For hamstring growth
For hamstring growth, standing leg curl rates higher on our research criteria: easier to progress, easier on the joints.
Glute-ham raise gives more stretch.
Both are good choices that train the hamstrings the same way, so they swap freely. Rotating between them every few weeks is an easy way to vary your training.
The research score comes from these, scored by hand from the studies. Lifter scores appear once an exercise has 10 ratings. How scores work
Glute-Ham Raise. Trains the hamstrings at the knee and hip together, but bodyweight is a lot to start with and hard to add to.
Standing Leg Curl. Isolates the hamstrings one leg at a time. The hips stay straight, so the stretch is smaller than in a seated curl.
For hamstring growth, standing leg curl rates higher on our research criteria: easier to progress, easier on the joints. Glute-ham raise gives more stretch. Both are good choices that train the hamstrings the same way, so they swap freely. Rotating between them every few weeks is an easy way to vary your training.
Standing leg curl is easier: it’s easy to learn, while glute-ham raise takes some practice.
Glute-ham raise needs a GHD or back-extension bench, so for most people it’s a gym exercise. Standing leg curl needs a machine, so for most people it’s a gym exercise.
Standing leg curl: it rates Excellent for joint and recovery cost in our research rubric, against Strong for glute-ham raise.