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Lever Seated Leg Curl

A seated machine hamstring curl that trains knee flexion with the hips flexed, putting the hamstrings under a longer stretch than lying curls.

LegsMachineKnee flexion
GoLightWeight medialever-seated-leg-curl

Demonstration coming soon

Primary

Hamstrings

Secondary

GastrocnemiusGlutesCore

Equipment

Machine

Pattern

Knee flexion

Setup

  1. 01Sit with the back against the pad and the knees aligned with the machine pivot.
  2. 02Place the lower calves on top of the roller with legs extended.
  3. 03Lower the thigh pad snugly onto the lower thighs to lock the hips down.
  4. 04Grip the handles and sit tall.

Execution

  1. 01Curl the heels down and back as far as the machine allows.
  2. 02Squeeze the hamstrings hard in the fully bent position.
  3. 03Return slowly to the extended start under full control.
  4. 04Keep the thighs pinned under the pad throughout.

Checkpoints

  • -Knees line up with the pivot so the pad tracks smoothly.
  • -Hips stay down against the seat on every rep.
  • -The legs reach near-full extension at the top of each rep.

Common mistakes

  • -Scooting the hips forward to shorten the range.
  • -Letting the stack pull the legs straight quickly.
  • -Skipping the deep squeeze at full flexion.
  • -Setting the thigh pad so loose the knees lift.

Programming notes

  • -Use 3 to 4 sets of 8 to 15 reps; research favors seated over lying curls for hamstring growth due to the longer muscle length.
  • -Make it a staple on lower days alongside a hip hinge movement.
  • -Slow eccentrics of 2 to 3 seconds add stimulus without more load.

Related exercises

Seated Leg Curl

Machine / Legs

Lever Lying Leg Curl

Machine / Legs

Lever Kneeling Leg Curl

Machine / Legs

Leg Curl

Machine / Legs

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