Liftworthy
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Liftworthy

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

Standing Leg Curl

MachineIsolationEasy to learnOne side at a time
Front
Back
Primary Secondary

Works

Hamstrings

Also calves

You need

Machines

How to do itPictures · 3 steps
1Start
2Squeeze
Main musclesAlso working
  1. 1Pad just above the heel
  2. 2Curl your heel toward your glutes
  3. 3Lower slowly to a full stretch

Most common mistake

Lifting the hip to swing the weight.

Watch a demo

Good for

  • Ranked #2 for hamstrings
  • Keeps the work on the target muscle
  • Easy to keep adding weight
  • Easy on the joints and recovery

Compare with

vs Lying Leg Curlvs Seated Leg Curlvs B-Stance Romanian Deadlift
S
For hamstrings
#2 of 18
See the full list →
Research
88
Scored by hand
Results
Soon
From the app
How lifters rate itBe the first
S
A
B
C
D
F
Why research scores it 88
Target tensionExcellent
Loaded stretchGood
ProgressionExcellent
Low costExcellent

Isolates the hamstrings one leg at a time. The hips stay straight, so the stretch is smaller than in a seated curl.

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

Machine taken? Swap to

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

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