For hamstring growth
For hamstring growth, seated leg curl rates higher on our research criteria: more stretch.
Standing leg curl is easier on the joints.
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
Seated Leg Curl. Seated curls grew the hamstrings more than lying curls (+14% vs +9%) in a 12-week study.
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, seated leg curl rates higher on our research criteria: more stretch. Standing leg curl is easier on the joints. 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.
About the same: both are easy to learn.
Seated leg curl needs a machine, 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 seated leg curl.