Seated Leg Curl

What is the Seated Leg Curl?

The seated leg curl is a machine isolation exercise that trains the hamstrings through knee flexion from a hip-flexed, seated position. Because sitting pre-stretches the hamstrings across the hip, most lifters feel a stronger stretch and get more growth stimulus than they do lying down.

Muscles worked

Primary: Hamstrings

The hamstrings are the sole prime mover, curling the pad down and under against the resistance arm while the seated position holds them in a lengthened, hip-flexed state throughout.

How to perform the Seated Leg Curl

1. Sit in the machine with the back pad supporting the torso and the thigh pad locked over the lower quads.
2. Set the ankle roller against the back of the lower calves with the knees aligned to the pivot.
3. Because the hips are flexed to ninety degrees, the hamstrings start lengthened, so expect a stronger stretch than a lying curl.
4. Curl the heels down and under by flexing the knees, driving the roller toward the seat.
5. Squeeze at peak flexion, then return under control to a straight knee against the resistance.
6. Keep the hips pinned and the thigh pad tight so the movement stays isolated to knee flexion.

Suggested working range: 10–15 reps. Default progression: double progression.

Mechanics

A single-joint isolation around knee flexion, but performed with the hips flexed to roughly 90 degrees, which lengthens the hamstrings before the set even starts. Training a muscle in this stretched position tends to drive more hypertrophy, which is what sets the seated curl apart from the lying version.

Form cues

• •Set the thigh pad snug over your legs so your hips stay seated and cannot rise as you curl.
• •Curl the pad down and under as far as the machine allows, then control the return instead of letting it snap back.
• •Keep your torso upright against the backrest: leaning forward slacks the stretch that makes this variation effective.

Common mistakes

• •Treating it as identical to a lying curl and ignoring the lengthened-hip stretch it targets.
• •Lifting the hips or torso off the pads to gain leverage on the roller.
• •Cutting the range short at the top by not fully flexing the knees under the thigh pad.
• •Letting the roller snap back fast instead of resisting the loaded eccentric.

Variations & alternatives

• •Lying leg curl: the same knee-flexion movement with the hip extended, a useful contrast to the seated version.
• •Single-leg curl: one leg at a time to expose and correct a left-right imbalance.
• •Nordic hamstring curl: a bodyweight knee-flexion movement with a punishing eccentric for injury resilience.

Romanian Deadlift

Hamstrings · Barbell

Leg Curl

Hamstrings · Machine

Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift

Hamstrings · Dumbbell

Single-Leg Curl

Hamstrings · Machine

Nordic Hamstring Curl

Hamstrings · Bodyweight

Programming: sets, reps & when to use it

Run the seated leg curl for 10–15 reps as your primary hamstring isolation, leaning on the stretched position by controlling the negative. It is an excellent partner to hip-hinge work, which trains hip extension while the curl covers knee flexion.

Frequently asked questions