Seated Leg Curl (Machine)
The Seated Leg Curl is a machine-based isolation exercise that targets the hamstrings by curling the lower legs against resistance while in a stable, seated position. This movement is essential for developing posterior chain strength and knee joint health.
Because the hamstrings are fast-twitch dominant and prone to fatigue, the AI analyzes your recovery data and daily readiness to prescribe the optimal volume for this isolation movement. By tracking your performance trends and RPE, the app ensures you achieve the necessary stimulus for hypertrophy without overstraining the muscle belly, which is crucial for preventing common hamstring injuries. Additionally, if you report lower back pain, the AI can prioritize this seated variation over standing hinge movements to maintain training volume safely.
Form Cues
- Align your knees directly with the machine's pivot point
- Secure the lap pad tightly against your thighs to prevent movement
- Keep your back flat against the pad throughout the set
- Squeeze your hamstrings hard at the bottom of the contraction
- Control the weight slowly as you return to the starting position
- Don't let your hips lift off the seat during the curl
- Don't use momentum to swing the weight down
- Don't arch your lower back away from the backrest
- Don't perform the reps too quickly or bounce at the bottom
- Don't allow the weight stack to slam down between reps
Common Mistakes
- Misalignment of knees with pivot point
- Loose lap pad allowing thigh movement
- Rushing the eccentric (lowering) phase
- Lifting the glutes off the seat
- Using a limited range of motion
Muscles Worked
This exercise primarily isolates the hamstrings (biceps femoris, semitendinosus, and semimembranosus) by fixing the hips in a flexed position, which places the muscles in a stretched state for optimal activation. It also engages the gastrocnemius muscles of the calves as secondary stabilizers during knee flexion.
Primary
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