I miss bicycle riding. I need to find a place around here that rents them for a day (like Callaway Gardens, GA).
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I self-diagnosed my injury as a pulled hamstring, happened while during leg curls on my bench. I was using the same weight (55 lbs. [25 kg]) but doing the exercise *really* slowly. Why? Showing off. You'd think I'd outgrown that.
Then I reinjured it last week, stepping up onto a 2' (61 cm) chair to change a light bulb on a 9' (274 cm) ceiling. I couldn't put weight on it for a couple of hours, wife helped me to the sofa and I kept it on ice for 20 min. intervals for the rest of the evening. I could eventually walk that evening with a cane, and without the cane the next morning, but with a limp. It healed quickly though, enough to walk comfortably again three days later. I'm not doing any leg workouts until it feels completely healed.
I suggest you drop the leg curls, as I did years ago. Always felt the movement was unnatural and dangerous, besides it's an isolation exercise with very limited value. Deadlifts OTOH are a good compund exercise and also target the hamstrings (biceps femoris), plus a bunch of other stuff. Much greater bang for the buck, less potential for injury. If handling too much weight is an issue, a great exercise is the single leg romanian deadlift. Great for improving balance and you will definitely feel it in your hamstrings and gluteus. But first of course let your hamstring heal properlly.
I delayed responding to this because I didn't want to accept it (long-time habits/routines are hard for me to change). But I'm convinced now that you're absolutely right, and I've already removed the cumbersome and space robbing leg apparatus from my weight bench (our next bench won't have the leg stuff). We're doing squats and lunges for hamstrings and calves instead, also DDP Yoga. We've also stopped using the lat/curl bar tower that connects to the bench, staying off 'machines' as much as possible (except for the treadmill when it's raining). My next bench will simply be a bench with separate squat station.
The rusty wire that holds the cork that keeps the anger in Gives way and suddenly it’s day again The sun is in the east Even though the day is done Two suns in the sunset, hmph Could be the human race is run
You'd think I'd outgrown that.
