Seated Leg Curl
Trains the hamstrings at a long, stretched length because your hips are bent, with a pad holding your thighs still.
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Muscles worked
- Equipment
- Machine, Seated leg curl machine
- Level
- Beginner
- Tempo
- Lift 1.2 s · Lower 2 s
How to do the seated leg curl
- 1Sit with your back against the pad and line your knees up with the machine’s pivot.
- 2Rest the roller just above your heels and lower the thigh pad until it holds your legs snugly.
- 3Hold the handles and curl your heels down and back under the seat as far as you can.
- 4Squeeze for a moment, then let your legs straighten slowly against the weight.
When to pick it: Pick it as your main knee-bending hamstring exercise. In a 12-week trial, seated leg curls grew the hamstrings more than lying curls (+14% vs +9% in volume), probably because the bent hips keep the muscle stretched.
What the research says
- Training one leg with seated curls and the other with lying (prone) curls for 12 weeks grew whole-hamstring volume by 14% vs 9%. Maeo et al., Med Sci Sports Exerc 2021
Form cues
- Knees in line with the pivot
- Thighs pinned under the pad
- Slow on the way back up
Common mistakes
- Leaving the thigh pad loose so the hips rise
- Cutting the curl short
- Letting the weight snap the legs straight
Stop if something hurts, and check with a doctor before starting if you have a health condition, are pregnant or are recovering from an injury. SourcesTerms
Sets and reps
| Goal | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strength | 3–5 | 3–6 | 2–3 min |
| Muscle size | 3–4 | 6–15 | 1–2 min |
| Endurance | 2–3 | 15–25 | 30–60 s |
Finish each set with one or two good reps left in the tank. When you hit the top of the rep range on every set, add weight next time. Get a full 4–12 week program →
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