Seated Leg Curl

How to do it

1. Sit in the machine and set the pad above your ankles, the thigh pad snug across your legs.
2. Set the backrest so your knees line up with the machine's pivot.
3. Curl your heels down and under, as far as the machine allows.
4. Squeeze hard at the bottom, then return slowly to a full stretch.
5. Do not let your hips lift off the seat to get more range - that is your lower back joining in.

Muscles it trains

Percent of one session's target for that muscle. Anything at 100% finishes that muscle on its own.

How it compares

Compared with the Lying Leg Curl, it loads every muscle to the same degree. Compared with the Single-Leg Press, it loads Quads 100 points lower, Hamstrings 80 points higher, Glutes 50 points lower.

Other ways to train this

• Lying Leg Curl Machines
• Ball Leg Curl Exercise ball
• TRX Hamstring Curl Suspension trainerIntermediate
• Banded Standing Leg Curl Resistance bands

Other exercises for the Hamstrings

• Single-Leg Press 15% Machines
• Leg Press 10% Machines
• Hack Squat 10% Machines
• Horizontal Leg Press 10% Machines

Exercise illustrations and data by RepDB (repdb.co), used under licence.