Seated Leg Curl Machine
Also known as: seated leg curl, seated machine leg curl, seated leg curls, seated hamstring curl
In SetGrip: Seated Machine Leg Curl
- Primary muscleHamstrings
- EquipmentMachine
- DifficultyBeginner
- TypeIsolation · Hip-dominant
- Secondary muscles
- Calves
- Body part
- Upper Legs
- Position
- Seated
- Laterality
- Bilateral (both sides together)
- Category
- Strength
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Sitting with your hips flexed near 90 degrees stretches the hamstrings at the hip before the knee ever bends, so they work through a longer functional length than any lying or standing curl offers. The thigh pad locking you down also removes the hip-lift cheat, making stack increases reflect actual hamstring progress.
How to do the Seated Leg Curl Machine
- Adjust the machine to fit your body and sit on it with your back against the backrest.
- Place your lower legs under the padded lever, just above your ankles.
- Grasp the handles on the sides of the machine for support.
- Keeping your upper legs stationary, exhale and curl your legs up as far as possible.
- Hold the contracted position for a brief pause as you squeeze your hamstrings.
- Inhale and slowly lower the lever back to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Tip: Point the toes through the curl to take the calves out of it and force the hamstrings to do all the work.
Muscles worked
Primary
Hamstrings · Legs
The hamstrings bend the knee against the pad and should feel a hard squeeze at the top and a controlled stretch at the bottom.
Secondary
- Calves — The calves assist in bending the knee, and pointing the toes rather than flexing them takes them out of the movement.
Common mistakes
- Hips lifting off the pad — on lying curls keep the hips pressed down; if they rise, the range is too long or the weight too heavy.
- Yanking the weight up — drive the heels toward the backside under control and squeeze at the top for a count.
- Dropping the weight down — the lowering half is where the hamstrings grow, so take three seconds to come back.
- Skipping the stretch on Nordics — on Nordic curls lower as far as you can control and use the hands to push back up rather than cutting the range.
Where it fits in a workout
Leg curls go after squats and deadlifts as a hamstring accessory. Superset them with leg extensions on the neighboring machine or with a back extension.
How many sets, how heavy and how hard: see what the ACSM position stands support.
Variations and alternatives
Similar exercises
Without machine
When to talk to someone
- Chest discomfort, feeling faint or lightheaded, or trouble breathing during or after exercise can be signs of a heart attack. In the US, call 911 right away; elsewhere, call your local emergency number.
- Heart, metabolic or kidney disease, or symptoms like these when you are active: talk to your doctor before you start or step up training.
- Pregnant: ask your obstetric care provider which exercise suits you.
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More exercises
Sources
- ACSM position stand on exercise quantity and quality (Garber et al., 2011)
- ACSM preparticipation health screening (Riebe et al., 2015)
- ACOG Committee Opinion No. 804 on exercise in pregnancy (2020)
- CDC: About Heart Attack Symptoms, Risk, and Recovery (2024)
Sources checked on October 17, 2026. Full citations are in the exercise library.
Animation and exercise data: ExerciseDB, licensed to SetGrip. General information, not medical or coaching advice.