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Every exercise ranked by research, by lifters and by results. Find what’s S-tier for your goal, then train it.

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Explore/Hamstrings

Seated Leg Curl

MachineIsolationEasy to learn
Front
Back
Primary Secondary

Works

Hamstrings

Also calves

You need

Seated leg curl

How to do itPictures · 3 steps
Thigh padHeel pad
1Start
Thigh padHeel pad
2Squeeze
Main musclesAlso working
  1. 1Knees lined up with the pivot
  2. 2Lean your torso forward for more stretch
  3. 3Curl all the way, then let it straighten slowly

Most common mistake

Leaning back, which shortens the hamstrings and the benefit.

Watch a demo

Good for

  • Ranked #1 for hamstrings
  • Keeps the work on the target muscle
  • Loads the muscle while it’s stretched
  • Easy to keep adding weight

Compare with

vs Lying Leg Curlvs Standing Leg Curlvs Glute-Ham Raise
S
For hamstrings
#1 of 18
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Research
95
Scored by hand
Results
Soon
From the app
How lifters rate itBe the first
S
A
B
C
D
F
Why research scores it 951 study
Target tensionExcellent
Loaded stretchExcellent
ProgressionExcellent
Low costStrong

Seated curls grew the hamstrings more than lying curls (+14% vs +9%) in a 12-week study.

  • Maeo et al., 2021 · Trial: Seated leg curls grew the hamstrings more than lying leg curls (+14% vs +9% volume) over 12 weeks. (20 untrained adults; one study.)

Research behind these criteria

  • Target tension: Zabaleta-Korta et al., 2021 · Kinoshita et al., 2023
  • Loaded stretch: Maeo et al., 2021 · Maeo et al., 2023 · Pedrosa et al., 2022 · Kassiano et al., 2023
  • Progression: Plotkin et al., 2022 · Pelland et al., 2026
  • Low cost: Schoenfeld et al., 2021 · Refalo et al., 2023
How scores work

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  • AB-Stance Romanian DeadliftDumbbell
  • ADumbbell Romanian DeadliftDumbbell
  • ARomanian DeadliftBarbell
  • SStanding Leg CurlMachine

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