For hamstring growth
For hamstring growth, seated leg curl rates well ahead on our research criteria: easier to progress, more of the work on the hamstrings.
Both are good choices, and they train the hamstrings differently. Using both across your week covers more of the muscle than either alone: in studies, varied exercises grew parts of a muscle that one exercise missed. (Fonseca et al., 2014; Costa et al., 2021)
The research score comes from these, scored by hand from the studies. Lifter scores appear once an exercise has 10 ratings. How scores work
Seated Leg Curl. Seated curls grew the hamstrings more than lying curls (+14% vs +9%) in a 12-week study.
For soccer, single-leg RDL rates well ahead on our research criteria: more carry-over to soccer, more injury protection.
For American football, single-leg RDL rates well ahead on our research criteria: more carry-over to American football, more injury protection.
For hamstring growth, seated leg curl rates well ahead on our research criteria: easier to progress, more of the work on the hamstrings. Both are good choices, and they train the hamstrings differently. Using both across your week covers more of the muscle than either alone: in studies, varied exercises grew parts of a muscle that one exercise missed.
Seated leg curl is easier: it’s easy to learn, while single-leg RDL takes some practice.
Seated leg curl needs a machine, so for most people it’s a gym exercise. Single-leg RDL needs dumbbells, so a home gym covers it.
Seated leg curl: it rates Strong for joint and recovery cost in our research rubric, against Good for single-leg RDL.