flare out (on either side of the bench),” explained Yanes. “And, as a consequence, their knees don’t want to drive their shins in the direction that the pad is moving. This would be equivalent to angling your knees way outward on something like a leg extension machine.”

Position Yourself for the Perfect Lying Leg Curl Technique

Tap or “kiss” your knees together as you settle down on the bench, then point the kneecaps to the floor, “and you’ll more than likely feel much better,” concludes the coach. This arrangement will ensure that your knees bend at a 90-degree angle rather than spreading out to the side.

“Giving this a try,” wrote one follower. “Top tier right here,” wrote another.”

So, next time you do leg curls, be sure to kiss those knees!

Follow Ben Yanes on Instagram by clicking here!