Hamstrings exercise
Seated Leg Curl (Machine)How to do it, with form in numbers
- Main muscles
- Hamstrings
- Also works
- Calves
- Equipment
- Machine
- Level
- Beginner
How to do it
How do you do the Seated Leg Curl?
- Line your knees up with the machine's pivot and sit back.
- Rest your lower calves on the roller and lock the thigh pad down.
- Bend your knees and pull the roller down and under the seat.
- Pause, then let your legs straighten slowly.
- Stop just before the weight touches down.
Cues
- Keep your thighs pinned under the pad.
- Pull your heels towards your seat.
- Slow on the way back.
Common mistakes
- Sliding the hips forward to help the pull.
- Letting the weight snap your legs straight.
- Stopping the curl well short of a right angle.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
Starting position
Selectorised seated leg curl machine. Seat top about 50 cm above the floor; the back pad is reclined 18° from vertical. Adjust the back pad so the knee joints line up with the machine's pivot. The lower roller sits behind the lower calves, just above the heels (about 8–9 cm above the ankle joint). The thigh pad is lowered onto the thighs just above the knees and holds them snug against the seat. Sit with the hips back in the seat and the back flat on the pad, hands on the handles. Start with the legs almost straight and the stack lifted just off its rest.
The movement
Only the knees move. Bend both knees together, pulling the roller down and back under the seat, heels moving towards the backside. Pause briefly, then let the legs straighten slowly against the load back to the start. The thighs stay pinned under the thigh pad, the hips stay back and the trunk does not rock. The feet stay relaxed with the toes pulled up a little towards the shins.
End position
Start: knees about 10° short of straight. That keeps the hamstrings long, which is the seated machine's point; [1] used about 90°.
Tempo
1.5 s curl, 0.5 s pause, 2.5 s return, about 0.5 s with the legs out (stack still off its rest).
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
| Measure | Target | Good range | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Back pad recline from vertical | 18° | 10–25° (machine) | |
| Thigh pad position | just above the knees | 3–8 cm above the kneecap | [2] |
| Roller above the ankle joint | 8.5 cm | 5–12 cm | [2] |
| Knee flexion at the start | 10° | 0–15° | [1][3] |
| Knee flexion at the end of the curl | 100° | 90–110° | [1] |
| Hip lift or trunk rock | 0 cm / 0° | ≤ 1 cm / ≤ 3° | [3] |
The targets our 3D demo was built to, from the references below. Bodies differ, so treat the ranges as a guide for your own build.
For coaches
Use this demo in your clients’ programs
The Seated Leg Curl is in Trainaq’s exercise library. Add it to a workout, and your client sees this demo in the free Trainaq app above the sets they log.
Sources
