Seated leg curl
Also called seated hamstring curl, seated machine leg curl.
What is a seated leg curl?
A seated leg curl is a machine exercise that bends the knees against resistance while the hips stay flexed and the thighs remain secured. It isolates the hamstrings and gives seated curls their own repeatable setup and training history.
How do you perform a seated leg curl?
Set up
- Adjust the backrest so your knees line up with the machine's pivot, then place the roller just above your heels.
- Sit back against the pad, secure the thigh restraint above your knees and hold the handles.
Execution
- Start with your legs almost straight without forcing the knees into a hard lock.
- Bend your knees to draw the roller down and back as far as you can while your hips and thighs stay on the pads.
- Return the roller slowly until the hamstrings are lengthened and repeat without letting the stack slam.
Common mistakes
Misaligning the knees and machine pivot
Move the seat before the set so the lever rotates around the same point as the knee instead of pulling the joint across the pad.
Letting the hips lift
Reduce the load or range if the thighs come away from the seat to finish the curl.
Dropping the return
A controlled return keeps the setup stable and makes each repetition comparable.
Where it fits in a session
Use it as direct hamstring work after compound lower-body exercises or as the main knee-flexion exercise in a session.
Record the seat and roller settings so the range stays comparable between workouts.
Muscles worked
Primary
Secondary
- None listed in this guide
Schematic surface view. Some muscles are partly visible or not shown.
The seated machine trains the hamstrings by resisting knee flexion while the hips remain flexed.
Variations
- Lying leg curl — Uses a prone bench with the hips extended instead of a seated, hip-flexed position.
- Standing leg curl — Trains one leg at a time from an upright or supported machine setup.
- Single-leg seated curl — Uses the same machine one side at a time.
Frequently asked questions
What muscles do seated leg curls work?
They primarily train the hamstrings, which bend the knee against the machine's resistance.
Where should the roller sit?
Place it low on the back of the lower legs, just above the heels, without letting it press on the Achilles tendon.
Should your knees fully straighten?
Return to an almost-straight position that lengthens the hamstrings without forcing a hard knee lock or losing contact with the pads.
Is a seated leg curl the same as a lying leg curl?
Both train knee flexion, but the seated version keeps the hips flexed while the lying version keeps them closer to extended. Many lifters log the two machines separately.